Latest news with #Jemperli
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Business Standard
01-08-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
GSK Pharma Q1 results: PAT rises 12% to ₹279 cr, income declines marginally
GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals on Friday said its consolidated net profit increased 12 per cent year-on-year to ₹279 crore for the June quarter. The drug firm had reported a net profit of ₹249 crore for the June quarter of the last fiscal. Total income declined marginally to ₹849 crore for the first quarter as compared with ₹850 crore in the year-ago period, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals said in a regulatory filing. "GSK continues to invest in its innovative portfolio and is on track to launch the much-awaited oncology assets, Jemperli and Zejula. By launching these assets in India, GSK is addressing a critical unmet need amid a rising cancer burden and limited access to advanced therapies," GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals MD Bhushan Akshikar said. The company continues to invest in its innovative portfolio and is on track to launch the much-awaited oncology assets, Jemperli and Zejula, he added. By launching these assets in India, GSK is addressing a critical unmet need amid a rising cancer burden and limited access to advanced therapies, Akshikar noted. Jemperli (dostarlimab) is an immuno-oncology treatment for second-line dMMR endometrial cancer and Zejula (niraparib), is a PARP inhibitor indicated for advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer. Shares of the company were trading 8.22 per cent down at ₹2,898.40 apiece on BSE. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News18
01-08-2025
- Business
- News18
GlaxoSmithKline Pharma Q1 net profit rises 12 pc at Rs 279 cr
Agency: New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals on Friday said its consolidated net profit increased 12 per cent year-on-year to Rs 279 crore for the June quarter. The drug firm had reported a net profit of Rs 249 crore for the June quarter of the last fiscal. Total income declined marginally to Rs 849 crore for the first quarter as compared with Rs 850 crore in the year-ago period, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals said in a regulatory filing. 'GSK continues to invest in its innovative portfolio and is on track to launch the much-awaited oncology assets, Jemperli and Zejula. By launching these assets in India, GSK is addressing a critical unmet need amid a rising cancer burden and limited access to advanced therapies," GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals MD Bhushan Akshikar said. The company continues to invest in its innovative portfolio and is on track to launch the much-awaited oncology assets, Jemperli and Zejula, he added. By launching these assets in India, GSK is addressing a critical unmet need amid a rising cancer burden and limited access to advanced therapies, Akshikar noted. Jemperli (dostarlimab) is an immuno-oncology treatment for second-line dMMR endometrial cancer and Zejula (niraparib), is a PARP inhibitor indicated for advanced and recurrent ovarian cancer. Shares of the company were trading 8.22 per cent down at Rs 2,898.40 apiece on BSE. PTI MSS MSS DR DR view comments First Published: August 01, 2025, 15:45 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ASCO 2025: GSK's Jemperli fails to show OS benefit in 1L advanced ovarian cancer
At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting 2025, held from 31 May to 3 June in Chicago, Illinois, updated efficacy and safety data from the international, double-blind, randomised Phase III FIRST clinical trial were presented on 1 June. The trial evaluated the combination of GSK's Jemperli (dostarlimab), a monoclonal antibody targeting programmed cell death protein 1, and Zejula (niraparib), a poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy (PtCh) as a first-line therapy in patients with stage III and IV epithelial ovarian cancer (OC). OC is a deadly gynaecological malignancy, with approximately 90% of cases classified as epithelial. According to GlobalData's Ovarian Cancer: Opportunity Assessment and Forecast report, the number of diagnosed incident cases of OC in the seven major markets (7MM: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the UK and the US) is expected to rise from 67,762 in 2025 to 71,308 by 2032. In the FIRST/ENGOT-OV44 study, a total of 1,138 patients with advanced OC were randomised (1:1:2) to experimental arm 1 (PtCh + placebo and placebo maintenance; dropped from the study due to PARP inhibitor approval), arm 2 (PtCh + placebo and Zejula maintenance; n=385), and comparator arm 3 (PtCh + Jemperli and Jemperli/Zejula maintenance; n=753). The efficacy of arms 2 and 3 (intention-to-treat population) was evaluated based on the primary endpoint - investigator-assessed progression-free survival (PFS). The PFS showed a statistically significant difference between arm 3 and arm 2 (median 20.6 months versus 19.2; hazard ratio [HR] 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73–0.99, P = 0.0351), with a median duration follow-up of 53.1 months. The key secondary endpoint, overall survival (OS), had reached 57% maturity and was not statistically significant (median 44.4 versus 45.4 months; HR 1.01, 95% CI, 0.86–1.19, P = 0.9060). In the maintenance period, treatment-related adverse events above Grade 3 were reported in 41.1% of patients in arm 3 and 37.2% in arm 2. The study concludes that adding Jemperli to PtCh and Zejula provides a statistically significant but clinically modest PFS benefit, with no improvement in OS for newly diagnosed advanced OC patients. The result was not unexpected, as immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown limited efficacy in OC, which is considered poorly immunogenic. At the end of 2024, Merck & Co's Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and AstraZeneca's Lynparza (olaparib) also failed to meet expectations in the KEYLYNK-001 study as a first-line therapy for OC, showing no OS benefit, similar to findings from the FIRST/ENGOT-OV44 study. Currently, no anti-PD-(L)1 therapies are approved for OC, and demonstrating a positive OS outcome is critical to gaining market share in this broad indication. A key difference between the two studies lies in patient selection. KEYLYNK-001 enrolled patients with breast cancer gene (BRCA) mutations, whereas the FIRST/ENGOT-OV44 trial included all-comers. To improve its chances of success, GSK made multiple modifications to the FIRST/ENGOT-OV44 trial design, including delaying readouts by several years. Initially, the primary endpoint was PFS in PD-L1-positive patients. In 2020, it was split into two groups, PFS in all-comers and PD-L1 expressers, before ultimately shifting the focus solely to all-comers. Another concern is the Jemperli and Zejula combination in the second-line setting for OC. A Phase III trial (NSGO-AVATAR) evaluating this combination was withdrawn due to a lack of financial support, suggesting GSK may not be optimistic about its prospects in the broader gynaecological cancer space. According to GlobalData's analyst consensus forecast, global sales for Jemperli and Zejula are projected to reach $2.56 billion and $1.26 billion, respectively, by 2030. In comparison, AstraZeneca's Lynparza and blockbuster PD-1 blocker Merck's Keytruda are expected to reach global sales of $2.4 billion and $22.71 billion, respectively. GSK acquired both Jemperli (co-developed with AnaptysBio) and Zejula through its $5.31 billion acquisition of Tesaro in 2019. After the FDA's accelerated approval in 2021 for patients with mismatch repair-deficient endometrial cancer as a second-line treatment, Jemperli has become a cornerstone of GSK's cancer portfolio alongside Zejula. In its most recent financial report, Jemperli sales increased 15% to $285 million in Q1 2025 due to broad-label expansion in first-line endometrial cancer regardless of biomarker status in the US. However, Jemperli holds a distinct advantage with its OS data over its main competitor, Keytruda, which also secured broad expansion in 2024. To expand Jemperli's success beyond endometrial cancer, GSK will need to wait for positive Phase III results from other ongoing clinical trials: GALAXIES LUNG 301, AZUR-2, MITO 33, JADE, ROCSAN and COSTAR Lung. "ASCO 2025: GSK's Jemperli fails to show OS benefit in 1L advanced ovarian cancer" was originally created and published by Clinical Trials Arena, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market Report 2025: Epidemiology, Pipeline Analysis, Insights & Forecasts 2019-2024, 2024-2029F, 2034F
The key company operating in the jemperli (dostarlimab) market is GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Plc. North America was the largest region in the jemperli (dostarlimab) market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in jemperli (dostarlimab) report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the jemperli (dostarlimab) market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain. Dublin, May 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market Report 2025: Epidemiology, Pipeline Analysis, Market Insights & Forecasts" report has been added to Jemperli (Dostarlimab) market report delivers an in-depth analysis of the market's key characteristics, including size, growth potential, and segmentation. It provides a detailed breakdown of the market across major regions and leading countries, highlighting historical data and future growth projections. The report also examines the competitive landscape, market share insights, emerging trends, and strategic developments shaping the market. Jemperli (dostarlimab) is a monoclonal antibody utilized in cancer immunotherapy. It functions as a PD-1 inhibitor, preventing the interaction between PD-1 and its ligands, thereby boosting the immune system's ability to combat cancer. It is mainly approved for the treatment of certain types of endometrial and non-small cell lung cancers. The primary patient demographics for jemperli (dostarlimab) include adult patients, elderly patients, and high-risk groups. Adult patients are individuals aged 18 and above. Jemperli (dostarlimab) is used to treat adult patients with specific advanced or recurrent cancers, particularly endometrial or mismatch repair-deficient tumors, by strengthening the immune response against cancer cells. It is used in cancer treatment and combination therapy, and it is distributed through hospitals, specialty clinics, pharmacies, and online jemperli (dostarlimab) market consists of sales of jemperli (dostarlimab-gxly) injection and jemperli plus chemotherapy. Values in this market are 'factory gate' values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods. Market growth during the historic period can be attributed to regulatory approvals, a rise in cancer incidence, an aging population, the increasing adoption of targeted therapies, and reimbursement support. The anticipated growth in the forecast period can be attributed to expansion into new cancer indications, increased demand for combination therapies, broader healthcare access, the rise of personalized medicine, and growing oncology drug budgets. Key trends during this period include innovations in monoclonal antibodies, a shift towards combination immunotherapies, a heightened focus on patient-centric treatments, the integration of artificial intelligence in drug development, and a growing emphasis on rare and underserved rising incidence of cancer is expected to drive the growth of the jemperli (dostarlimab) market in the future. The increase in cancer cases is attributed to factors such as poor nutrition, smoking, obesity, environmental pollution, and heightened screening, along with an aging population and lifestyle changes among younger individuals. Jemperli (dostarlimab) is used to treat advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer, especially in patients with mismatch repair deficiency, by enhancing the immune system's response against cancer cells when combined with chemotherapy For example, in August 2024, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare projected that by 2034, Australia would see approximately 209,000 new cancer diagnoses, a notable increase from the estimated 169,000 cases in 2024, driven by a growing population and rising cancer rates. Moreover, cancer is expected to account for about 3 out of every 10 deaths in Australia in 2024. As a result, the increasing cancer incidence is fueling the growth of the jemperli (dostarlimab) increasing demand for personalized medicine is expected to contribute significantly to the growth of the jemperli (dostarlimab) market in the future. Personalized medicine tailors treatment and healthcare decisions based on the individual characteristics, needs, and genetic profile of each patient. This demand is driven by advances in genomics, targeted therapies, and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases requiring more precise treatments. Personalized medicine enhances the effectiveness of jemperli (dostarlimab) by targeting specific genetic mutations in tumors, such as mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) cancers. For instance, in February 2024, the Personalized Medicine Coalition reported that the FDA approved 16 new personalized treatments for rare disease patients in 2023, a significant increase from the six approvals in 2022. Among the newly approved treatments, seven were cancer drugs, further underscoring the growing demand for personalized medicine and its impact on the jemperli (dostarlimab) market.A key trend in the jemperli (dostarlimab) market revolves around innovations in cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to target and destroy rapidly growing cells, particularly cancer cells. It can be used as a curative or palliative approach and is often combined with other therapies to improve effectiveness and manage symptoms. For example, in July 2023, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a UK-based biopharma company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had accepted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Jemperli (dostarlimab). This submission sought to expand its use in combination with chemotherapy for treating adult patients with mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) primary advanced or recurrent endometrial Topics Covered: 1. Executive Summary2. Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market Characteristics3. Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market Biologic Drug Characteristics3.1. Molecule Type3.2. Route of Administration (ROA)3.3. Mechanism of Action (MOA)3.4. Safety and Efficacy4. Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market Trends and Strategies5. Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market -Macro Economic Scenario Including the Impact of Interest Rates, Inflation, Geopolitics, and the Recovery from COVID-19 on the Market6. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Growth Analysis and Strategic Analysis Framework6.1. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) PESTEL Analysis (Political, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal Factors, Drivers and Restraints)6.2. Analysis of End Use Industries6.3. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market Growth Rate Analysis6.4. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Historic Market Size and Growth, 2019-2024, Value ($ Million)6.5. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Forecast Market Size and Growth, 2024-2029, 2034F, Value ($ Million)6.6. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Total Addressable Market (TAM)7. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Pricing Analysis & Forecasts8. Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market Segmentation8.1. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market, Segmentation by Patient Demographics, Historic and Forecast, 2019-2024, 2024-2029F, 2034F, $ Million Adult Patients Elderly Patients High-Risk Groups 8.2. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market, Segmentation by Application, Historic and Forecast, 2019-2024, 2024-2029F, 2034F, $ Million Cancer Treatment Combination Therapy 8.3. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market, Segmentation by Distribution Channel, Historic and Forecast, 2019-2024, 2024-2029F, 2034F, $ Million Hospitals Specialty Clinics Pharmacies Online Pharmacies 9. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Epidemiology of Clinical Indications9.1. Drug Side Effects9.2. Incidence and Prevalence of Clinical Indications10. Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market Regional and Country Analysis10.1. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market, Split by Region, Historic and Forecast, 2019-2024, 2024-2029F, 2034F, $ Million10.2. Global Jemperli (Dostarlimab) Market, Split by Country, Historic and Forecast, 2019-2024, 2024-2029F, 2034F, $ Million For more information about this report visit About is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@ For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900Sign in to access your portfolio
CNN
05-05-2025
- Health
- CNN
Immunotherapy helps certain cancer patients avoid surgery, other invasive treatments: ‘We hope this is the future'
Source: CNN Kelly Spill didn't cry when she was diagnosed with stage III rectal cancer at age 28. She held her emotions together when her surgeon told her that she might not be able to carry another baby — treatment with radiation can significantly affect fertility — and that she might need to have a colostomy bag attached to her to collect her bodily waste after surgery. 'I didn't cry at both of those,' said Spill, who at the time was newly engaged and just months postpartum. 'But then I asked [the doctor], 'Would I still be able to go to Switzerland this summer to get married?' And he was like, 'Oh, absolutely not.' And that's what really broke me,' she said. 'It really hit reality for me that my life has now completely changed.' After welcoming son Jayce into the world, she and her fiancé had planned to elope to Switzerland. But after her cancer diagnosis, they opted for a quick, local winter wedding instead. Now, five years later, not only has Spill carried another baby – giving Jayce a younger sister named Mya – she and her husband are expecting their third child together. Spill, who has no family history of colorectal cancer, was among more than 100 adults in the United States who completed cancer treatment in a new study using only the immunotherapy drug dostarlimab, and she said the experience changed her life. When Spill was diagnosed in 2020, her treatment plan recommended harsh chemotherapy drugs, radiation therapy and invasive surgery. But just before she was about to schedule her first chemotherapy appointment, she was given the opportunity to participate in the new study. When she realized that the approach using only dostarlimab would be less harsh on her body, she quickly signed up. Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that harnesses a person's own immune system to target and fight the disease. Dostarlimab, developed by the pharmaceutical company GSK and sold under the brand name Jemperli, has been found in previous research to make solid tumors essentially disappear among people with rectal cancer. Last year, the US Food and Drug Administration designated dostarlimab to be a 'breakthrough therapy' for the treatment of certain rectal cancers. But the new study, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the immunotherapy treatment worked against not only advanced rectal cancer but other cancer types too, allowing patients to avoid surgery and other types of more invasive treatment to cure their disease. Spill received 30-minute intravenous infusions of dostarlimab at a medical facility every three weeks and said she had no adverse side effects. 'It took four treatments until I found out that the tumor was halfway gone, and then by my ninth treatment, the tumor had completely disappeared. And I was then told I was cancer-free at that point,' Spill said. 'I then was told I did not have to go through radiation, I did not have to go through surgery, and that was like one of the best days of my life, because I knew that I can then proceed with having a baby,' she said. 'This clinical trial has completely changed what my life could have looked like … and it's like a miracle.' The new study included 117 cancer patients who were separated into two groups. One cohort included people with advanced rectal cancer, and the other included people with other types of solid tumors, such as colon, gastric, bladder and prostate. All of the participants had mismatch repair-deficient or dMMR cancer, meaning their tumor cells were mismatch repair-deficient cells. These types of cells usually have many DNA mutations and are estimated to affect up to 3% of all early-stage solid tumors, according to the study. 'We constantly wind up with breakdown in our cells, and using DNA, we can repair this ongoing injury to cells over time,' said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, who was not involved in the new research. 'But if you have a deficit in that repair process, then you wind up with a greater number of abnormalities in DNA, which we call mutations. And we know people that have a greater number of mutations often have a greater ability to respond to immune-based treatment.' That ability to respond to immune-based treatment was shown in the new study. The data was obtained from December 2019 through April 2025, and 103 of the participants completed treatment across both cohorts. They received intravenous infusions of dostarlimab for six months and were monitored through two years, part of a continuation of previous research. 'The first study we published in 2022 showed that we could do this in rectal cancer patients whose tumors had the mismatch repair-deficiency mutation, and what was remarkable there was that 100% of patients had their tumors disappear – and that's something that's never been achieved before in oncology,' said Dr. Luis Diaz, a head of solid tumor oncology and gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an author of the new study. Now, 'what we just published shows two things. Those rectal cancer patients remain at 100%, at almost 50 patients responding completely, but it's durable. Durable is important because the tumor has remained gone for up to five years or beyond for some patients, and that's returned them to normal life,' Diaz said. 'The second part of the story is, it's not just for rectal cancer,' he added. 'It's for any cancer in the body, as long as their tumor has the genetic mutation.' The researchers found that 80% of the study participants who completed treatment with dostarlimab immunotherapy alone did not require surgery, radiation or chemotherapy after six months of treatment. The findings were presented at the 2025 American Association of Cancer Research's annual meeting. 'In all the patients who had a clinical complete response, organs were preserved without additional therapy. Three patients who had rectal cancer were subsequently able to conceive and deliver healthy children, which would not have been possible with standard treatment for rectal cancer,' the researchers wrote in the study. Two years later, about 92% of all the patients across both cohorts had not had their cancer come back. Disease recurrence developed in only five patients across both cohorts: One person with rectal cancer saw their tumor regrow, and the other four had recurrence only in the lymph nodes. Although 65% of the people who received at least one dose of dostarlimab reported adverse events, most of the side effects were mild and included fatigue, rash or irritation at the infusion site or itching. None of the participants in either cohort died during the study. 'It's been incredible for the patients, because we're effectively able to eliminate their disease with very minimal toxicity,' said Dr. Andrea Cercek, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and an author of the new study. 'Our goal always in oncology is to cure, but often, many of our cures leave patients debilitated in certain ways,' she said. 'What we've seen here with this treatment is that we could omit standard of care – radiation, chemotherapy and, most importantly, surgery – in 80% of the patients with minimal toxicity, which leaves them feeling well with their organs intact, and they're living as normal lives as possible.' The researchers wrote that although these findings are encouraging, 'larger studies are needed to confirm the long-term benefit of this treatment, especially among patients with nonrectal tumors.' But the new study 'provides a foundation' for these next steps. Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are usually the main components of treatment plans for most types of cancer, and these approaches have been widely used for decades. For instance, the first radical mastectomy to treat breast cancer was performed in 1882. The first use of radiation therapy to cure cancer was described in 1899. In the 1950s, scientists announced the first complete cure of a human solid tumor by chemotherapy. But in more recent years, there has been a 'growing body of evidence' showing that immunotherapy can be effective in people who have mismatch repair-deficient tumors, said Dr. Stacey Cohen, a physician at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, who was not involved in the new study. 'It's extremely innovative, because historically, we have thought of surgery as being the mainstay for localized cancer treatment, and any other adjunctive therapies are to decrease risk of recurrence. So as we move to an age where nonoperative management could be a new standard of care with durable and effective treatments, that's very exciting for patients and providers alike,' Cohen said. 'But we know that not all patients will have such an amazing response, even if they have the correct biomarker,' she said. 'And that's just because there may be nuances of people's tumors and the fact that one treatment doesn't fit all.' Cohen added that she has 'two points of caution' when it comes to the new study results. 'One is that the immunotherapy did not work for every patient on this study,' she noted. Second, 'this only applies for a highly select group of patients with dMMR/MSI tumors. It is critical that this biomarker be checked before immunotherapy is considered, as this type of treatment will not work for most patients.' It's important for cancer patients to have their tumors genetically sequenced because the process can help guide treatment decisions by determining which specific mutations may be driving the cancer, Dahut said. Once those mutations are identified, patients can learn whether any new and emerging immunotherapies may benefit them by targeting those mutations. 'That's one reason why patients should have their tumors sequenced at diagnosis, because this is not something that you necessarily would know that you had, but if you do have this, then your treatment – even for initial diagnosis or for recurrent disease or advanced disease – would have significantly more options available,' Dahut said. With immune-based therapies, 'what is striking is not only we're seeing complete responses, but that the responses appear to be durable,' he added. The new research comes as colorectal cancer cases have been rising among younger adults. A report released in 2023 by the American Cancer Society shows that the proportion of colorectal cancer cases among adults younger than 55 increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019. When Cercek and her colleagues started the new study, she said, their goal was to find less-invasive treatment options for these younger people with colorectal cancer. 'One of our reasons behind the design of this trial is that we were seeing so many young patients in clinic and seeing how detrimental our treatment could be. So that was driving my research for a long time. Even before this study of immunotherapy in mismatch repair-deficient tumors, we were trying to improve treatment of early-stage disease for all our patients but especially for our young adults,' Cercek said. 'We hope this is the future. I think this sets the precedent of what we can accomplish with very effective systemic therapy,' she said. 'And there are other studies now ongoing, utilizing immunotherapy as well as other therapies, with hopefully replicating similar results, where we can just treat the tumor very well with a systemic treatment and not need to put patients through radiation or surgery.' Spill said she hopes other young adults with rectal cancer ask their providers about clinical trials that may benefit them – especially as cancer treatments evolve and advance to become less invasive. 'A lot of us think of clinical trials being the last resort, and I think we need to kill that stigma, because it really shouldn't be. You never know what could work for you,' Spill said. 'There is a rise in colorectal cancer for men and women at a young age. And fertility doesn't only affect the women, it also affects men, too,' she said. 'At a young age, getting diagnosed with a cancer that we thought you only really get when you get older, it's scary.' Signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer may include changes in bowel habits, rectal bleeding or blood in the stool, cramping or abdominal pain, weakness and fatigue, and weight loss. But Spill warned that often these symptoms may be overlooked or mistaken for other health conditions in young adults. Her own symptoms included constipation, bloody stool and abdominal pain, but because they emerged after she had her first child, her doctors told her they were tied to being postpartum and internal hemorrhoids. 'One day I went to the bathroom and I looked down, and you would have thought it was my time of the month, and it most certainly was not. That's when it became extremely alarming,' Spill said of the blood in her stool. When she noticed massive amounts of blood again, she took photos and showed them to a primary care physician. The doctor immediately ordered a colonoscopy, and that's what led to her cancer diagnosis. 'To self-advocate is such a big one,' Spill said. 'If I didn't push, push, push, I don't know where I would be, and especially as a new mom.' When Spill now thinks about her 28-year-old self, the woman who broke down in the doctor's office after being told to cancel her Switzerland elopement plans, she has one message: 'Take a deep breath and trust the timing.' See Full Web Article
