It looks like there could be a breakthrough in skin cancer treatment.A new study shows using an immunotherapy can significantly reduce the risk of a patient's skin cancer returning.It comes after a woman's own immune system was used to defeat her advanced stage breast cancer. Judy Perkins from Florida has been taking part in a trial since 2015 that combines two forms of immunotherapy, instead of conventional drugs.Melanoma Support Ireland is welcoming the new data that may signal the potential for more treatment options after surgery for patients.Anne Gribben from Dublin was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2006.She says everything has gone well since she took the drug treatment at the Mater Hospital.She said: "I took the drug every two weeks in the Mater oncology department for a year.It is three years since the treatment and I am three years clear, all the CT scans are clear, the MRIs are clear and it is just good news."- Digital Desk … [Read more...] about Using immunotherapy can reduce risk of returning skin cancer
Immunotherapy
Terminal cancer patient given months to live cured by immunotherapy
One injection changed Judy Perkins' life forever. The 52-year-old was riddled with cancer, with tumours the size of plums through her body after seven types of chemotherapy failed. "My condition deteriorated a lot towards the end, and I had a tumour pressing on a nerve, which meant I spent my time trying not to move at all to avoid pain shooting down my arm. I had given up fighting," Ms Perkins told The Daily Mail. Thanks to a revolutionary immunotherapy treatment administered by the National Institutes of Health, Ms Perkins' tumours were destroyed by her own white blood cells. The treatment, which is a world-first, harnesses the body's own immune system to fight the cancer - however only 15 percent of patients respond so dramatically to the treatment. Researchers make cancer treatment breakthrough New cancer trial could treat more kids with fewer side effects Researchers say the treatment should be available to more patients within five years, The Daily Mail reports. Ms Perkins says … [Read more...] about Terminal cancer patient given months to live cured by immunotherapy
Is cutting-edge cancer therapy sexist? Study finds immunotherapy works half as well for women
A pioneering cancer treatment hailed as the future of oncology is significantly less effective for women than for men, new research has revealed, prompting accusations of sexism in drug development. A major review published in The Lancet found immunotherapy to be, on average, half as beneficial for female cancer sufferers. The family of drugs stimulates the body’s immune system to destroy cancerous cells while leaving healthy cells intact. NHS patients with some lung, neck and head cancers already have access to the treatment and it is expected to become available to many more categories of patient over the next few years. The new analysis - the first of its kind - found consistently better outcomes for men taking the drugs than women, possibly due to immune system and hormonal differences. However, immunotherapy was still found to be more effective for women than traditional cancer drugs. The authors found that key drug trials were more likely to have been populated by male than … [Read more...] about Is cutting-edge cancer therapy sexist? Study finds immunotherapy works half as well for women
Oral immunotherapy: the cutting edge technique that could ‘cure’ allergies
A couple of months back I was restlessly searching through Netflix for something to watch. Pretty standard for a Sunday evening. About three-quarters of my TV viewing is food related, usually something a bit vanilla – Rick Stein or Nigel Slater on some marvelous gastronomic journey. Or Masterchef. Then I found Rotten, a series highlighting major issues within the food industry. The second episode, in particular, grabbed my interest. The Peanut Problem maps the rise of food allergies and offers insight on some novel methods used to combat them, including oral immunotherapy, a sort of vaccination for allergies that's still in its infancy but showing very promising results. Halfway through, I turned... To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per week Try Premium Access one … [Read more...] about Oral immunotherapy: the cutting edge technique that could ‘cure’ allergies
Immunotherapy-first cancer treatment a ‘game-changer’, say scientists
Cancer patients should be given thorough immunotherapy before undergoing surgery to remove dangerous tumours, a new trial suggests. A study on lung cancer patients found that activating the immune system can prompt tumours into spreading friendly T-cells around the body, significantly reducing the chance of cancer returning after surgery. Scientists have hailed the new approach, called “cancer interception”, a “game-changer” potentially capable of stopping the disease in its tracks. Teams are now setting out to trial the method on patients with blood, colon and ovarian cancers in what could be the start of a fundamental shift in treatment of the disease. Oncologists at Johns Hopkins University and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center administered the immunotherapy drug nivolumab over several weeks to 21 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer prior to surgery. They found the strategy was not only safe, but that 45 per cent of the patients … [Read more...] about Immunotherapy-first cancer treatment a ‘game-changer’, say scientists