"It was almost like science fiction."
A 71-year-old patient in New York experienced a complete response in a clinical trial, with her esophageal cancer tumor no longer detectable after four months of immunotherapy treatment.
Patient History and Treatment
Maureen Sideris, a previous colon cancer survivor treated with surgery in 2008, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. She enrolled in a clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Clinical Trial Results
Sideris received intravenous infusions of the drug dostarlimab every three weeks over a period of four months. Following this treatment regimen, her tumor was no longer detectable by available medical imaging or examination. The treatment did not involve surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy.
Reported Side Effects
Sideris experienced adrenal insufficiency, a side effect of the treatment that she reported causes fatigue.
Patient's Statement
Regarding the outcome of her treatment, Sideris described it as "unbelievable" and "almost like science fiction."
Broader Context of Immunotherapy
Sources indicate that immunotherapy—a type of biological treatment that aims to use the immune system to fight diseases—has been under development for approximately 100 years. An increasing number of patients are reported to be receiving and benefiting from immunotherapy treatments for cancer.
General Immunotherapy Research
Research into immunotherapies for a range of diseases continues to expand. Data from global registries shows a significant increase in clinical trials: a total of 1,257 trials were listed between 2006 and 2016, compared to 4,591 in the following decade.
Immunotherapies are biological treatments designed to prevent, control, or treat diseases by harnessing the immune system. Examples include vaccines, treatments that boost or suppress immune responses, and therapies using engineered immune cells or lab-made antibodies.
In the field of oncology, dozens of immunotherapies are approved for over 30 types of cancer. A four-year study is currently underway to recruit thousands of patients with breast, bladder, kidney, and skin cancer to investigate factors affecting patient responses to these treatments.