The results of immunotherapy against uterine cancer are staggering

But if the cancer has reached an advanced stage, where it has spread, the chance of survival is limited.

Half of patients die within three years.

Now the results of an international immunotherapy trial are giving patients and clinicians new hope.

“I think some patients will recover,” says Mansoor Raza Mirza, chief physician at the oncology department at Rijspitalt in Denmark.

“It’s not something that’s been talked about before with regard to patients with uterine cancer like patellar reflux. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation do have an effect, but unfortunately they can be short-lived.”

494 women participated in the experiment, who were divided into two groups by lot. Half received immunotherapy and conventional therapy, while the other received chemotherapy and a placebo (saline).

After two years, there were twice as many patients whose condition had not worsened in the immunotherapy group than in those treated with chemotherapy and placebo.

In terms of survival, it was 25 percent higher in the immunotherapy group.

“There is a big difference in the time without exacerbation of the disease and in survival,” says Mansoor Raza Mirza, who will present the findings Monday at a virtual conference of cancer doctors from around the world.

There were no more stages

On the same day, the study was published in the scientific journal New England Journal of Medicine.

Of the nearly 500 women, 17 came from Denmark. One of them, 44-year-old Siedsel Solmer Eriksen, developed uterine cancer in 2020. The tissue sample then showed that the disease had spread to the abdominal cavity and one ovary.

She developed the disease in the fourth stage, which is the most severe.

“When I asked the doctor what would happen after stage four, he said there were no more stages. So when I got the chance to participate in the trial along with the chemotherapy, I thought it would increase my chances.”

Because the trials were conducted blind, she does not yet know if she is receiving an immunotherapy treatment or a placebo, when she returns every week for treatment every six weeks at Rigshospitalet.

But regular shooting showed reassuring results. Her illness did not worsen.

“It’s a very special situation as you obviously think a lot about the immediate future and the chance of survival at all. But I live in hope that treatment will help me by giving me the best chances.”