In March 2024, an amazing breakthrough emerged that could change the way we treat cancer.
Used to treat a fatal form of brain cancer also known as glioblastoma, the therapy trial saw ‘dramatic responses within days’ for the patients in the trial.
Researchers and surgeons out of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system use a new approach to CAR-T therapy, a complex and personalized treatment that prompts your immune system to attack the cancer cells.
Usually used to treat leukaemia, CAR-T therapy harnesses the patient’s own immune system to treat their condition. Typically, a patient’s blood is taken and sent to a lab where it’s ‘trained’ to fight the cancer cells before being transferred back to the patient and administered to treat their condition.
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In this case, the researchers and surgeons treated three patients with recurrent glioblastoma using a variant of existing CAR-T therapy, adding antibodies to the treatment — and the results were astonishing.
Reported in a paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine, one patient saw an 18.5% decrease in their tumor size just two days after treatment. By day 69, the tumor had decreased by an incredible 60.7%. Another patient saw their ‘tumor regress rapidly’, according to the Mass General Brigham.
Following the third patient’s treatment, an MRI showed that a single infusion had led to a ‘near-complete tumor regression’ in just five days.
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“The CAR-T platform has revolutionized how we think about treating patients with cancer, but solid tumors like glioblastoma have remained challenging to treat because not all cancer cells are exactly alike and cells within the tumor vary," said Bryan Choi, MD, PhD, neurosurgeon and associate director of the Center for Brain Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cellular Immunotherapy Program, Mass General Cancer Center and Department of Neurosurgery.
He continued: "Our approach combines two forms of therapy, allowing us to treat glioblastoma in a broader, potentially more effective way.”
Mass General Brigham say studies similar to this one ‘show the promise of cell therapy for treating incurable conditions’, giving people considerable hope.
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As mentioned, CAR-T therapies are usually used to treat blood cancers, but this study shows its potential for treating solid tumors.
While this gives hope to people with these conditions, it is worth noting that this was a small study of three patients, and more research is needed before the treatment is rolled out more widely for solid tumors.
Study co-author Elizabeth Gerstner, MD, a neuro-oncologist in the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, said: “We report a dramatic and rapid response in these three patients. Our work to date shows signs that we are making progress, but there is more to do."
Marcela Maus, MD, PhD, director of the Cellular Immunotherapy Program agreed, and said: “These results are exciting, but they are also just the beginning - they tell us that we are on the right track in pursuing a therapy that has the potential to change the outlook for this intractable disease. We haven’t cured patients yet, but that is our audacious goal.”