New treatment detected that destroys cancer tumors of the head and neck

In a clinical historical test, a mixture of immunotherapy drugs exploited the patients ' immune system to kill their cancer cells and fostered a positive trend in survival, according to researchers at London's Cancer Research Institute (ICR).

A patient who was expected to die four years ago told the Guardian”, for the amazing moment, when nurses called him, weeks after he joined the study, to say that his tumor had completely disappeared. The 77-year-old is now completely cured of cancer.

Scientists found that the combination of nivolumab and ipilimimutab drugs led to a reduction in tumors in cancer patients with head and neck cancer. In some, their cancer vanished completely, surprising doctors because they found no sign of the disease.

Results from other evidence of drug combination have previously suggested similar benefits for patients with kidney cancer, skin and intestines.

In addition to increasing the long-term chances of patient survival, the scientists said, immunotherapy treatment also caused much less side effects compared to the often exhausting nature of chemotherapy <x0mecrex1>, which is standard treatment offered to many patients with advanced cancer.

These are promising results. Immunosis is the best, the smartest treatments that can bring considerable benefits to patients”, said Cristian Heli, chief executive of the ICR.

About 12,000 people in the United Kingdom are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year, and many are diagnosed in advanced stages.

Patients treated with this therapy averaged three months longer than those with chemotherapy. The average average survival for these patients was 17.6 months - the highest average ever reported in this group of patients.