Have Doctors Found a Cure for Cancer?

In the United States, 1 in 3 people are affected by cancer. Currently, there is no “cure” for cancer. This means there is not one treatment that can guarantee that patients diagnosed with cancer will fully be healed.  However, a new treatment plan called CAR T-cell therapy is showing incredible results with patients remission results in clinical trials. CAR T-cell therapy is currently being tested with specific blood cancers, specifically in non hodgkin's lymphoma and leukemia. 

You may be wondering, how does this treatment work? As stated in a recent cancer research article, “In CAR T-cell therapy, a patient’s T-cells are collected from the blood and genetically modified to express a receptor that recognizes and binds to an antigen found on the surface of cancer cells. Once modified, the CAR T-cells are reproduced in large numbers in the lab before they are infused into the patient, either intravenously or at the tumor site, where, if all goes well, they attack the cancer.” (Kendall K. Morgan) The T in CAR T represents T-cells, a type of white blood cell. By genetically mutating a patient's T-cells, it forms receptors. Once transferred back into the patient's body, these mutated cells are designed to attack the cancer. This treatment is the future of medicine. Could this possibly be a long term cure?

Clinical Trials

The first phase of clinical trials for CAR T-cell therapy were conducted at the Medical College of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center at Froedtert Hospital in 2012. The purpose of experimenting with this therapy was to find an alternative, or additional options to chemotherapy. In this clinical trial, this treatment was open to patients who were treated with chemo for non hodgkin's lymphoma, but the cancer initially returned. This was the first version of CAR T-cell therapy distributed to humans. And, positive results were shown. An article describing this stage in research states, “Within 28 days of being treated with CAR T-cell therapy, 82% of trial patients responded positively – with more than half of them still in remission six months later. With a higher dose of therapy, responses were improved.” (Froedtert and Medical college of Wisconsin, Clinical trials revealed that more than half of lymphoma patients were still in remission after six months of treatment with car T-cell immunotherapy). Consequently, Phase I had such a positive outcome, CAR T-cell therapy was ready to move onto phase II. 

The purpose of Phase II is to work with a larger experimental group. This can give researchers more accurate results concerning the treatments validity across a majority of patients. Also stated by Froedtert and Medical college of Wisconsin, “ It will also study how a higher therapy dose is related to prolonged remission.” (Froedtert and Medical college of Wisconsin, Clinical trial shows more than half of lymphoma patients were still in remission six months after treatment with car T-cell immunotherapy  Prolonged remission can lead researchers to believe that CAR T could be a possible cure for certain types of cancer. This can not yet be scientifically supported due to this treatment being new to cancer research.

Currently, CAR T is still in phase III of clinical trials. This means even larger experimental groups across the nation, formulating appropriate dosage amounts, and overall receiving FDA approval for this treatment. However, in 2017 the FDA issued CAR T as emergency treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia . As stated by a cancer research organization, “In August 2017, the FDA for the first time approved the CAR T-cell therapy Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) to treat certain pediatric and young adult patients with a form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).” (Kendall K. Morgan) Following months later, CAR T cell therapy was also used to treat a type of large B-cell lymphoma. This was the start to something revolutionary.

Downsides of CAR T cell therapy

Unfortunately, this treatment can cause patients to become extremely sick, like chemotherapy. This can be classified due to the evident relationship between these illnesses and CAR T-cell therapy. Most prominently, patients experience Cytokine release syndrome. The American Cancer society describes this ailment by stating, “As CAR T-cells multiply, they can release large amounts of chemicals called cytokines into the blood, which can ramp up the immune system.” (Car T-cell therapy and its side effects) In addition, problems with a patient's nervous system can occur including headaches, hallucinations, and loss of balance.

What is the future of CAR T cell therapy?

The medical community is excited for revolutionary CAR T cell therapies in the future. Although there's still an immense amount of research to be done, this treatment may be an official solution and cure to most types of cancer.  

Works Cited

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Clinical trial shows more than half of lymphoma patients still in remission six months after

treatment with car T-cell immunotherapy. Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin.

(2022, February 22). Retrieved March 1, 2022, from

https://www.froedtert.com/stories/clinical-trial-shows-more-half-lymphoma-patients-still-re

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Fernández, C. R. (2021, October 12). A cure for cancer? how car-T cell therapy is

revolutionizing oncology. Labiotech.eu. Retrieved March 1, 2022, from

https://www.labiotech.eu/in-depth/car-t-therapy-cancer-review/

Kendall K. Morgan is a health and science writer based in Durham. (2019, September 23).

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A phase III study of BB2121 car T-cell therapy compared to standard chemotherapy in

people with recurrent or persistent multiple myeloma. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer

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