The addition of a novel immunotherapy to gemcitabine extends survival in patients with pancreatic cancer, particularly with metastic disease, and also maintains and may even improve the patient's quality of life, according to a recent Medscape report.
Here are six key notes:
1. IMM-101, an experimental immunotherapy, is under development by Immodulon Therapeutics, and when combined with gemcitabine, has a favorable adverse-event profile, according to researchers at St. George's University of London, United Kingdom, reported by Medscape.
2. In an open-label, randomized phase 2 trial of gemcitabine with IMM-101 and without, 75 patients in a combination group received injections of gemcitabine weekly over three weeks, plus the IMM-101. 35 patients in the monotherapy group received only the gemcitabine.
3. Median overall survival was better in the group that received the IMM-101 than in the monotherapy group, but not significantly.
4. In patients with metastic disease, the median overall survival rate was significantly better with the combination therapy, (7.0 vs. 4.4 months), as was progression-free survival, according to the report.
5. The number of adverse events was substantially higher with the combination than with monotherapy.
6. According to the report, quality of life was better with the combination than with monotherapy, and improvements in emotional, cognitive, physical, role and social functioning were also reported.
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