A new study brings hope for people battling small cell neuroendocrine cancers of the bladder or prostate. These cancers are known to be very aggressive and often do not respond well to standard treatments for long. In a recent early phase study, researchers evaluated a combination of immunotherapy (pembrolizumab) plus traditional platinum-based chemotherapy. This combination aims to boost the body’s immune system while also directly attacking cancer cells.
Promising Results
- 43% of patients saw their tumors shrink (overall response rate)
- After 2 years:
- 86% of bladder cancer patients were still alive
- 57% of prostate cancer patients were still alive
These survival rates are encouraging for such aggressive cancers.
Safety and Side Effects
- The treatment was generally well-tolerated
- 40% of patients had severe side effects (grade 3 or higher)
- Importantly, no one had to stop treatment due to side effects, and there were no deaths from the treatment
How It Works
The researchers looked at patients’ blood samples over time and found:
- The treatment helped create a diverse army of T cells (immune cells)
- Patients who developed more of these diverse T cells tended to have longer times before their cancer progressed
What This Means for Patients
This study shows that combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy could be a promising new approach for these hard-to-treat cancers. While more research is needed, it offers hope for better treatments in the future. The researchers are excited to continue studying this treatment combination and to develop ways to predict which patients might benefit most.
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Join the Conversation on CancerConnect
Reference:
Gu Y, Ly A, Rodriguez S, Zhang H, er al. PD-1 blockade plus cisplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with small cell/neuroendocrine bladder and prostate cancers. Cell Rep Med. 2024 Nov 6:101824.
