- ‘We found the treatment is actually easier on patients, so it has the double benefit’
- Field of immune oncology is changing, focusing more on patients’ quality of life
- Study follows an earlier New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) study
Google “chemotherapy side effect” to see a wide range of results. Anemia, nausea, anemia and infection. This list could go on.
One of the most obvious side effects of cancer treatment is a decrease in quality of life. A new Northwestern Medicine study has shown that patients with cancer can live longer than any other treatment. It also proved to be less harmful than other drugs, which provides an additional quality-of-life benefit.
Lead author David Cella said that “Historically in cancer, most new treatments that extend survival come at a cost.” He is chair of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s Department of Medical Social Sciences. It’s easier for patients and has the double benefit of being more effective, according to this study.
The quality-of life study is based on an older New England Journal of Medicine study that found a combination chemotherapy of nivolumab and cabozantinib nearly doubled the survival rates in patients with advanced renal-cell carcinoma. This was in comparison to the standard first-line treatment of sunitinib.
The Lancet Oncology Study examined the side effects and symptoms that patients reported to it. It was found that patients who received the new treatment, Nivolumab plus Cabozantinib (experimental), reported having experienced stable or improved symptoms, while those who received sunitinib, the control treatment, reported experiencing side effects and a decline in their health.
Cella stated that immunotherapy is changing the way advanced kidney cancer is treated. “These new treatments are proving to be very beneficial for both survival and quality-of-life. This is the first time in decades that we have seen benefits for kidney cancer patients.” They are not only living longer but also living better.
Bristol Myers Squibb, in collaboration with Ono Pharmaceutical, and with Exelixis Pharma, Ipsen Pharma, and Takeda Pharmaceutical funded the study.