An experimental pill can shrink tumours by nearly a third in six of the world’s most difficult to treat cancers, early trial results have found.
Immunotherapy has transformed treatment for many patients, but for some it becomes less effective as cancer cells spread and learn to hide from the body’s defences.
Now researchers have developed a drug that intervenes, stopping cancer cells concealing themselves from the immune system and therefore respond better to treatment.
Results presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, in Chicago, showed the drug – GRWD5769 – shrank tumours in around a third of patients when given alongside standard immunotherapy.
The trial followed 83 patients with bowel, bladder, lung, cervical or head and neck cancers – which account for a third of all cancers diagnosed in the UK each year.
Crucially, none of the participants had responded to previous treatment and most had no options left when they joined the study.
But when patients took the twice-daily pill alongside the immunotherapy drug cemiplimab, researchers found tumours shrank in 26 patients. More than half of these saw reductions of at least 30 per cent.
The ‘wonder pill’ appeared most effective for lung and bowel cancers, halting progression of the disease for at least six months in more than half of patients – with very few side-effects.
The drug could transform treatment for many hard to treat cancers, experts say
It also offered hope for cervical cancer patients – many of whom are diagnosed at a late stage – delaying progression for at least six months in 18 per cent of cases.
The tablets, which can be taken at home, also halted progression of the disease for the same period of time in nearly a third of liver cancer patients, 36 per cent of bladder cancer patients and 38 per cent of those with head and neck cancer.
Lead investigators on the trial at The Christie NHS foundation trust in Manchester, said whilst the early data is encouraging across several hard-to-treat tumours, there’s still a lot more work to be done before it can be rolled out in clinics.
Read More
Cancer vaccine slashes risk of deadly skin cancer returning by nearly half in major trial
The combined therapy targets cancer in two distinct but complementary ways.
Immunotherapy trains T-cells – disease fighting cells – to recognise and attack cancer cells.
However, in around two thirds of patients, it fails. This new drug solves this problem by not allowing tumour cells to hide from the immune system.
The trial remains ongoing with researchers hoping the drug will continue to improve outcomes for a number of hard-to-treat cancers.
Cancer Research UK’s research information lead, Dr Samuel Godfrey, who was not involved with the trial, welcomed the findings.
He said: ‘It is unusual to see such outcomes in patients whose cancers have already stopped responding to treatment, particularly across several hard‑to‑treat cancer types, so these results are encouraging.
‘However, this is still an early‑stage study, and larger trials will be needed to determine whether this approach can deliver lasting benefits for patients.’
