Breakthrough cancer drug doubles survival in trial
a year ago
- #immunotherapy
- #medical-breakthrough
- #cancer-research
- Breakthrough immunotherapy drug doubles survival time for advanced head and neck cancer patients.
- Clinical trial shows patients given pembrolizumab before and after surgery had an average cancer-free period increase from 2.5 to 5 years.
- Laura Marston, a patient, shares her success story after being given a dire prognosis six years ago.
- The drug helps the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells, reducing the risk of recurrence by 10% after three years.
- Head and neck cancers are difficult to treat, with over half of advanced cases resulting in death within five years.
- The treatment approach, involving pre- and post-surgery immunotherapy, is described as a significant advancement in 20 years.
- Researchers advocate for NHS availability of pembrolizumab following the trial's positive outcomes.
- The international Keynote trial involved 350 patients across 192 hospitals in 24 countries, funded by MSD.