13/06/2022
"I believe this is the first time this has happened in the history of cancer," medical oncologist Luis Diaz Jr. from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).
➡️ What is the new “miracle drug”?
◼️It is called dostarlimab (sold under the brand name Jemperli), an immunotherapy drug.
◼️During its first trial against re**al cancer, it achieved 100% successful cancer remission, which is completely unprecedented!
◼️All 12 patients included in the trial walked out cancer free with no evidence of relapse after 6 months.
➡️ Why is it such a breakthrough for re**al cancer treatment?
◼️Rectal cancer is an uncommon malignancy related to colon cancer, often diagnosed at a later stage, when it is more difficult to treat.
◼️The standard treatment for re**al cancer is chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical resection.
Surgical resection comes at a high price, as it often leads to infertility, sexual dysfunction, impaired bladder and bowel function.
◼️But with the emergence of dostarlimab, as a sole first line treatment of re**al cancer, patients can avoid these procedures and their side effects, and maintain their quality of life.
➡️ How does dostarlimab work?
◼️Dostarlimab is a monoclonal antibody that targets a receptor on the immune T-Cells called PD-1 receptors.
◼️PD-1 receptors or Programmed cell death Protein-1 receptors help regulate the immune system. When PD-1 receptor binds to another protein PD-L1, it keeps the T-Cells from killing other cells, including cancer cells.
◼️Dostarlimab blocks the interaction PD-1 and PD-L1, allowing T-Cells to fight cancer cells.
➡️ Which types of cancer is dostarlimab effective against?
◼️Dostarlimab was first approved in April 2021 for advanced dMMR (mismatch repair–deficient) endometrial cancer.
◼️The indication was later expanded to all dMMR tumors regardless of location.
➡️ Should we be hopeful or cautious?
◼️Both. The trial is still expected to include 30 patients, we’ll then have a fuller picture on the safety and efficacy of dostarlimab.
◼️Revealed side effects so far only include rash, itching, fatigue, and nausea.
◼️Also, clinical complete response to the treatment does not necessarily mean long-term cancer control.
◼️However, dostarlimab has provided what may be an early glimpse of a revolutionary treatment shift.