In a recent achievement in the world of cancer treatment, Carrie Downey, a 42-year-old single mother of one, was declared cancer-free from bowel cancer after being treated with Dostarlimab infusions for six months. Bowel cancer, or colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation. The organisation shared, ‘In 2020, more than 1.9 million new cases of colorectal cancer and more than 930,000 deaths due to colorectal cancer were estimated to have occurred worldwide.’ Hence, this latest development in cancer treatment is being celebrated worldwide, with ‘Dostarlimab’ being hailed as a ‘Miracle Drug.’
What Is Dostarlimab?
Dostarlimab, sold under the brand name, Jemperli, is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline LLC and has been widely used to treat endometrial cancer. It is essentially a form of immunotherapy, which supports the immune system to destroy cancer. The efficacy of this wonder drug in treating bowel cancer was also established in a study conducted by researchers from Bangladesh. Their study mentioned, ‘A small group of colorectal patients (18 individuals) just experienced something no short of a scientific miracle, their disease subsided completely after experimental treatment conducted by a group of doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York.’
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‘The trial's result is being labelled as surprising because every patient was cured completely without any exception. These groundbreaking results are unforeseen in cancer research according to some experts. These patients went through treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and in some cases, life-altering surgery that could alter bowel, urinary and sexual functions,’ added the researchers. But what worked in the end was Dostarlimab.
However, Dostarlimab is still in its early trials for the treatment of a rare form of colorectal cancer, despite its promising results. In the case of Downey, a resident of Wales, United Kingdom, she had no evidence of cancer after receiving the drug that targets a specific type of colorectal cancer where the cells have a genetic defect, which is present in 3.5% to 5% of rectal cancers, according to the Swansea Bay University Health Board.
When Downey was first diagnosed a year back, she was told that to remove her colorectal tumour surgically, she would be left with a permanent stoma, an opening in the abdomen to get rid of faecal matter, which is collected in a small bag worn outside the body. “He (her doctor) had checked my biopsies and knew I had this rare mutation. He said there had been trials and was confident he could get the funding because I met the criteria. I got tired and had a rash here and there (when the Dostarlimab treatment started), but nothing compared to chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery,” she told various news outlets.
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Following this miraculous news, ten patients have been prescribed the drug in Wales, even though the use of this immunotherapy for treating rare cases of bowel cancer is still being studied. Trials are also being conducted in the United States to include Dostarlimab in the arsenal against cancer.