Pioneering research into blood cancer is providing hope for those with no other treatment options
Groundbreaking cancer trials are producing ‘incredibly impressive’ results, with seriously ill people going into remission for months and years, a leading hospital has announced.
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester said its experimental work into blood cancers such as myeloma is seeing the vast majority of patients responding to treatment.
At the moment, the trust has around 30 clinical trials in progress for blood cancer, including five for myeloma, a disease that develops from plasma cells in the bone marrow.
Many of the patients on the trials have run out of other treatment options or are down to their last few, making the results even more astounding.
Dr Emma Searle, consultant haematologist at the Christie, said a raft of new immunotherapy drugs – which are so experimental they do not yet have a name – mean some patients, such as those with myeloma, are seeing their cancer drop to undetectable levels.
‘The results for this kind of trial – using drugs that enable the immune system to see and attack the myeloma – are incredibly impressive,’ she said.
‘Using the drugs on their own, we are seeing responses in over two thirds of patients who have no standard treatment options left.
‘And when using the drugs in combination… we are seeing responses in over 90% of patients.’
She said immunotherapy drugs, which are already used in some other cancers, will ‘absolutely’ change the face of treatment for blood cancer.
Dr Searle added: ‘These drugs are a huge breakthrough in this type of cancer, allowing patients without standard treatment options to achieve remission, in many cases for months or years.
‘When the drugs are used alone they achieve a remission lasting one to two years in most patients. Used in combination with other myeloma drugs, it is likely that responses and the effect on life expectancy will be even longer.’
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester has 30 ongoing clinical trials
Dr Searle, who is funded by the Christie charity, said she had not expected the immunotherapy to work so well in blood cancers, adding: ‘These are really fantastic results.’
Blood cancer can be hard to control and medics often find that patients are very sick because their entire immune system is affected.
Patients with myeloma used to survive for three to five years, though latest data suggests half of patients are still alive after 10 years.
There are around 6,000 new myeloma cases in the UK every year.
Although some of the new immunotherapies being tested are still only available in clinical trials in Manchester and London, the hope is they will become more widely used around the UK.
One myeloma patient who is benefiting from a clinical trial at the Christie is former children’s nurse Jan Ross, 57, from south Liverpool.
Dr Searle said: ‘Jan is getting a type of immunotherapy drug in combination with a standard drug.
‘We know the [standard] tablet alone doesn’t work well in her any more, but in this trial it seems to help the immunotherapy work even better.’
Ms Ross began her treatment for myeloma in November last year and in just seven months went into complete remission.
She has only experienced fairly minor side-effects of the new drug, such brittle nails and some loss of taste.
Before immunotherapy, she used to catch infection after infection but has not had any since starting the new treatment.
Ms Ross is now able to enjoy life and went to France recently on her first holiday since becoming ill.
She said: ‘Since my diagnosis I have had lots of different medications, each with side-effects that have been really challenging and affected my quality of life.
‘The myeloma could only be controlled for short periods of time for the first two-and-a-half years.
‘Thanks to this amazing new trial drug, after just seven months the cancer can’t be detected.
‘I would encourage anyone who fits the criteria for a trial drug to embrace it with confidence or at least explore your options.
‘You too could be receiving the positive news I have just been given.’
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The drug is so new it doesn’t yet have a name.