In a study recently published in the journal Nature, scientists at Queen Mary University of London have made great progress in the treatment of advanced bladder cancer. In the past thirty years, there has been no major progress in the treatment of advanced bladder cancer. In this study, we tested the therapeutic effect of MPDL3280A (an antibody that can block PD-L1), which is a protein that helps cancer cells evade detection by the immune system. Bladder cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the UK. At the time of diagnosis, about 10% of patients are already in advanced stages. This makes treatment very difficult, and chemotherapy is the only option. Due to the high toxicity and low efficacy of chemotherapy, many people eventually give up treatment. The average survival time of patients after diagnosis is 12-18 months.
Significant progress in the treatment of bladder cancer in the past 30 years
In the first phase of the international multi-center clinical trial, 68 patients with advanced bladder cancer (other standard therapies such as chemotherapy are not suitable for these patients) received cancer immunity developed by Roche MPDL3280A. The PD-L1 protein of these patients was also tested, and about 30 of them were identified as PD-L1 positive tumors. After 6 weeks of treatment, 43% of PD-L1 positive patients had their tumors shrunk. After 12 weeks, the percentage rose to 52%. In subsequent treatments, 2 (7%) of these patients showed no signs of cancer on X-ray images. Among PD-L1 negative patients, 11% responded positively to treatment. Research has also found that this treatment has long-term effects. Safety is also exciting. Side effects include only the most common symptoms of fatigue and loss of appetite. The preliminary results of this clinical trial have brought great hope to patients with advanced bladder cancer and show that MPDL3280A is a very promising drug in the future.
Currently, MPDL3280A antibody drug has passed FDA's breakthrough therapy designation. If larger clinical trials show the same results, they may be widely used by patients by the end of 2015. Dr. Tom Pauls of the Buzz Cancer Institute of Queen Mary University of London, who is in charge of the research, said: “This research is a major advancement in the treatment of advanced bladder cancer. For decades, chemotherapy has been the only option for these patients. Cost. Needless to say, many patients have received chemotherapy. The response rate of MPDL3280A is amazing, and PD-L1 positive patients can be screened by targeted therapy."
Immunotherapy ushered in a new era of cancer treatment
In an interview with Tom Pauls by a BBC reporter, cancer immunotherapy opened a new era of cancer treatment. His research team focuses on studying the tumor microenvironment, which helps predict which patients will respond to treatment. At the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting held in Chicago in June this year, a group of similar trials showed that cancer immunotherapy can improve the survival rate of patients with advanced skin cancer. 411 patients received pembrolizumab in clinical trials, and 69% of patients survived for at least one year.
In addition, in a study led by Yale University, patients with non-small cell lung cancer, melanoma, kidney cancer and other cancers also responded to immunotherapeutics.
Canceresearch UK's chief clinician Professor Peter Johnson said: "These new breakthrough therapies using the immune system have produced many exciting results. This may be the new way to treat cancer that we have been looking for for many years."