Emirates Oncology: The new rectal cancer drug gives hope to about 10% of patients in the country

President of the Emirates Oncology Society, Professor Humaid bin Harmal Al Shamsi

The Emirates Cancer Society reported that the new drug for the treatment of rectal cancer gives hope to 10% of patients with the disease in the country, especially the group that has a special genetic mutation.

In response to what was reported by the international media regarding a new drug for the treatment of rectal cancer, Professor Hamid bin Harmal Al Shamsi, President of the Emirates Oncology Society, on the sidelines of the annual conference of the American Cancer Society held in Chicago, which brought about a 100% cure rate in the 12 treated cases.

Al Shamsi said that the drug was tested on a group of rectal cancer patients who suffer from localized spread of the disease, and they have a special genetic mutation that makes their tumor accept immunotherapy, and patients in the second clinical trial stage underwent treatment every 3 weeks, for a period of 6 months, which led to the disappearance of the cancer Exactly in all patients who have undergone this trial, and their follow-up period ranged from 6 months to 25 months, and their cancer has not returned until now, and the patients are still under follow-up.

He stated that rectal patients who have this genetic mutation that makes them accept this treatment range from 5 to 10% of all rectal cancer patients. Patients with such tumors tend to be less responsive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which increases the need for Surgical removal of their tumors.

And he continued, “Currently 12 patients have completed treatment, with the average follow-up being one year, and some of the patients have been free of cancer for two years until now, while about three quarters of patients have so far suffered from mild or moderate side effects, including rash. Skin, itching, fatigue, and nausea, but none have yet seen a new growth of the cancer.

He pointed out that at the end of the trial, it is expected to include about 30 patients, then data on the entire trial will be available, and we will have a fuller picture of the safety and efficacy of the drug “dustarlimab” in patients with rectal cancer, despite the need for further study in broader groups. of patients.

He noted that the traditional treatment of rectal cancer with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy is difficult and has particularly significant side effects for people because of the tumor's location in the pelvis.

It is worth noting that the new drug was approved by the US Drug Administration in 2021 for cancer patients who have the same genetic mutation mentioned previously, which achieved a temporary improvement rate for some patients ranging from 33 to 55%.

Professor Al Shamsi stated that achieving a 100% cure rate is a historic event in the treatment of cancer patients, but experiments are still underway and patients are awaiting follow-up for years to determine the true long-term benefit, noting that the wheel of development of cancer treatment has made huge leaps in medical progress in recent years. .

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