Groundbreaking immunotherapy trial promises cancer patients with tumours to live 40% longer

Groundbreaking immunotherapy trial promises cancer patients with tumours to live 40% longer
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A groundbreaking clinical trial has shown that Car T-cell immunotherapy enables cancer patients with advanced solid tumours to live 40% longer than those receiving standard care, The Guardian reported. The world-first randomised controlled trial, conducted in China with over 100 patients suffering from advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, revealed that patients treated with Car T-cells lived an average of 7.9 months compared to 5.5 months with conventional treatments.

Car T-cell therapy involves genetically modifying a patient’s own T-cells to better detect and destroy cancer cells. While already successful in blood cancers, this trial marks a milestone for treating solid tumours, which account for about 90% of all cancers.

The therapy also extended progression-free survival to 3.3 months versus 1.8 months for standard care. Experts at the American Society of Clinical Oncology hailed these results as transformative, with further trials underway exploring Car T-cell therapy for brain tumours such as glioblastoma. This innovation could revolutionize treatment options for patients with limited alternatives.