Unprecedented trials on cancer treatments have produced "incredibly impressive" results, with patients suffering from serious cancer cases achieving complete remission of symptoms and signs that lasted for months and years, according to one of the leading hospitals.

In a statement made by the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, England, it was noted that its trials in treating blood cancers such as "myeloma" [a type of cancer that affects plasma cells found in bone marrow] are witnessing a response from the vast majority of patients following treatment, with symptoms disappearing or subsiding for months and years among those with serious cases of the disease.

Currently, the Christie NHS Foundation Trust is conducting about 30 clinical trials on blood cancer, including five trials on "myeloma," which appears in plasma cells in the bone marrow.

Many patients in the trials have exhausted their other treatment options or have very few left, making the recent results of the experimental treatment even more astonishing [and hopeful].

Dr. Emma Searle, a consultant hematologist at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, stated that a group of new immunotherapy drugs, which are still in the experimental phase and have yet to be named, are leading to a reduction in cancer levels in some patients' bodies, such as those with myeloma, to very low levels that are undetectable.

Dr. Searle added, "The results of this type of trial, namely the use of drugs that allow the body's immune system to detect and attack myeloma, are incredibly remarkable."

"By solely using the experimental drugs," Dr. Searle said, "we observe responses in more than two-thirds of patients who have already exhausted traditional treatment options."

"When these drugs are combined with other medications, we witness responses in more than 90 percent of patients," Dr. Searle clarified.

She also mentioned that immunotherapy drugs initially used to treat some other types of cancer will completely change the course of treatment for blood cancer.

Dr. Searle added, "These drugs represent a significant breakthrough in treating this type of cancer, resulting in remission for patients who have no traditional treatment options left, and often for months or years in many cases."

"When the medications are used alone, they achieve a reduction in symptoms lasting between one and two years for most patients," according to Dr. Searle.

"When used alongside other myeloma cancer drugs," Dr. Searle explains, "responses are likely to last longer and have a greater impact on the expected lifespan."

Dr. Searle, who receives funding from the Christie NHS Foundation Trust charity, said she did not expect immunotherapy to work well in blood cancer cases, adding, "These are truly amazing results."

Overall, controlling blood cancer remains difficult, and doctors often observe that patients with severe illness [suffer from debilitating symptoms] due to a complete compromise of their immune system.

Typically, myeloma patients survive for three to five years, although recent data indicates that 10 years have passed without half of the patients succumbing to the disease.

The United Kingdom records about 6,000 new cases of myeloma each year, and although some of the new immunotherapy treatments included in the trials are currently only available in clinical trials in Manchester and London, there is hope for their broader use throughout the UK.

One of the myeloma patients participating in a clinical trial at the Christie Foundation is a former pediatric nurse named Jan Ross, who is 57 years old and hails from South Liverpool.

Dr. Searle discussed the condition of this patient, stating that "Jan is receiving a type of immunotherapy drug alongside one of the approved traditional drugs."

"We know that the usual (traditional) medication alone is not working effectively for this patient, but it seems that in this trial the immunotherapy is helping the treatment work better," Dr. Searle added.

Ross began her treatment for myeloma in November 2022, and within just seven months, she reached a state of complete remission from symptoms, with the only issues being relatively mild side effects from the new drug, such as brittle nails and a reduction in her sense of taste.

Before starting immunotherapy, Ross was catching infections one after another, but she has not experienced any infections since starting the new treatment.

Now Ross is able to enjoy life, having recently visited France on her first vacation since falling ill, stating, "Since my diagnosis with myeloma, I have taken many different medications, each with side effects that were really tough and negatively impacted my quality of life."

"Control of myeloma can only be maintained for short periods during the first two and a half years after diagnosis," the patient explains.

But "thanks to this amazing new experimental drug, the disease subsides and cannot be detected after seven months," she added.

Ross encourages every patient whose condition fits the criteria of the experimental drug to take it with confidence or at least learn about the options available to them.

"You too [reader] may receive the positive [good] news that I just received," the patient concluded.