2 days ago
Jerry Jones reveals 2010 cancer diagnosis in new documentary
Jerry Jones reveals he battled cancer in an upcoming Netflix documentary series about the Dallas Cowboys.
In an episode of "America's Team: The Gamble and His Cowboys," the 10-part documentary series scheduled to premier next Tuesday, Jones mentions that he underwent cancer treatment "about a dozen years ago."
On Wednesday morning, the Dallas Morning News reported that Jones overcame stage 4 melanoma after a decade-long battle beginning with his diagnosis in 2010.
"I was saved by a fabulous treatment and great doctors and a real miracle [drug] called PD-1 [therapy]," Jones told the Dallas Morning News. "I went into trials for that PD-1 and it has been one of the great medicines.
"I now have no tumors."
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According to the American Cancer Society, PD-1 therapy targets the PD-1 protein on immune cells.
PD-1 is a "checkpoint protein" that can prevent immune cells called "T cells" from attacking normal cells. However, some cancer cells have enough of PDL-1, a different protein that bonds with PD-1 and allows it to prevent attacks from the immune system.
The goal of checkpoint protein-related therapy is to block PD-1 from bonding with PDL-1, essentially allowing the body's immune system to attack other cells more freely. The aim is to "help the immune system to better find and attack the cancer cells, wherever they are in the body," but it can lead to some brutal side effects as the immune system might attack other, healthy cells in the body.
Jones' stage 4 cancer diagnosis means that the cancer cells from his melanoma had spread to other parts of his body, which is what led to his four surgeries surgeries on his lungs and lymph nodes.
According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma patients who have had their cancer metastasize to "distant parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, or skin, or lymph nodes" have a five-year survival rate of 35%. Jones was one of the fortunate survivors of his battle.
