A Universal Cancer Treatment?
nautil.us
A Universal Cancer Treatment?
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Re: A Universal Cancer Treatment?
#2It really is remarkable how far cancer treatment has progressed, even in the last few years. I'm one of the unfortunate people who, through a close family encounter with cancer, knows more about this stuff than anyone should have to. The oncologist told my relative that if they had presented with this particular cancer just a decade ago, his recommendation would have been to start hospice care.
However, in recent years, a very effective checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy has been developed for the cancer in question. ~2x the success rates of traditional chemo, greatly increased overall survival statistics, and with massively reduced side effects. The results speak for themselves: this drug has granted my relative years of extra life in the worst case, and a path to a deep, long remission in the best case.
I think that as the technology develops, by 2040 we'll be looking back at the present state of the art with the same incredulity that we currently have for, like, bloodletting with leeches in the Middle Ages. I think they've been saying this for a long time now, but it's truer than ever that a real cure for cancer is right around the corner.
Re: A Universal Cancer Treatment?
#3Has this been written up in some respected journal? (No, not Nature.)
Re: A Universal Cancer Treatment?
#4Did I miss it or was the delivery mechanism not really mentioned? I suppose that might be the secret sauce?
What happens once they stop the growth of cancer, say in the case of a tumour? Will it break down over time or does it need to be surgically removed?
Re: A Universal Cancer Treatment?
#5Did I miss it or was the delivery mechanism not really mentioned? I suppose that might be the secret sauce? What happens once they stop the growth of cancer, say in the case of a tumour? Will it break down over time or does it need to be surgically removed?
I think it was modified yeast bacteria produce a cell of exactly the right size to slip through the same blood vessels that the cancer did when it spread; unaffected blood vessels wouldn't let anything through.
Re: A Universal Cancer Treatment?
#6Did I miss it or was the delivery mechanism not really mentioned? I suppose that might be the secret sauce? What happens once they stop the growth of cancer, say in the case of a tumour? Will it break down over time or does it need to be surgically removed?
They genetically engineered a kind of bacteria that divides into non-living 'nanocells' that can't multiply further. These cells contain a special kind of RNA and a cell entry mechanism that lets them enter the cancer cells. The RNA interrupts the cell's ability to prepare for division. The article kind of implied that these nanocells follow the bloodstream pathways that cancer cells open when they metastasize.
The researchers main concern was whether those nanoncells would also enter healthy cells, but the tests seem to show healthy cells were not affected.
Re: A Universal Cancer Treatment?
#7so this can put the breaks on cancer, but it can't fix cancer?
Re: A Universal Cancer Treatment?
#8It really is remarkable how far cancer treatment has progressed, even in the last few years. I'm one of the unfortunate people who, through a close family encounter with cancer, knows more about this stuff than anyone should have to. The oncologist told my relative that if they had presented with this particular cancer just a decade ago, his recommendation would have been to start hospice care. However, in recent yea…
This. A close friend of mine was diagnosed with stage III stomach cancer. He lost massive amounts of weight and I almost thought he was not going to make it. And a year later he is back at work and doing pretty well.
Re: A Universal Cancer Treatment?
#9It really is remarkable how far cancer treatment has progressed, even in the last few years. I'm one of the unfortunate people who, through a close family encounter with cancer, knows more about this stuff than anyone should have to. The oncologist told my relative that if they had presented with this particular cancer just a decade ago, his recommendation would have been to start hospice care. However, in recent yea…
Would you be willing to share the type of cancer? Also, was the person you're referring to (can't tell if it was a relative) able to bypass traditional chemotherapy and go straight to the immunotherapy given the prognosis? Or did the oncologists require chemo first and only then your contact was able to receive the immunotherapy?
Thanks for sharing anything you can. If more comfortable sharing in private, I can be reached at asuela1 at yahoo's email service (it's my spam account, but I'll check it if you tell me you wrote back there).
Re: A Universal Cancer Treatment?
#10It really is remarkable how far cancer treatment has progressed, even in the last few years. I'm one of the unfortunate people who, through a close family encounter with cancer, knows more about this stuff than anyone should have to. The oncologist told my relative that if they had presented with this particular cancer just a decade ago, his recommendation would have been to start hospice care. However, in recent yea…
Would you be willing to share the type of cancer? Also, was the person you're referring to (can't tell if it was a relative) able to bypass traditional chemotherapy and go straight to the immunotherapy given the prognosis? Or did the oncologists require chemo first and only then your contact was able to receive the immunotherapy? Thanks for sharing anything you can. If more comfortable sharing in private, I can be re…
Stage IIIC NSCLC, specifically a superior sulcus tumor, advanced enough to be considered inoperable. Standard of care in this case was induction radiotherapy, followed by a single course of combination chemotherapy consisting of carboplatin, pemetrexed, and pembrolizumab (the last of which is the cutting-edge immunotherapy I'm talking about; brand name Keytruda.) After that, patients are prescribed the pemetrexed and immunotherapy alone for a long 2-year "maintenance" course, at which point treatment options will be reassessed.
Surgery was not an option here because of the size and location of the mass, but after the initial course of chemo a PET-CT showed an 80% reduction in size. After some time on pembrolizumab, symptoms continue to improve and surgery may be back on the table soon.
(edited for a more accurate picture of maintenance treatment; thanks to borbulon for refreshing my memory)