New York City trial of anti-cancer drug yields 'unheard of result' - complete remission in all patients

A small study of a cancer drug conducted in New York has yielded never-before-seen results - a complete remission in all subjects, reports NBC New York.

The study, led by physicians at Memorial Sloan Kettering and supported by drug maker GlaxoSmithKline, included only 12 patients with a specific early-stage cancer and a rare mutation. Nevertheless, his results are very encouraging.

The findings of the study were so startling that they prompted many physicians to declare that they "are unprecedented."

One oncologist said it was "unheard of."

According to the NEJM article, all 12 patients had rectal cancer that had not spread beyond the local area, and all of their tumors showed a mutation affecting the cells' ability to repair DNA damage.

On the subject: 2kg cancerous tumor the size of a basketball removed from Long Island resident's liver

After treatment with dostarlimab, all 12 people are now in complete remission, with no surgery or chemotherapy, no major side effects - and no trace of cancer anywhere in their bodies at all.

Doctors said that while the results were promising, they would need to be repeated and expanded. Nor is it yet clear whether the drug in question will be effective outside of this particular type of cancer.