Experimental new pill eliminates cancer in third of leukaemia patients (2024)

More than half of the patients enrolled in an early clinical trial responded to the drug. One-third saw their cancer vanish entirely.

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Terminal leukaemia patients who were not responding to treatment now have hope for a cure, thanks to a new experimental pill called revumenib.

This drug has completely eliminated cancer in a third of the participants in a long-awaited clinical trial in the United States.

Although not all patients showed complete remission, scientists remain hopeful as the results indicate that the pill might pave the way to a cure for leukaemia in the future.

  • This breakthrough drug trial saw cancer vanish in every patient

"We're incredibly hopeful by these results of patients that received this drug. This was their last chance," said study co-author Dr Ghayas Issa, a leukaemia physician at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas.

"They have progressed on multiple lines of therapy and a fraction of them, about half, had disappearance of their leukaemia cells from their bone marrow," he told Euronews Next.

How does this pill work?

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a type of cancer that attacks the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced, and causes the uncontrolled production of defective cells.

Revumenib is a new class of targeted therapy for acute leukaemia that inhibits a specific protein called menin. The drug works by reprogramming leukaemia cells back into normal cells.

Menin is involved in the complex machinery that gets hijacked by leukaemia cells and causes normal blood cells to turn into cancerous ones.

By using revumenib, Issa explained, the engine is turned off and leukaemia cells are turned back into normal cells, resulting in remission.

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This formula has already saved 18 lives as part of the clinical trial, whose promising results were published this month in Nature.

The preliminary results showed that 53 per cent of patients responded to revumenib, and 30 per cent had a complete remission with no cancer detectable in their blood.

Based on the data from this trial, in December 2022 the US Food and Drug Administration granted revumenib "breakthrough therapy designation" to help fast-track its development and regulatory review.

A leukaemia cure, but not for everyone

"This is definitely a breakthrough and it's a result of years of science. A lot of groups had worked hard in the lab to understand what is causing these leukaemias," Issa said.

However, he explained that the drug does not work for all patients. It is for a specific subset of leukaemias that generally have missing or mislabeled genes or a chromosome fusion.

The experimental pill targets the most common mutation in acute myeloid leukaemia, a gene called NPM1, and a less common fusion called KMT2A. Combined, these mutations are estimated to occur in about 30 to 40 per cent of people with acute myeloid leukaemia.

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The phase 1 trial enrolled 68 patients at nine US hospitals. All of them had seen their leukaemia return after other treatments or had never responded well to traditional chemotherapy drugs in the first place.

Among them was Algimante Daugeliate, a 23-year-old Lithuanian architect diagnosed with leukaemia. She had received two bone marrow transplants from her sister, but all other treatments had failed. Her doctors had even considered palliative care to ease her suffering.

"I was desperate. It was like living through a horrible movie. I felt like death was imminent, and I was just 21 years old," she told El Pais.

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However, once she started taking revumenib two years ago, Daugeliate made a full recovery. Since then, she has been able to resume her normal life, graduating from college and working at an architecture studio in Copenhagen.

Strong impact for limited side effects

According to Issa, although this drug is fairly safe when compared to standard treatments for leukaemia, two main side effects have been identified.

The first affects the heart’s electrical system and can be detected with an electrocardiogram (ECG). However, reducing the dosage or halting the treatment resolved the issue in all cases, Issa said.

The second side effect is referred to as differentiation syndrome - a group of potentially life-threatening reactions to blood cancer treatments - but it can be managed effectively if it’s recognised early and appropriate measures are taken to shut it down. According to Issa, all cases of differentiation syndrome in this study were successfully managed without any complications for the patients.

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The study is still in its early stages and the results remain preliminary. Phase I studies like this one aim to test whether a drug is safe and to find the highest dose that can be given to them without causing severe side effects.

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A phase II study specifically looking at the effectiveness of revumenib is now underway.

Twelve patients in the trial who responded to the drug went on to receive a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. Such transplants require that patients have no cancer or only very low levels of cancer in their blood - and revumenib helped them get there.

While the experimental pill is not a definitive cure, the researchers who worked on the trial are optimistic.

"In the future, we plan to combine this pill with standard treatments that we have currently for acute leukaemias," said Issa.

"That is the most likely strategy to get us to cures where patients don't have to see leukaemia doctors after that and don't need treatments for leukaemia".

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Experimental new pill eliminates cancer in third of leukaemia patients (2024)

FAQs

Experimental new pill eliminates cancer in third of leukaemia patients? ›

One-third saw their cancer vanish entirely. Terminal leukaemia patients who were not responding to treatment now have hope for a cure, thanks to a new experimental pill called revumenib. This drug has completely eliminated cancer in a third of the participants in a long-awaited clinical trial in the United States.

What is the miracle drug for leukemia? ›

Some say it's a miracle drug. Others call it a silver bullet. Gleevec, also marketed internationally as Glivec and sometimes referred to by its chemical name imatinib, entered the medical world with a bang.

What is the new pill for leukemia? ›

Rye Brook, N.Y., December 8, 2023 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved pirtobrutinib (Jaypirca™) for the treatment of adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) that has worsened or returned despite at least two earlier forms of treatment.

What is the new cancer breakthrough in 2024? ›

On April 7, 2024, sunvozertinib (DZD9008) was granted a breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA as a first-line treatment for a specific type of lung cancer. The FDA accepted the new drug application of SH-201 for review as a potential treatment for certain forms of leukemia and other cancers on April 8, 2024.

What is the cancer pill for leukemia? ›

Enasidenib (Idhifa) is an IDH2 inhibitor. It can be used to treat AML with an IDH2 mutation, either as the first treatment in people who are older or are not healthy enough to tolerate strong chemo, or to treat AML that comes back after treatment or is no longer responding to other treatments.

What is the most curable leukemia? ›

Eventually, the promyelocytes outnumber the healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, which can prevent the blood from functioning properly. Due to groundbreaking treatment advances achieved in recent years, acute promyelocytic leukemia is now considered to be the most curable form of adult leukemia.

Has anyone been cured from leukemia? ›

While leukemia is currently not curable, it is possible to treat the cancer to help improve outlook. For children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), the 5-year survival rate is now around 90%, according to the American Cancer Society .

How much does the leukemia pill cost? ›

Treating leukemia can be expensive. A study from 2012 found that some prescription drugs for leukemia had a total one-year cost that ranged from $70,000 to $120,000. Cost is a major reason for nonadherence to treatment for leukemia and other cancers.

What is the best treatment for leukemia in the world? ›

Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is one of the main treatments to fight leukemia. Chemotherapy medications are chemicals that kill leukemia cells.

What is the experimental pill for leukemia? ›

Revumenib is a new class of targeted therapy for acute leukaemia that inhibits a specific protein called menin. The drug works by reprogramming leukaemia cells back into normal cells.

What is the breakthrough of cancer killing? ›

City of Hope researchers discovered that ILC2s can attack cancer cells. “The City of Hope team has identified human ILC2 cells as a new member of the cell family capable of directly killing all types of cancers, including blood cancers and solid tumors,” said Jianhua Yu, Ph.

What is the most advanced cancer treatment in the world? ›

One of the latest advances in cancer treatment is Immunotherapy. It uses the body's immune system to fight against the disease. Immunotherapy can be used to treat several types of cancer. It is often combined with other treatments, such as surgery or chemotherapy.

When will there be a cancer breakthrough? ›

Cancer researchers are optimistic that in 2024 more people will benefit from cancer breakthroughs, including research that unlocks the biology behind cancer disparities, wider access to CAR T-cell therapy and better access to clinical trials.

What is the $30000 cancer pill? ›

A medicine called Folotyn, approved earlier this year for patients with a rare form of lymphoma, costs $30,000 per month, the New York Times reports. The drug hasn't been proven to extend patients' lives; in a study cited by the FDA, tumors shrank in 27% of patients who took the drug.

What is the miracle drug for cancer treatment? ›

The drug, dostarlimab, targets a specific variant of colorectal cancer. While it is still being clinically trialled, it is already showing remarkable results – avoiding the need for surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Carrie Downey was diagnosed a year ago and given dostarlimab infusions for six months.

Is there a pill that stops cancer? ›

mTOR blockers (inhibitors) can stop the growth of some types of cancer. mTOR inhibitors include: temsirolimus (Torisel) everolimus (Afinitor)

Which leukemia is hardest to treat? ›

Chronic leukemia progresses more slowly and results in the accumulation of relatively mature, but still abnormal, white blood cells. It tends to take longer to start causing noticeable problems than acute leukemia. However, chronic, slower-growing leukemia may be more difficult to treat.

What is the breakthrough treatment for leukemia? ›

CAR T-cell therapy is a type of treatment in which a patient's own immune cells are genetically modified to treat their cancer. Currently, one type of CAR T cell therapy is approved for the treatment of some children and young adults with ALL. They are now being explored for use in older adults with B-cell ALL.

What leukemia can't be cured? ›

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) often develops very slowly. You might need little or no treatment. Although it is not usually curable, the disease can be under control for many years. But CLL can progress more quickly in some people.

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