Scientists 'completely cure' bowel cancer with new form of immunotherapy

A team of US Scientists claim to have cured bowel cancer "completely" using a new form of radioimmunotherapy, according to a report by the Daily Mail.

Researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC) in New York and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, developed a new type of radioimmunotherapy (RIT) which is a combination of immunotherapy and radiation treatment.

Immunotherapy could soon replace chemotherapy as it has been hailed a "game-changer" in cancer treatment, the report revealed.

In an experiment on mice they report they were able to achieve "100% cure rate". They are also hopeful this treatment could possibly eradicate all types of tumours.

"If clinically successful, our approach will expand the repertoire of effective treatments for oncologic patients," authors of the study Steven Larson and Sarah Cheal from MSKCC told the Daily Mail.

Adding, "The system is designed as a 'plug and play' system, which allows for the use of many fine antibodies targeting human tumour antigens and is applicable, in principle, to virtually all solid and liquid tumours in man."

However, some experts are sceptical of the findings as the study was conducted on a small scale.

"These scientists have carried out a small study in only 10 mice looking at improving radiotherapy treatment for bowel cancer," Dr Áine McCarthy from Cancer Research UK told the Daily Mail.

"It's very early stage research and we're a long way from knowing if this new approach works, and is safe to use, in people with bowel cancer," she went on to explain.

Bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in women and men. Patients have a five-year-survival of only 11% if the disease has reached an advanced form, the report stated.

The findings were originally published in the The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.