New immunotherapy proven effective for terminal esophagus cancer
Medical experts from Zhongshan Hospital revealed that immunotherapy can improve the treatment effects for patients with terminal esophagus cancer, and for the first time, they also revealed the biological features of patients sensitive to immunotherapy for precise treatment.
The discovery created a new treatment method for patients with esophagus cancer, and provided a new treatment plan for terminal patients for longer survival and better life quality, the hospital said on Tuesday.
Esophagus cancer is one of the ten leading cancers in China. The five-year survival rate is only 20 to 30 percent as most patients aren't diagnosed with the disease until its terminal stage, due to its insignificant symptoms. Patients in the terminal stage usually miss the best opportunity for surgery. The traditional solution is surgery plus post-surgery chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.
Experts said the new theory is that doctors remove the assistant treatment ahead of the surgery to reduce the size of the cancer for better surgical effects, and kill small metastatic lesions in the body for longer survival.
Doctors of Zhongshan Hospital in esophagus cancer surgery.
Though chemotherapy and radiation can achieve certain goals, they usually impose strong side effects.
"So looking for treatment with low toxicity and precise effects is in high demand in the clinical practice for esophagus cancer patients," said doctor Tan Lijie from Zhongshan Hospital's thoracic surgery department and leading expert of the research.
Since 2019, Tan's team has cooperated with BGI Research Institute to carry out studies on a domestically-developed monoclonal antibody on esophagus cancer patients. Among the 30 patients, 25 completed the assistant immunotherapy and surgery.
Compared with patients receiving traditional chemotherapy and radiation, patients in the study have a longer survival rate and suffer less side effects.
Over 90 percent of the patients have survived over two years, longer than previous expectations.
The study confirmed the effects of new assistant treatment for patients with terminal esophagus cancer and identifies people who are sensitive to the treatment, providing evidence for precise immunotherapy, experts said.
The research was published by world-leading journal Nature Medicine.
