CAR-T Therapy Boosts Survival 40% in Advanced Gastric Cancer

Recent advances in immunotherapy are showing promising improvements in survival and quality of life for patients with various advanced cancers. A study led by UCLA researchers found that adding the immunotherapy drug dostarlimab to standard chemotherapy extended high-quality survival time for patients with advanced endometrial cancer, despite some increased side effects. In advanced melanoma, a one-time treatment called lifileucel, which uses tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, led to nearly 20% of patients surviving five years, with tumor shrinkage in most cases, highlighting its potential as a transformative option. Additionally, CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically engineers a patient’s T-cells to better target cancer, has been shown in a landmark randomized controlled trial to extend survival by about 40% in patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer, suggesting a paradigm shift for treating solid tumors that constitute the majority of adult cancers. These findings, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference and published in The Lancet, mark significant milestones in extending both life span and life quality for cancer patients through novel immunotherapeutic approaches.