onlyTrustedInfo.comonlyTrustedInfo.comonlyTrustedInfo.com
Notification
Font ResizerAa
  • News
  • Finance
  • Sports
  • Life
  • Entertainment
  • Tech
Reading: Immunotherapy Breakthrough Could Help Some Cancer Patients Avoid Surgery and Chemotherapy
Share
onlyTrustedInfo.comonlyTrustedInfo.com
Font ResizerAa
  • News
  • Finance
  • Sports
  • Life
  • Entertainment
  • Tech
Search
  • News
  • Finance
  • Sports
  • Life
  • Entertainment
  • Tech
  • Advertise
  • Advertise
© 2025 OnlyTrustedInfo.com . All Rights Reserved.
Life

Immunotherapy Breakthrough Could Help Some Cancer Patients Avoid Surgery and Chemotherapy

Last updated: April 28, 2025 8:00 pm
Oliver James
Share
6 Min Read
Immunotherapy Breakthrough Could Help Some Cancer Patients Avoid Surgery and Chemotherapy
SHARE
  • Researchers found that some cancer patients who used a new immunotherapy drug were able to shrink their tumors without undergoing chemotherapy or surgery

  • 103 patients participated in the study, and 84 had “all signs of their cancer” disappear

  • Researchers said that the immunotherapy drug appeared to only work well with patients who had mismatch repair-deficiency, a unique genetic mutation most often found in patients with colorectal cancer

A new immuno-based treatment could treat tumors without cancer patients undergoing surgery or chemotherapy, according to a new study.

The research, published in The New England Journal of Medicine and announced at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting, suggested that 92% of patients who used the new immunotherapy drug, dostarlimab, to shrink their tumors ,continued to be cancer-free for at least two years.

Treating cancer usually involves a form of immunotherapy alongside chemotherapy and surgery to remove a tumor. However, the new immuno-based treatment would only require a single step — immunotherapy — to treat the cancer by teaching a person’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.

One hundred and three patients participated in the study, 54 with a variety of “solid tumor cancers,” including stomach, endometrial and prostate, and 49 with rectal cancer.

Researchers shared in a press release from The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center that of the 54 patients with a “variety of cancers,” 35 had “all signs of their cancer” disappear and were using the immuno-based treatment.

Smith Collection/Gado/Getty  Sign with logo on the facade of the Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer center in Manhattan, New York City, New York, among the top cancer hospitals in the world, September 14, 2017.

Smith Collection/Gado/Getty

Sign with logo on the facade of the Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer center in Manhattan, New York City, New York, among the top cancer hospitals in the world, September 14, 2017.

Related: This Refrigerator Staple Might Lower a Woman’s Risk of Colorectal Cancer, New Study Says

Per the release, Dr. Andrea Cercek said, “Nearly 2 out of 3 patients with types of cancer other than rectal were able to preserve their organs and their quality of life.”

“This is a very significant response, and the results were even better than we had hoped,” Dr. Cercek said. “We found that some cancer types responded extremely well to the immunotherapy, including colon and stomach cancer.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Maureen Sideris, seated, with her sister Marion, receiving the 8th of 9 immunotherapy infusions during successful treatment for early-stage gastroesophageal junction cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Maureen Sideris, seated, with her sister Marion, receiving the 8th of 9 immunotherapy infusions during successful treatment for early-stage gastroesophageal junction cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Maureen Sideris, a patient who was diagnosed with gastroesophageal junction cancer in 2022 and participated in the study, said that the treatment had worked successfully for her, according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center release.

“My husband, Tommy, and I were preparing for the worst,” she recalled in a statement. “But after being treated with only immunotherapy, I had no evidence of cancer and didn’t have to undergo surgery or chemo or radiation. I felt like I won the lottery!”

Dr. Cerek reported that “20% of non-rectal cancer patients” who still had to undergo surgery “saw lower rates of cancer recurrence.” She said this suggests that “even if the effect wasn’t a home run, it helped most patients.”

Related: Radiation from CT Scans Performed in Just 1 Year Could Lead to Over 100,000 Future Cancer Diagnoses, Study Finds

Getty A man pouring medications out of a bottle into his hand.

Getty

A man pouring medications out of a bottle into his hand.

As for all 49 patients with rectal cancer who participated in the study, “there was no evidence of cancer after immunotherapy,” according to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center release. Researchers said that one patient had a “growth in a lymph node” that was surgically removed but they “kept their rectum.”

However, researchers said that the new treatment comes with its own drawbacks as the immunotherapy drug appeared to only work well with patients who had mismatch repair-deficiency, which means certain cells have mutations when cancer cells separate, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Per the NCI, this mutation “is most common” in “colorectal cancer, other types of gastrointestinal cancer, and endometrial cancer” and can also be found in “cancers of the breast, prostate, bladder and thyroid.” The immunotherapy drug works by targeting cells with this mutation, as the immunotherapy drug can more easily target the many mutations, per the study.

“We’re really excited to help more people,” Dr. Cercek said. “And we are already exploring why rectal tissue seems to have such an extraordinary response to immunotherapy and how we can use that knowledge to help with other cancer types.”

Read the original article on People

You Might Also Like

What Happens To Your Body If You Drink 100 Cans Of Soda A Day

FDA Announces a New Recall on Popular Premade Salad

Trump nominates Kennedy ally Casey Means as new US surgeon general

Rachel Brosnahan Gives the Preppy Look a Cool Girl Touch

The 2025 Met Gala Red Carpet Fashion: See All of the Celebrity Arrivals

Share This Article
Facebook X Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article Brandon Nimmo ties Mets record with 9 RBIs as New York dominates Washington Brandon Nimmo ties Mets record with 9 RBIs as New York dominates Washington
Next Article How did Brick save Sonny’s life in Los Angeles? How did Brick save Sonny’s life in Los Angeles?

Latest News

Rabada rebounds from suspension to take five-for in WTC final for South Africa
Rabada rebounds from suspension to take five-for in WTC final for South Africa
Sports June 10, 2025
Tyler Adams says US soccer team tunes out criticism from former players
Tyler Adams says US soccer team tunes out criticism from former players
Sports June 10, 2025
Chicago Sky are struggling out of the gate with a new coach and revamped roster
Chicago Sky are struggling out of the gate with a new coach and revamped roster
Sports June 10, 2025
Tiger Woods offers advice to golfers ahead of U.S. Open
Tiger Woods offers advice to golfers ahead of U.S. Open
Sports June 10, 2025
//
  • About Us
  • Contact US
  • Privacy Policy
onlyTrustedInfo.comonlyTrustedInfo.com
© 2025 OnlyTrustedInfo.com . All Rights Reserved.