BOWEL cancer patients could be cured without surgery or chemo using a drug that harnesses their own immune system.
Everyone given the immunotherapy pembrolizumab in a trial was cancer-free after treatment and six in 10 did not need an operation as well.
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Surgery is the standard treatment with chemotherapy afterwards to finish off the tumours.
Treatment with the drug before an op was enough to cure more than half of patients in the study, and slashed the risk of relapse for the rest.
The blockbuster medication, known as Keytruda, is already used on the NHS for other types of cancer.
Trial leader Dr Kai-Keen Shiu, from University College London, said: “Our results show this is a safe and highly effective treatment that increases the chances of curing the disease at an early stage.”
Read more on bowel cancer
Bowel tumours are the third most common form of the disease in England, with 43,000 cases per year.
Bowel awareness up thanks to Dame Debs
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Public awareness is on the up thanks to campaigners like Sun writer Dame Deborah James, who died from the disease in 2022 at just 40 years old.
About 3,000 Brits each year get the type of tumour studied in the trial, which was stage two or three MMR deficient/MSI-high cancer.
Genetic mutations make it difficult to eradicate so doctors tried treating 32 patients with pembrolizumab for nine weeks before surgery to improve their chances.
It is an infusion that blocks a cancer’s ability to switch off the immune system.
This means a patient’s own white blood cells can be released to tackle the tumour naturally.
If you melt away the tumour before surgery you normally triple survival chances
Dr Kai-Keen Shiu
Fifty-nine per cent of people in the study, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference, were already cancer-free before their surgery date.
The remaining 41 per cent went into remission after both treatments.
Dr Shiu added: “If you melt the cancer away before surgery you normally triple survival chances.
“Currently the chance of surviving for three years after surgery without relapse is about 75 per cent, but we hope this treatment will get closer to 90 to 100 per cent.”
Professor Mark Saunders, from The Christie cancer hospital in Manchester, said: “This is a very exciting new treatment for the 10 to 15 per cent of patients who have the right genetic make-up.
“Immunotherapy prior to surgery could become a game-changer for these patients.
“Not only is the outcome better but it saves patients from having more conventional chemotherapy, which often has more side-effects.
“In the future, immunotherapy may even replace the need for surgery.”
The signs of bowel cancer you need to know – remember BOWEL
- B:Bleeding
There are several possible causes of bleeding from your bottom, of blood in your poo.
Bright red blood could come from swollen blood vessels, haemorrhoids or piles, in your back passage.
Dark red or black blood could come from your bowel or stomach.
Blood in your stools is one of the key signs of bowel cancer, so it’s important to mention it to your doctor so they can investigate.
2. O: Obvious change in loo habits
It’s important to tell your GP if you have noticed any changes in your bowel habits, that lasts three weeks or longer.
It’s especially important if you have also noticed signs of blood in your poo.
You might notice you need to go to the loo more often, you might have looser stools or feel like you’re not going enough or fully emptying your bowels.
Don’t be embarrassed, your GP will have heard a lot worse! Speak up and get it checked.
3. W: Weight loss
This is less common than the other symptoms, but an important one to be aware of. If you’ve lost weight and don’t really know why, it’s worth mentioning to your GP.
You may not feel like eating, feel sick, bloated and not hungry.
4. E: Extreme tiredness
Bowel cancer that causes bleeding can cause a lack of iron in the body – anaemia. If you develop anaemia you’re likely to feel tired and your skin might look pale.
5. L: Lump or pain
As with lots of other forms of cancer, a lump or pain can be a sign of bowel cancer.
It’s most likely you’ll notice a pain or lump in your stomach or back passage.
See your GP if it doesn’t go away, or if it affects how you eat or sleep