Colon cancers are especially tough to treat in their advanced stages A new trial finds the use of two immunotherapy drugs plus standard chemo nearly doubled survival times in patients with these tumors, compared to a widely used targeted therapy The combo therapy also produced better shrinkage of tumors WEDNESDAY, May 29, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- People battling advanced colon cancers might have a new treatment option that could extend their survival, a new trial finds. A combination of two experimental immunotherapy drugs plus standard chemotherapy led to a median 19.7 month survival for patients, compared to the median 9.
5 months observed among folks who only got a targeted therapy called regorafenib. “These results pave the way for further exploration of this promising treatment approach," said study first author Dr. Zev Wainberg .
He co-directs the UCLA Health GI Oncology Program, and is a researcher at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. The two experimental immunotherapy drugs were etrumadenant and zimberelimab, which activate the immune system to target cancer cells. Both are under development by Arcus Biosciences, which funded the new trial.
According to the American Cancer Society , an estimated 106,590 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed among Americans in 2024, and around 53,010 people will die of the illness. It's the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and the fourth leading cause in women. Catching any cancer early is k.
