The results of a new British study indicate that immunotherapy could be successfully used to treat the most common form of colorectal cancer, also known as bowel cancer.
In 61% of the study participants the tumor shrank Photo: Archive
The findings of the new study, a phase 1 trial involving the immunotherapy drugs botensilimab and balstilimab, were published in the journal Nature Medicine and are the first time consistent and durable responses to immunotherapy have been reported in difficult-to-treat cases, according to a statement published by Anglia Ruskin University.
The study, carried out in collaboration with Professor Justin Stebbing of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), which describes the results as “potentially changing”, focused on the most common type of colorectal tumors, known as MSS mCRC or microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer.
Although immunotherapy has previously been shown to work in patients with specific mismatch repair (dMMR)-deficient tumors, only a small percentage of colorectal cancer patients have this type of tumor, and immunotherapy has so far been ineffective in patients with MSS mCRC tumors Frequently.
The new study involved the use of the immunotherapy drug botensilimab in combination with balstilimab on a group of patients in the United States. These drugs are both monoclonal antibodies, which work by triggering the body's immune system to attack the cancer.
Of the patients in the phase 1 study, 101 were followed for six months, and 61% of them had their tumors shrink or remain stable after receiving a combination of botensilimab (BOT) and balstilimab (BAL). The most common side effects of treatment were diarrhea and fatigue.
“These results are incredibly interesting. Colorectal cancer, or bowel cancer, is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and this is the first time there is convincing evidence that immunotherapy can work in all forms of colorectal tumors, so this may be a game-changer.
This is now progressing to the later phase of clinical trials and we hope that the FDA in the United States will approve its use very soon. And because this is such an important area, affecting so many people, we hope the UK authorities can also move quickly.” said Justin Stebbing, professor of biomedical sciences at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and corresponding author of the study.
