Last stage cancer treatment
Last stage cancer treatment is now possible with new therapies and emerging technologies. There have been many instances of patients who are diagnosed with late stage or last stage cancer have been fully recovered after taking these therapies and treatment. Late stage cancer is a term used to describe cancer that is far along in its growth, and has spread to the lymph nodes or other places in the body.
Despite everyone’s best efforts, cancer may spread or come back after a remission, making a cure no longer possible. When cancer reaches this stage, it may be referred to as advanced, terminal, or end-stage cancer. There are steps you can take to prepare you and your loved ones for your final days. If you are living with advanced cancer and a cure is unlikely, you may feel anger, fear, grief, and regret. It is normal to grieve the decline of your strength, mobility, and independence. You may feel robbed of the personal time that the illness and treatments consume and the threat to your life. You may be grieving the prospect of leaving loved ones. Many people find that talking about their feelings and concerns with family, friends, and caregivers provides comfort.
Some of the patient stories who fought last stage cancer
Emily was diagnosed with late stage Leukemia where the parents had lost hope when CAR T- Cell therapy was tried on her for the first time. She was the first patient on which CAR T-Cell therapy was tried and miraculously she recovered completely from the deadly cancer. Now Emily is perfectly fine.
Jimmy Carter, 90, a former US president, announced that melanoma cells had spread to the liver and brain.
On December 6, 2015, PD-1 antibody plus radiotherapy, the cancer cells in vivo have disappeared. On March 6, 2016, he no longer needed treatment for melanoma.
On December 2, 2018, he also appeared at the funeral of former President Bush.
In 2015, Movie director Chen Xunqi was diagnosed with undifferentiated thyroid cancer, underwent surgery and multiple chemotherapy in Beijing, and gave up chemotherapy.
In 2016, PS score is 3 when he is in hospital, skinny, and decided to try car-t therapy after two courses to make the tumor disappear. In 2017, it was tested and rechecked, normal; in 2018, it was tested and rechecked, normal.
New therapies in last stage cancer treatment
At the end of 2013, immunocytotherapy was rated as the top ten technological breakthroughs of the year by Science magazine. In 2014, two authoritative cancer academic conferences AACR and ASCO were held in the United States。Immunotherapy became the focus of cutting edge technology. In 2014, the FDA approved the listing of nivolumab and pembrolizumab.
CAR T-cell therapy for last stage & relapsed cancer treatment
T cells enter tumor tissues, secrete immune checkpoint antibodies (PD-1, CTLA-4 and other antibodies), and gradually change the tumor local immunosuppression microenvironment.
CAR-T in T cells kill target tumors and release cytokines to up-regulate MHC expression and expose tumor antigens. Meanwhile, immune checkpoint antibodies reduce tumor local microenvironment T cell (TIL) inhibition, and infiltrated T cells begin to Start, activate and multiply.
CAR-T & TIL produce a cluster effect, turning tumors into an immune battlefield, killing all kinds of tumor cells together and turning them into hot tumors, completely destroying tumors and forming effector memory T cells, reducing the possibility of tumor recurrence.
You may like to read : Car T-Cell therapy in China
Case A – Lung cancer patient undergoing CAR T-Cell therapy
November of 2009, the patient found a left lung mass and underwent radical left lung cancer radical surgery. Pathology: lung adenocarcinoma. From Jan 2013to Jan 2017, three brain metastases occurred, and surgery and radiation therapy were given successively with poor control.
From March 2017 to September 2017, for brain metastases, mesoCAR-αPD1 cells expressing PD-1 antibody were given for 6 courses of treatment. After treatment, PR was evaluated and tumors shrank significantly with only a small amount of residue.
Case B – Testicular cancer patient undergoing CAR T-cell therapy
August of 2016, the patient found a mass in the right scrotum and underwent surgical treatment. Pathology: embryonic rhabdomyosarcoma;
March of 2017, review of PET-CT, found that the peritoneum, omentum, and intestine were unclear, considering multiple metastases in the abdominal cavity;
From June 2017 to September 2017, mesoCAR-αPD1 cells expressing PD-1 antibody were given for 4 courses of treatment, and the effect was CR; all abdominal metastases disappeared.
Case C – Lung adenosquamous carcinoma patient receives CAR T-Cell therapy
In November 2017, the left upper lung adenosquamous carcinoma (6.4 “2.9cm) was detected, accompanied by metastasis of the left clavicle and bilateral cervical lymph nodes. He was admitted to hospital for treatment, and Ⅲ and V bone and brain depression occurred after 3 chemotherapy , Side effects are strong. Choose to try immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy.
On January 2 and February 6, 2018, two immune cell infusions were performed, and the body improved significantly, and the side effects of chemotherapy gradually subsided. Re-examination showed no re-metastasis of the tumor and increase.
Examinations at the end of February 2018 showed that the lesions in the lungs had shrunk significantly and the cancer condition was already under control.
Case D – Liver cancer patient underwent CAR T-cell therapy
On June 1, 2017, a 66mmx46mm tumor was detected at the upper end of the left lobe lung. On June 15th, he was admitted to the Oriental Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital for treatment. Based on the results of CT-guided lung puncture biopsy, a three-in-one treatment plan combining CAR-T cell immunotherapy + targeting therapy + chemotherapy was developed. On July 29, 2017, the first immune cell infusion therapy was performed. After the infusion, the body reacted strongly. After his condition was stable, his condition improved initially. After more than six months of immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy, tumors in the body have been significantly smaller.
Case E – Lung cancer patient with brain metastasis underwent CAR T-cell therapy
On November 26, 2009, a 3.03 “2.39cm tumor was detected in the upper lobe of the left lung, and the upper left lobe was removed directly and completely at an early stage. On January 25, 2013, numbness in the left lower extremity failed to detect a brain metastatic tumor Resection of deep lesions on the screen + targeted therapy with Iressa. 6 In June 2016, a sheet-shaped abnormally enhanced foci appeared at the junction of the right frontal-parietal lobe for intracranial tumor resection. In 2017, brain tumor Deterioration, a tumor of about 3.3 “2.8cm appeared in the right parietal lobe, and multiple meningeal metastases and radiotherapy was performed. 3In March 2017, immunotherapy was started. Four times before and after the infusion, the tumor in the brain has improved significantly.
Case F – Undifferentiated thyroid cancer patient receive CAR T-cell therapy
In 2016, he was diagnosed with undifferentiated thyroid cancer. Quine is the most malignant type of thyroid cancer, and doctors told that only 2 months of life were left. After several radiotherapy treatments, she lost 30 pounds, but her body did not improve. She subsequently refused to receive chemotherapy. Later, I went to try immunotherapy. After 2 immune cell infusions, the cancer cells in the body have completely disappeared.
Case G – Hypopharyngeal cancer patient receives CAR T-Cell therapy
In July 2014, was diagnosed with hypopharyngeal carcinoma, linary sacral carcinoma. 2 courses of chemotherapy and hypopharyngeal cancer surgery and right neck dissection. After a year and a half, he relapsed, and then continued radiotherapy, during which side effects were obvious and his physical condition was extremely poor. On January 13, 2016, four immune cell infusions were successively received. The condition began to stabilize and the situation improved significantly. From July to December 2016, five more cell infusions were performed, and the physical condition gradually improved, with normal sleep and appetite. In the case of paralysis in bed for several months, and the muscles gradually atrophied, his weight increased from 80 kg to 112 kg.
Case H – Left breast cancer with brain metastasis patient receives CAR T-Cell therapy
In January 2014, she was diagnosed with diffuse breast cancer with lung and liver metastases. From January to November 2014, 9 chemotherapy sessions were performed. From June 2015, cancer cells metastasized to the brain, and 11 cranial gamma knife treatments were performed, and the cancer cells spread completely. 3In March 2017, in Hong Kong, received PD-1 treatment and still failed. Beginning in April 2018, was tried CAR-T immunotherapy. After one course of treatment, the effect was remarkable. The swelling of the brain and liver disappeared. The swelling that had spread throughout the lungs was only scattered. Reduced to 1.2.
Side effects of CAR T-Cell therapy in solid cancer cases
Out of 25 patients who had solid cancers went for CAR T-Cell trials:-
- High fever was found in 6 patients
- Dyspnea and pneumonia symptoms in 2 patients
- 1 patient had dry skin and dandruff
- No other patients showed significant abnormalities.
Cost of last stage cancer treatment
Cost of last stage or stage 4 cancer treatment can go anywhere between \$ 35,000 – 100,000 USD. Treatment of some type of last stage cancer is CAR T-Cell therapy. Cost of CAR T-Cell therapy for blood cancer can go up to $ 150,000 USD. Whereas the cost of last stage solid cancer may go up to $ 40,000 USD.