(WXYZ) — A new treatment for rectal cancer has triggered remission in patients in a clinical trial. Researchers described the results as “breakthrough findings” after tumors disappeared.
I’m always excited to share great news, and the results of this study sound amazing. I do want to stress that this is a small study. Only 14 patients took part. It was conducted by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The participants that were selected all had advanced rectal cancer with a rare mutation called mismatch repair deficiency or MMRd.
Now, the experimental treatment that was given to the patients in this trial is an immunotherapy drug called Dostarlimab. Dostarlimab is an anti–PD-1 monoclonal antibody and this is how it works. It exposes cancer cells by removing the shield that cancer cells put around them. So the immune system can then find them and destroy them. Now, the patients received this drug every three weeks for six months. And after treatment wrapped up, amazingly, there was no evidence of tumors.
Researchers could not find any sign of rectal cancer – it was undetectable by physical exam, endoscopy, biopsy, PET scans, and MRI scans. So far, there has been no progression or recurrence of the cancer during follow-up - which ranges between 6 months and 25 months after the trial ended.
None of the patients needed the standard treatments – meaning surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. This is incredible because rectal cancer patients often do need these types of treatments. As I know too well as a practicing gastroenterologist, surgery and radiation can be life-altering.
Patients can end up with bowel, urinary, and sexual dysfunction. Reproductive organs can also be affected, resulting in lifelong infertility.
As for your other questions, researchers reported that none of the patients had serious side effects or complications from the experimental drug Dostarlimab.
It’s not yet clear if the patients are officially cured. Longer follow-up is needed to answer that plus, we need a larger clinical trial to see if these results can be replicated.
One last thing I’d like to mention, rectal cancer is most common in people over the age of 50, however, I am seeing more cases of it in young adults.
If anyone develops bright red blood in stool, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, or a feeling that your bowel doesn't empty completely, please talk to your doctor.
Rectal cancer is curable, especially if it’s detected early.
