http://www.fourwinds10.net/siterun_data/health/intentional_death/news.php?q=1304556242
Posted on 12/29/2016 11:03:02 AM PST by Red Badger
A man with deadly brain cancer that had spread to his spine saw his tumors shrink and, for a time, completely vanish after a novel treatment to help his immune system attack his disease — another first in this promising field.
The type of immunotherapy that 50-year-old Richard Grady received already has helped some people with blood cancers such as leukemia. But the way he was given it is new, and may allow its use not just for brain tumors but also other cancers that can spread, such as breast and lung.
Grady was the first person to get the treatment dripped through a tube into a space in the brain where spinal fluid is made, sending it down the path the cancer traveled to his spine.
He had "a remarkable response" that opens the door to wider testing, said Dr. Behnam Badie, neurosurgery chief at City of Hope, a cancer center in Duarte, California, where Grady was treated.
The case is reported in this week's New England Journal of Medicine.
Each year in the United States, about 20,000 people are diagnosed with a type of brain tumor called glioblastoma. Grady, who lives in Seattle, had the usual surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, but the cancer came back.
He enrolled in a clinical trial at City of Hope and had some of his own blood cells, called T cells, removed and genetically modified in the lab to turn them into specialized soldiers to seek and destroy cancer.
The treatment, called CAR-T cell therapy, has been used for blood cancers, but its value for solid tumors is unknown. City of Hope has been testing injecting the cells directly into the brain.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
What do they mean by "for a time?" I just the cancer wasn't cured. Too bad.
Would it work on libs?
Only people with brains.
“diagnosed with a type of brain tumor called glioblastoma.”
For a second there I though it said gibsmethat.
Maybe with a garden hose.....................
A cure I hope it would be one of the greatest things in my life time.
That’s a form of cancer, too................
My brother in law died from this cancer last week. It was less than a week after being diagnosed.
L
My brother-in-law was just diagnosed last week..............
Prayers up. He went quickly, so that was a mercy. I hope yours has a better outcome.
L
Not likely. He waited until he was coughing up blood to go to the doctor................
Not good. You have my sympathies.
Best,
L
http://www.fourwinds10.net/siterun_data/health/intentional_death/news.php?q=1304556242
The original cancer (with given marker) that the reengineered T cells ( immune cells )were designed to kill, the T cells did a fabulous job of eliminating them. In 8 months that cancer had vanished. But then the cancer reappeared without the marker and the T cells could no longer identify them as a target so they grew. Their next approach will be to target multiple markers on the tumor so if one target drops the T cells will continue to fire away at the tumor using other targets. The significance of this trial is that it established proof concept that reengineered immune cells work not just against blood cancers (aka liquid cancers) but against solid tumors as well. That is yuuuge.
Deepest condolences on your loss. My best friend from my Air Force days died from that form of cancer last fall, after a gallant, four-year battle. He received the best care possible (at Vanderbilt) and his own courage, tenacity and lifestyle played a role as well. If only this new therapy had been available sooner...we can only hope that more patients receive the treatment and experience a similar response.
Glioblastoma is a disease that receives very little attention, and (compared to other types of cancer), comparatively little funding. We should hope that changes as well. My friend’s four-year survival was remarkable—at the far end of the spectrum. Unfortunately, most victims (like your brother-in-law) pass within a few weeks or months. Gary Carter, the former catcher for the Expos and Mets, lasted less than nine months after his diagnosis; Edward Herrmann, the actor, died within two weeks.
It is a horrible, horrible disease.
Joe bidens son died of this too.
Btt
A doctor was discussing this on FBN about an hour ago. Very encouraging.
I am very sorry for your loss.
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