A new study has found a novel cancer treatment that can kill tumors in terminally ill patients.

According to the researchers, a combination of immunotherapy treatments causes the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells, resulting in a ‘positive trend in survival.’

During a trial on patients with head and neck cancer, they noticed that the drug reduced tumour size. The tumors vanished in some cases.

Scientists from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust collaborated on the study, which included nearly 1,000 patients.

The standard ‘extreme’ treatment consists of an aggressive combination of two chemotherapy medicines plus a targeted antibody treatment.

It has side effects such as nausea, discomfort, loss of appetite, and breathing difficulties.

However, administering a combination of two immunotherapies helped patients survive an extra three months on average. The combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab caused fewer negative effects as well.

One patient, who was expected to die four years ago, discovered that his tumour had totally vanished two weeks after joining the trial.

The 77-year-old grandfather is cancer-free and recently returned from a cruise with his wife.

Professor Kristian Helin, CEO of the ICR, stated:

“These are promising results and demonstrate how we can better select the patients who are most likely to benefit from immunotherapy treatment.”

The new treatment is intended for those who have recurrent or advanced head and neck cancer and have a certain ‘immune marker’ that indicates they would benefit from immunotherapy.

The findings were presented at the Virtual Congress of the European Society of Medical Oncology.

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