Some fatalities after new immunotherapy against cancer

Setback in new cancer treatment: deaths in immunotherapy study
Every year around half a million people in Germany receive the diagnosis of cancer. In most cases this will be followed by surgery, chemotherapy and / or radiation. But meanwhile more and more people are turning to personalized therapies. The so-called immunotherapy is a new treatment approach that holds great hopes for patients. However, hopes have now been clouded by deaths.

T cells of the own immune system
Recently, a new immunotherapy for blood cancer has been reported. It uses T cells of its own immune system to specifically target malignant cells in patients with advanced leukemia. Thanks to this method, patients have already been cured.

With the help of immunotherapy, many cancer patients have been successfully treated in recent years. But now, in a study on the new approach to treatment, several deaths occurred. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com)

Successful therapy for cancer
Successes of immunotherapy against cancer have been more frequent in recent years. For example, doctors from London's Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) last autumn reported on a small girl who was first healed with a special cell therapy that had never been used before.

Deaths during a study
But now, during a study, there were deaths that reduced hope for the new approach to therapy. According to a report from "Technolgy Review," Juno Therapeutics interrupted its clinical trial of immunotherapy for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia after two deaths.

According to the information, three participants of the same study had previously died. Nonetheless, other groups continue to research the new class of drugs that promise tremendous potential in some patients with deadly cancers.

For patients who do not respond to other treatments
In the so-called CAR-T therapy, T cells are taken from the patients and genetically modified so that they can recognize and attack cancer cells after being returned to the patient. This therapy was previously considered to be particularly promising and should be able to help people who do not respond to other treatments.

According to Terry Fry, a pediatric cancer doctor who develops CAR-T therapy at the National Cancer Institute in the US, these therapies are potentially "revolutionary" for patients who would otherwise have little chance of getting cancer.

Some sufferers are completely free of cancer after CAR-T therapy, but the deaths in the Juno study are a reason to rethink, according to the physician: "Most of these patients have no other therapeutic options, but that does not mean that Neurotoxicity would be acceptable. "

Unclear if problematic study continues
According to Juno Therapeutics CEO Hans Bishop, the company is still aiming to launch its first CAR-T therapy in 2018. However, it is currently unclear whether the company will completely end the problematic study and instead focus on other therapies. (Ad)