Drug that turbocharges immune system 'keeps cancer at bay for years'

A drug that turbocharges the could double -free survival time for patients with newly diagnosed head and neck cancers, giving them more precious years with loved ones. More than half of head and neck cancer sufferers see their disease return after initial treatment, with recurrence rates varying according to type and stage.

A major trial found found that those who received the immunotherapy drug, pembrolizumab, alongside and radiotherapy remained free of the disease for an average of five years. This compared to just 30 months for patients who received standard treatment alone. Around 12,000 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year in the UK.

Pembrolizumab boosts the immune system's ability to recognise and destroy cancer cells.

It is already approved to treat head and neck cancers that have returned or spread around the body, as well as some other cancer types, but the latest research suggests it could also benefit newly diagnosed patients - a group for whom novel treatments are desperately needed.

The trial involved teams in 24 countries around the world, including one led by Professor Kevin Harrington, an expert in biological cancer therapies at The Institute of Cancer Research in London.

He said: "For patients with newly-diagnosed, locally-advanced head and neck cancer, treatments haven't changed in over two decades.

"This research shows that immunotherapy could change the world for these patients - it significantly decreases the chance of cancer spreading around the body, at which point it's incredibly difficult to treat."

Some 714 patients took part in the study, with 363 receiving pembrolizumab while 351 had only the standard treatment regime.

The treatment also halved the risk of patients developing unrelated cancers, from 5% to 2.5%.

Previous trials have not been so successful. Researchers believe this one had stronger results because pembrolizumab was prescribed both before and after surgery.

This meant the immune system was primed to attack the cancer before it was surgically removed, and then continued fighting it while patients had further treatment.

Prof Harrington, who is also a consultant oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said the results showed the immunotherapy "dramatically increases the duration of disease remission - for years longer than the current standard treatments.

"It works particularly well for those with high levels of immune markers, but it's really exciting to see that the treatment improves outcomes for all head and neck cancer patients, regardless of these levels."

The findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's annual meeting in Chicago.

'I'm amazed I'm still alive thanks to this drug trial'

Laura Marston, 45, says the immunotherapy treatment has "given me the gift of life" after she was diagnosed with stage four tongue cancer.

The disease was found in 2019 after she developed an ulcer that would not heal. She joined the KEYNOTE-689 trial at The Royal Marsden six years ago.

Laura, of Derbyshire, said: "I was so excited to be on a clinical trial and knowing I was in the best hands was really reassuring. As part of the trial I underwent two rounds of immunotherapy before undergoing surgery.

"In the months following my surgery I had to relearn how to eat and talk again while also having ten more infusions of immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.

"My clinical team were amazing and went above and beyond for anything I needed. I am amazed I am still here six years later, this treatment has given me the gift of life."