A limited clinical trial conducted on 18 rectal cancer patients at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan had a 100 percent success rate, according to a paper published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The patients took the drug dostarlimab every 21 days for a period of six months, the New York Times reported, adding that the drug costs around $11,000 per dose.
The participants saw their tumors disappear at the conclusion of the trial, as the cancer completely vanished and was no longer detected by physical exam, endoscopy, PET scans or M.R.I. scans.
‘I believe this is the first time this has happened in the history of cancer,’ Dr. Luis A. Diaz Jr., one of the paper’s authors, said stating it was the only study he knows of that resulted in complete remission in all patients.
After completing treatment with dostarlimab, the patients were monitored for six months for health updates. At the time of publishing the study on June 5, none of them had shown any signs of recurrence.
Participants had endured harsh treatments such as chemotherapy and complicated surgeries, but did not need any of these intrusive procedures at the time of the conclusion of trial.
Many medical experts and researcher said the study was ‘compelling,’ and ‘unprecedented’ but added that it remains unclear if the patients are cured.
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