Experimental Immunotherapy Holds Hope of Curing Metastasized Solid Tumor Cancers

(p. B3) WASHINGTON–A novel immunotherapy method led to complete regression of breast cancer in a metastatic patient unresponsive to all other treatments, National Cancer Institute researchers said, suggesting a way to reverse some other internal-organ cancers.
The findings, from the NCI laboratory headed by Steven A. Rosenberg, were published Monday in the medical journal Nature Medicine.
The scientific report largely focused on the course of treatment for one patient, Judy Perkins of Port St. Lucie, Fla.
. . .
The research remains experimental, Dr. Rosenberg said in an interview.
“But because this new approach to immunotherapy is dependent on mutations, not on cancer type, it is in a sense a blueprint we can use for the treatment of many types of cancer,” he said. “This could be the future of immunotherapy.”
Dr. Rosenberg, who has investigated for three decades how the immune system can be employed to fight cancer, said he is hopeful this approach “holds the best opportunities for finding effective immunotherapies for patients with the solid tumors that last year caused over 500,000 deaths in this country.”

For the full story, see:
Thomas M. Burton. “Cancer-Fighting ‘Blueprint’ Seen.” The Wall Street Journal (Tuesday, June 5, 2018): B3.
(Note: ellipsis added.)
(Note: the online version of the story has the date June 4, 2018, and has the title “Novel Immunotherapy Method Led to Complete Regression of Breast Cancer in Patient.”)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *