New head and neck cancer drug could help patients live longer

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jun/04/new-head-neck-cancer-drug-could-help-patients-live-longer

New head and neck cancer drug could help patients live longer

Press Association

Tue 4 Jun 2019 00.00 BST

Immunotherapy could help patients with head and neck cancer live longer, new research suggests. The drug pembrolizumab, used in combination with platinum chemotherapy, was found to extend survival among those whose disease had returned or spread, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago.

The treatment, which works by stimulating the immune system to recognise and fight cancer, was also effective on its own for some patients and produced fewer side effects than “aggressive” chemotherapy.

The findings of the study, carried out by the Institute of Cancer Research and Royal Marsden in London, suggest immunotherapy is a better first-line treatment for those with an advanced form of the disease, the researchers said.
(snip)

The trial included 882 patients with advanced head and neck cancer. Immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab was given to 301 patients, 281 were treated with immunotherapy and chemotherapy, and 300 received chemotherapy.

Those with high levels of the immune marker PD-L1 – present in the majority of patients – who received a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy lived for an average of 14.7 months, the study found. This compared with 11 months among those given chemotherapy alone.

The results also show that 33% of patients with high levels of the immune marker who received the combination treatment were still alive after three years, against just 8% of those who received chemotherapy. Patients with lower levels of PD-L1 also benefited, living for an average of 13.6 months, compared to 10.4 months for those who only had chemotherapy.

Only 17% of patients receiving immunotherapy alone responded to treatment, compared with 36% of those who received chemotherapy, the study found. However, those who did respond to pembrolizumab in this group lived for an average of 18.1 months longer than those who only underwent chemotherapy.
(snip)

[watoos]

1. Yeah but can the unwashed afford it?