“The cancer cells are gone.”

Sasha Rose is an American patient with locally advanced rectal cancer, just as she is about to go to Manhattan for radiotherapy At that time, the doctor told her that there was no trace of cancer in her body. This result made her unbelievable. From the advanced stage of cancer to the disappearance of the tumor, what seemed like a fantasy actually happened to her.

Actually, there are 11 other lucky people like Sasha Ross, and they all participated in a new drugDotaly In clinical trials against , all patients achieved cancer cell clearance. Before participating in the clinical trial, they all had the mentality of treating a dead horse as a surviving horse doctor. They had absolutely no expectations for the disappearance of the tumor, and even planned to receive other treatments after the clinical trial.

First, the new anti-cancer drug in the United States, 6 months to “clear” cancer cells?

On June 5, researchers from the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center published the results of a phase 2 clinical trial in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study selected 30< /span>Patients with locally advanced mismatch repair gene-deficient rectal cancerinvolved. The tumor in the patient spreads in the rectum, but does not spread to other organs.

Generally speaking, the standard treatment for patients at this stage is surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and patients have to suffer relatively large side effects, especially for some patients with low tumor locations. The anus needs to be removed, and the rest of the life needs to rely on the abdominal wall stoma to defecate, and the quality of life is seriously affected.

and all patients had not received radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or surgery when participating in the experiment , the drug treatment alone has achieved good results. In the experiment, subjects received dostarlimab drug treatment every 3 weeks for 6 months.

A total of 12 patients eventually completed treatment, and subsequent follow-up between 6 and 25 months showed that 12 subjects All cancers disappeared miraculously, and no residual cancer cells were detected by magnetic resonance imaging, electron emission tomography, colonoscopy, and digital rectal examination. And the side effects are mild, no grade 3 or above adverse reactions were reported, and some patients experienced grade 1 and grade 2 adverse reactions such as rash or dermatitis, itching, fatigue and nausea.

As soon as the study came out, it caused a great shock in the medical community. How could such a miraculous drug cure cancer? Is it expensive?

Dotalimumab will be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2021, and according to The Times, the cost per dose of dotalizumab is approximately < /span>11,000US dollars (about 70,000 RMB), the patients in the above experiment were treated for 6 months, once every three weeks, then the total It will cost about 560,000 RMB.

It is worth noting thatthis study The sample size is small, and the longest follow-up time is only 2 years. Whether the patient is completely cured and how long the drug effect lasts needs to be verified again in experiments with larger and more diverse samples. strong>Have the right mindset about this.

Cancer treatment has always been a worldwide problem. What’s the standard here?

Second, it is not easy to cure cancer. How can it be considered cured?

Undetectable cancer cells do not mean a cure has been achieved. Pan Zhanhe, Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Oncology, Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University once said that “cure cancer” includes two criteria: first, after cure No cancer cells can be detected, which is clinically called complete remission. Second, there is no recurrence after complete remission.Because some cancer cells will dormant in the patient’s body and avoid detection, they will come back after treatment. .

There is no conclusion yet on how long the 12 patients in the clinical trial using the new drug can maintain their complete state and whether they will relapse.

In general, how does cancer count as a cure?

1, 5 years without recurrence or metastasis

Clinically usually The “five-year survival rate” is used to evaluate the long-term efficacy of tumor treatment, because clinically, about 80% of tumor patients who have undergone radical surgical resection have metastasis and recurrence after surgery. It occurs within 3 years, and about 10% will occur within 5 years after radical surgery. There is no recurrence and metastasis 5 years after the operation, and the risk of recurrence is basically very low, which can be considered as a clinical cure.

2. The results of the examination are normal

including the confirmation of the tumor shrinkage and disappearance by imaging examination, the tumor Marker examinations are normal, etc., but these examinations often require comprehensive evaluation of multiple examinations, and cannot be determined by a single examination.

3. Symptoms improved

The discomfort caused by the tumor was significantly relieved , indicating that the tumor in the body is shrinking, which is one of the signs of improvement.

4. The patient’s mental state improves

Cancer will make the patient suffer a lot of psychological distress And physical burden, the daily mental state is generally very poor, and the patient’s mental state will be much better when the disease improves.

Some patients who have not had cancer recurrence 5 years after treatment, the biggest question in their hearts is Does not relapse after 5 years prove that you are fully recovered? Can you sit back and relax in the future?

Three or five years without recurrence, will it not recur in the future?

Of course not! 5 years of non-recurrence is an indicator of clinical cure, it does not mean that there will be no recurrence, 10% of recurrences occur after 5 years .

Even if cancer patients have not relapsed for 5 years after treatment, they still cannot indulge themselves. They should maintain a healthy lifestyle under the guidance of doctors, and also need regular review. Doing so can reduce the recurrence rate, and even unfortunate recurrence can be detected in time. Early detection and early treatment can help prolong survival and quality of life.

For some patients after treatment, it is very important to do these five things well to prevent cancer recurrence.

Fourth, what should I do if I don’t want cancer recurrence and metastasis?

1. Standardized treatment

After suffering from cancer, you must have a correct attitude, and you must not give up on yourself. Choose regular hospitals and experienced doctors to develop a “one-to-one” treatment plan for yourself. Standardized treatment under the guidance of a doctor can help prolong survival.

2. Strict review after treatment

After treatment, patients need to be reviewed regularly , even some without symptoms require regular review. Generally, it needs to be reviewed every three months in the first year after the operation, once every six months in 2 to 3 years, and once every year after 3 years. The specific adjustment should be made according to the guidance of professional doctors.

3. Peace of mind< /p>

A good attitude is also of great help in preventing cancer recurrence. Cancer patients should establish an optimistic attitude every day and strengthen their confidence that they can overcome cancer.

4. Correcting bad living habits

The relationship between the occurrence of cancer and bad living habits If you want to prevent cancer recurrence, it is very important to change bad habits. Many bad habits are “dangerous molecules” that promote the occurrence of cancer cells. Pay attention to a healthy diet, quit smoking and limit alcohol, avoid staying up late, maintain an optimistic mood, etc., pay attention to long-term adherence.

5. Keep exercising

Exercise can help improve the body’s immunity and anti-cancer ability , has certain benefits in preventing cancer recurrence. Exercise should choose what you can do, and do it step by step, don’t force yourself to do excessively high-intensity exercise.

The launch of a new drug will bring new hope to countless patients, but we must have the right attitude. At present, the effect of the new drug still needs more research. It has been verified that it has not been listed in China, and it is not effective for all cancer patients, but also has corresponding gene mutations. Treating cancer is a protracted battle, and cancer patients must persist in fighting cancer in all aspects. #Number Weekly# #Everyone can popularize science, and there are new knowledge everywhere#

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