Bowel cancer patients could be cured with immunotherapy

Revolutionary treatment

Bowel cancer patients could potentially be cured without invasive surgery or chemotherapy, thanks to a groundbreaking drug that harnesses their own immune system. In a recent trial, all patients given the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab were cancer-free after treatment, with six in 10 not requiring surgery.

Game-changing results

Traditionally, surgery followed by chemotherapy has been the standard treatment for bowel cancer. However, treating patients with pembrolizumab before surgery was enough to cure over half of the patients in the study and significantly reduced the risk of relapse for the others.

Hope for the future

The trial results, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference, have shown promising outcomes for patients with stage two or three MMR deficient/MSI-high cancer. This form of treatment could potentially triple survival chances and lead to a higher chance of long-term remission.

Increasing awareness

Public awareness of bowel cancer has been on the rise, thanks to advocates like the late Dame Deborah James, who passed away from the disease at the age of 40. With about 3,000 Brits diagnosed with this type of tumour each year, the development of innovative treatments like immunotherapy offers hope for improved outcomes.

Exciting prospects

Experts believe that immunotherapy could be a game-changer for a subset of patients with the right genetic make-up. Not only does it offer better outcomes, but it also spares patients from the side effects often associated with traditional chemotherapy. In the future, this innovative treatment may even replace the need for surgery altogether.