Measles virus used to treat bone marrow cancer

ConclusionThis research has shown that a modified measles virus can produce a long-term remission of cancerous lesions in a person with multiple myeloma that has not responded to chemotherapy. Patients such as this have limited remaining treatment options, so a new treatment would offer an important development.The article describes the response of two women in a phase I trial who received the highest dose of the virus. One of the women had a lasting response; the other woman showed some signs of an early response, but these were not as good and were not as long-lasting. As yet, we don’t know what proportion of patients might respond to this treatment, or if certain types of patients benefit more than others. The report focuses on two women with a disease that is particularly hard to treat and who received the highest doses. It does not describe what happened to the remaining people in the phase I trial, in terms of either the side effects or effects on the disease. The full results will be published elsewhere.The other patients may not have had responses that were as impressive, particularly as some of them received lower doses of the virus. Phase I trials focus on safety of different doses of a treatment and allow an early glimpse of what beneficial effects patients might have. This study shows that the modified measles virus treatment seemed acceptably safe and can produce a response in multiple myeloma. The researchers now plan to go on to a larger phase II trial, which...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medical practice Source Type: news