BRIAN: UNHEARD OF RESULTS.
A RECENT DRUG TRIAL ADMINISTERED
TO A HANDFUL OF CANCER PATIENTS
AT NEW YORK’S MEMORIAL
SLOAN-KETTERING CANCER CENTER
LEFT DOCTORS ASTONISHED AFTER
THE DISEASE WAS ELIMINATED IN
EVERY PARTICIPANT INVOLVED.
HERE NOW TO DISCUSS IS DR. MARC
SIEGEL, PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE
AND A FOX BUSINESS CONTRIBUTOR.
DOCTOR, SO GOOD TO SEE YOU ON A
REALLY GREAT STORY THE, OKAY?
BUT WE WANT TO DO IT RIGHT.
WE WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WE
KNOW AND WHAT WE DON’T YET KNOW.
START WITH WHAT WE LEARNED FROM
THIS TRIAL, DOCTOR.
>> OKAY.
SO THIS IS A KIND, BRIAN, OF A
GENETIC CANCER WHICH MUTATES A
LOT.
IT’S CALLED MISMATCH REPAIR
DEFICIENT.
IT’S NOT REPAIRING ITSELF, IT’S
MAKING A LOT OF CHANGES, AND IT
INFILTRATES CELLS IN THE RECTUM
EASILY, AND IT’S THE HARD TO
OPERATE ON, AND CHEMOTHERAPY
DOESN’T WORK AGAINST IT.
THIS IS WHERE WE USED TO BE, 10,
20 YEARS AGO.
IT’S VERY HARD TO WORK.
SO WHAT DO WE DO?
WELL, WE HAVE IMMUNOTHERAPY
WHICH WE’VE BEEN LOOKING AT FOR
DIFFERENT CANCERS, AND WHAT’S
ASTOUNDING IS 100% OF 18
PATIENTS WENT COMPLETELY INTO
REMISSION.
HERE’S THE MOST EXCITING PART,
LISTEN TO THIS.
CANCER CELLS HIDE FROM YOUR
IMMUNE SYSTEM.
THEY MAKE THEMSELVES INVISIBLE
AS THOUGH THEY DID IT
DELIBERATELY.
THEY DO IT IN SOMETHING CALLED A
CHECKPOINT INHIBITOR, BUT THIS
BLOCKS IT.
IN OTHER WORDS, IT’S CALLED A
PD-1.
IT BLOCKS THE CANCER CELL FROM
DISAPPEARING, SO YOUR IMMUNE
CELLS COME RUSHING TO THE
RESCUE.
THERE ARE T-CELLS THAT WE’VE
BEEN TALKING ABOUT WITH VIRUSES
COME RUSHING TO THE RESCUE AND
KILL OFF THE CANCER CELLS.
IN THIS CASE EVERY SINGLE
PATIENT WENT INTO REMISSION AND
HAD NO SIGN OF CANCER LEFT.
IT’S A GREAT DRUG.
IT’S MADE BY GSK, BY THE WAY,
WHICH IS GETTING A SOCK BUMP
FROM THIS.
IT IS REALLY, REALLY A BIG
FINDING.
BRIAN: SO THIS FOR RECOLLECT
ARAL -- RECTAL CANCER PATIENTS.
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM SAW THE
CANCER GO INTO REMISSION, BUT AS
YOU SAID, IT WAS A VERY NARROW
KIND OF CANCER.
EVERYONE’S QUESTION IS, DOES
THIS TRANSLATE?
DOES THIS TRANSLATE TO OTHER
KINDS OF MORE WIDESPREAD CANCER,
DOCTOR?
DOES THIS RILE THE, THESE
RESULTS GIVE US -- TRIAL, THESE
RESULTS GIVE US ANY SENSE FOR
WHETHER IN THE KIND OF
IMMUNOTHERAPY COULD WORK BEYOND
THE KIND OF CANCER WE’RE TALKING
ABOUT HERE?
>> THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING,
YES.
WE’VE BEEN USING THIS EXACT KIND
OF TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCERS,
FOR OTHER CANCERS WHERE THERE’S
A LOT OF MUTATIONS GOING ON, AND
WE’VE BEEN GETTING BETTER AND
BETTER AT IT.
YOU KNOW WHAT’S AMAZING HERE?
THE STUDIES PREVIOUSLY HAD SHOWN
30-55% RESPONSE TO THIS.
NOW 100%?
SO WE’RE MOVING INTO A REALM
WHERE WE CAN USE IT AGAIN.
THE KIND OF CANCER YOU WANT TO
USE IT ON IS ONE THAT’S MUTATING
A LOT, BREAST CANCERS, BLOOD
CANCERS, BUT DEFINITELY COLON
AND COLORECTAL CANCER.
THAT’S EXTREMELY COMMON.
THIS IS A GREAT ADVANCE.
BRIAN: HOW SOON DOES SOMETHING
LIKE THIS BECOME WIDESPREAD FOR
THE AVERAGE PERSON?
EVERYONE KNOWS SOMEONE WHO’S
DEALING WITH A CANCER OF SOME
KIND.
THEY SEE A STORY LIKE THIS, AND
THEIR IMMEDIATE THOUGHT IS I
WANT MY LOVED ONE TO BE ABLE TO
BENEFIT FROM THIS.
TALK ABOUT THAT PROCESS, FROM
WHAT WE’VE LEARNED TODAY TO WHEN
THIS BECOMES SOMETHING HAT THE
AVERAGE PERSON CAN -- THAT THE
AVERAGE PERSON CAN RELY ON AS A
FORM OF THERAPY FOR THE CANCER
THAT AFFECTS THEM OR THEIR LOVED
ONES.
>> MY ANSWER MIGHT SURPRISE YOU.
THIS PARTICULAR DRUG IS ALREADY
ON THE MARKET, AND SO WHAT THIS
TELLS ME IS THAT A TOOL WE
ALREADY HAVE IN OUR QUIVER WORKS
EVEN BETTER THAN WE THOUGHT
AGAINST CERTAIN CANCERS.
SO YOU COULD ACTUALLY ASK YOUR
DOCTOR IF YOU’RE GETTING TREATED
FOR CANCER, WHAT ABOUT A PD-1
INHIBITOR?
WHAT ABOUT THESE DRUGS?
WHAT ABOUT THIS STUDY?
WHAT KIND OF TUMOR DO I HAVE?
BECAUSE IT FIT HERE?
THIS IS A HUGE ADVANCE FOR
IMMUNOTHERAPY WHICH WE ALREADY
WERE EXCITED ABOUT BEFORE.
THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WE’VE BEEN
FOLLOWING BECAUSE IT BROKE
GROUND ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, AND
WE’RE GETTING BETTER AND BETTER
AT PRODUCING THESE DRUGS.
SO, AGAIN, ALREADY ON THE
MARKET, ALREADY AVAILABLE.
BRIAN: DOCTOR, YOU KNOW, WE’VE
GOT THESE 14 OR 18 PATIENTS I
THINK YOU SAID WHO HAVE SEEN
THIS GO INTO REMISSION.
OBVIOUSLY, WE’RE STILL TALKING
ABOUT A FAIRLY SHORT TIME FRAME
HERE.
LAST QUESTION FOR YOU, HOW DO WE
DEFINITIVELY SAY THIS HAS BEAT
THE CANCER, IT’S THE NOT COMING
BACK?
ARE WE AT THAT POINT, OR DO WE
STILL NEED TIME TO BE ABLE TO
SAY THAT?
>> THAT’S A FANTASTIC QUESTION.
WE HAVE TO WATCH WITH IT VERY,
VERY CLOSELY WITH SCANS, WITH
COAL COLONOSCOPIES, BUT THIS
GIVES US A FIRST SHOT AT IT.
THEN MAYBE IF IT DOES, GOD
FORBID, COME BACK, YOU COULD
RESECT IT.
YOU CAN USE THIS IN CONJUNCTION
WITH OTHER TREATMENTS LIKE
SURGERY GOING FORWARD.
I AM VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THIS.
IT’S THE OVER SIX MONTHS TO A
YEAR.
IN SOME CASES IT MIGHT RECUR
BUT, AGAIN, IN THAT CASE YOU
COULD TREAT IT WITH A SECOND
ROUND OR SURGERY.
BRIAN: WE LOVE GOOD NEWS.
WE ASK SOME TOUGH QUESTIONS TO
MAKE SURE WE KNOW HOW GOOD IT
IS, BUT THIS IS, INDEED, GREAT
STUFF.
WE APPRECIATE YOU BREAKING IT
DOWN IN STUFF A STRAIGHTFORWARD
WAY, DR. SIEGEL.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US.
>> ALWAYS GREAT TO BE ON WITH
YOU, BRIAN.
THANK YOU.
BRIAN: WELL, THAT MASSIVE
MIGRANT CARAVAN IS ABOUT TO GET
BIGGER.
WE’RE LIVE TO ON THE GROUND