Three glioblastoma patients saw their tumors shrink drastically within days when they tested a treatment that trains the immune system to recognize cancer cells.
- Researchers have tested a therapy called CAR-T to treat glioblastomas. It involves training the patient’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
- One patient saw his tumor reduced by 60%. The cancer showed no progression in 6 months.
- Another patient showed “almost complete tumor regression” in just five days. However, his cancer returned a few weeks later.
Glioblastoma is the most common brain cancer in adults, but also one of the most aggressive. However, work by American researchers offers new hope to patients. The 3 patients who were testing a new treatment based on their own immune system saw their brain tumors shrink drastically in less than a week.
Brain cancer: new therapy reduces tumors
Therapy called CAR-T, already used for certain blood cancers, involves training the patient’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. The three glioblastoma patients tested the product from March to July 2023. They all presented very encouraging responses which were the subject of an article in the journal le New England Journal of Medicine.
A 72-year-old volunteer saw his tumor shrink by more than 18% two days after the start of treatment. At 69e day of the experiment, the mass had shrunk by 60%. He hasn’t seen any progression of his cancer for about six months now, according to his doctors.
The other participant, aged 57, showed even more impressive results. A “pre-complete tumor regression” was recorded after only five days. The third volunteer, a 74-year-old man, also saw the size of his tumor decrease. However, for these last two patients, the cancer returned. But the experience remains encouraging for the authors .
Glioblastoma: further research needed
Side effects were also observed, but they were quite limited: fever and nodules appeared briefly in the lungs. Researchers are optimistic and plan to continue this new approach to immunotherapy.
Asked by CNNresearcher Marcela Maus, explains: “Even though two of our patients saw their cancer progress again before six months, we believe that we can make various maneuvers to try to increase this durability.”
Researchers acknowledge that additional work will be needed before these treatments can be generalized.
“These results are exciting, but they are also just the beginning: they tell us that we are on the right track to pursue a therapy that has the potential to change the outlook for this deadly disease. We haven’t cured the patients yet, but that’s our bold goal”she confided to Sun.
