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A new treatment for bladder cancer could hold the first major breakthrough in nearly 30 years.
Tests showed “immunotherapy” drugs shrank tumours in nearly half of patients suffering advanced stages of the disease. And in seven per cent of cases the tumours disappeared completely.
Overall, 43 per cent of patients who took part in trials showed positive effects against the disease – known as the “forgotten killer”.
Every year 10,400 people in the UK are diagnosed with bladder cancer – the seventh most common cancer. It claimed 5,081 lives in 2011, and survival rates are worsening in England, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Urology.
Scientists have failed to find a new treatment for almost three decades – but the new drugs have been likened to “precision-guided bombs that hunt and destroy hostile cells”.
Sixty-eight patients took part in the trials of “investigational immunotherapy MPDL3280A” through Cancer Research UK’s Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre.
Professor Peter Johnson, of Cancer Research, said: “It’s exciting to see a potential new treatment for bladder cancer patients who have been waiting a long time for new therapies.
“The progress we’ve made in harnessing the body’s own immune system to fight cancer is an important step forward.
“Cancer can only grow by finding a way to escape detection by the immune system. One way is to trigger a shut-off switch on immune cells when they get close to the tumour.
“This new treatment blocks the cancer cell’s ability to use this switch, allowing the immune system to recognise and destroy the cancer.”
This treatment has been approved by FDA in USA and hopefully very soon by Health Canada. This is a major breakthrough folks!!!
JackPhase 11 Trials now taking place around the world including Canada.
http://roche-trials.com/roche-trials/trialDetailsGet.action?studyNumber=GO29293Great news! It’s about time! I have always suspected that the key to beating cancer was working with the immune system. Since cancer is often caused by our immune system going awry this makes total sense. That is why I opted for BCG since it is an immunotherapy treatment. If they are able to come up with an immunotherapy treatment for more advanced bladder cancer – man, think of the benefits! No more RC’s. Hopefully the side effects from these new treatments would be doable.
This is great news and is perhaps a first step in finding a univesral treatment for all cancers.
The question I have is, if this works on advanced cancer wouldn’t it work just as well or better on newly diagnosed low level cancer?Mike
Mike I am not sure exactly how this new treatment would apply to non-invasive bladder cancer. Currently a Turbt is performed to remove the tumor, and in many cases no further treatment is necessary and in some cases the cancer never returns.
Jack
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