Two wonder drugs that 'melt away' colon cancers in up to 100 PERCENT of patients could help halt epidemic in young people READ MORE: You should get a colonoscopy if you have two common symptoms By Emily Joshu Health Reporter In Chicago For Dailymail.Com Published: 14:48 BST, 3 June 2024 | Updated: 16:35 BST, 3 June 2024 e-mail 57 shares 32 View comments Two wonder drugs could help fight an explosion of colon cancers in young people - and both are already approved in the US. Both treatments are immunotherapies, which use patients' own disease-fighting white blood cells to target cancerous tumors.
Trials found pembrolizumab, sold under the brand name Keytruda, 'melts away' tumors, potentially sparing patients from needing surgery and chemotherapy. It was so effective , tests found six in 10 patients had no trace of disease left months later. The drug is already used to treat lung and cervical cancer in America.
Meanwhile, a second, brand-new drug made by GSK was effective in 100 percent of cases of a rare form of colorectal cancer. The above graph shows the rise of colorectal cancer in young Americans from 1999 through 2020 The findings were presented this weekend at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago this weekend. They come as colorectal cancer rates are expected to double from 2010 to the end of the decade .
Doctors are still trying to work out what's behind the rapid rise. GOT A HEALTH-RELATED STORY? EMAIL: [email protected] Adverti.
