Pro IQRA News Updates. 
Pioneering cancer trials have yielded “incredibly impressive” results, with critically ill people recovering for months and years, according to a leading hospital.
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester said its experimental work on blood cancers such as myeloma sees the vast majority of patients responding to treatment, with seriously ill people recovering for months and years.
Currently, the Trust has about 30 clinical trials in progress for leukemia, including five for myeloma, a disease that develops from plasma cells in the bone marrow.
Many patients in the trials have either run out of other treatment options or are down to the last few, which makes the results all the more surprising.
Dr Emma Searle, consultant hematologist at Christie’s, said a range of new immunotherapy drugs, which are so experimental they don’t even have a name yet, mean some patients, such as those with myeloma, are seeing their cancer rates drop to levels they can’t. discovered.
“The results of this type of experiment – using drugs that enable the immune system to see and attack myeloma – are incredibly remarkable,” she said.
“With medication alone, we’re seeing responses in more than two-thirds of patients who are left with no standard treatment options.
“And when the drugs are used together…we see responses in more than 90 percent of patients.”
She said immunotherapy drugs, which are already used in some other types of cancer, would “completely” change the face of leukemia treatment.
Dr Searle added: “These drugs represent a huge breakthrough in this type of cancer, allowing patients who do not have standard treatment options to achieve remission, in many cases for months or years.
“When the drugs are used alone, they achieve remission that lasts 1 to 2 years in most patients.
“When used in combination with other myeloma drugs, responses and the effect on life expectancy are likely to be longer.”
There are around 6,000 new cases of myeloma in the UK each year (Simon Dawson/PA)
(PA wire)
Funded by the charity Christie’s, Dr Searle said she hadn’t expected immunotherapy to work so well in cases of leukemia, adding: “These are really impressive results.”
Leukemia can be difficult to control, and paramedics often find patients very sick because their entire immune system is affected.
Myeloma patients used to survive three to five years, although the most recent data shows that half of patients are still alive after 10 years.
There are around 6,000 new cases of myeloma in the UK each year.
Although some of the new immunotherapies being tested are still only available in clinical trials in Manchester and London, the hope is that they will be widely used across the UK.
One myeloma patient benefiting from a clinical trial at Christie’s is former pediatric nurse Jan Ross, 57, from South Liverpool.
Dr Searle said: “Jan gets a type of immunotherapy drug along with a standard medication.
“We know that the[standard]tablet alone is no longer working as well in them, but in this trial it seems to help the immunotherapy work better.”
Ms. Ross began her treatment for myeloma in November last year, and in just seven months she made a full recovery.
She experienced fairly minor side effects of the new drug, such as brittle nails and some loss of her sense of taste.
Before immunotherapy, she used to get infections after infection but has not had any infections since starting the new treatment.
Now, Ross is able to enjoy life and recently went to France for her first vacation since falling ill.
She said: “Since my diagnosis I have been on a lot of different medications, each with side effects that have been really challenging and affected my quality of life.
“Myeloma can only be controlled for short periods of time for the first two and a half years.
“Thanks to this amazing new experimental drug, after only seven months the cancer is still undetectable.
“I would encourage anyone who fits the criteria of an experimental drug to embrace it with confidence or at least explore your options.
“You too can receive the positive news I just received.”
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