Car-T Therapy, First Positive Results Against the Most Difficult Tumors

Car-T cell therapy , which has revolutionized the treatment of tumors , especially blood tumors, has also shown promising results against solid tumors , which are much more difficult to treat. The trial, Nature magazine reports on its website , was conducted in China on patients with gastric or gastroesophageal cancer and indicates that the therapy extended survival by an average of 2.4 months compared to standard therapies. The study, published in the journal The Lancet, was led by the Peking University Oncology Hospital and Institute. Car-T cell therapy aims to fight tumors as if they were an infection, arming the immune system so that it is able to recognize malignant cells and kill them. In the therapy, immune cells called T lymphocytes are removed and genetically modified in the laboratory and then reinfused into the patient. So far, however, solid tumors have not shown a positive response to this type of therapy. Researchers led by Changsong Qi identified a molecule that is expressed in large quantities on the surface of cells in gastrointestinal tumors and then modified T lymphocytes so that the molecule became their target . They then administered the therapy to a group of patients, while another group received standard therapies. It emerged that among those treated with Car-T cells, 35% responded to the treatment, compared to 4% of the second group. The new therapy also extended life by an average of 2.4 months and reduced the probability of death by 31%. The study showed that 99% of patients experienced side effects such as an excessive reaction of the immune system, but these effects are expected in this type of therapy and usually resolve quickly.