- Michelle Roberts
- Digital Health Affairs Editor
3 hours ago
image source,Getty Images
A new treatment that uses a common virus to infect and destroy cancer cells has shown surprising results in early human trials, British scientists say.
Among them, one patient’s cancer disappeared completely, while other patients’ tumors shrank.
The drug modifies a weakened version of the cold sore virus and uses it to kill tumors. The cold sore virus is a type of herpes simplex virus.
Larger and longer studies are needed next, but experts say the virus-injected therapy could eventually provide a lifeline for more advanced cancer patients.
cancer disappears
Krzysztof Wojkowski, 39, is a construction worker in west London. He is a patient participating in an ongoing human safety trial. The trial is being run by the Cancer Research Institute, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.
Wojkowski was diagnosed with salivary gland cancer in 2017, near the mouth. Despite surgery and some other treatments at the time, the cancer continued to grow.
“I was told there was no choice, I was in hospice. It was scary. So it was amazing to have the opportunity to be part of this trial,” said Wojkowski.
After receiving short-term virotherapy – a specially modified version of the herpes simplex virus – his cancer appeared to disappear.
“I had injections every two weeks for 5 weeks. My cancer was completely eradicated. I am now cancer free for 2 years,” he said.
A two-pronged approach
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The therapy works well for many advanced cancers, including oesophageal cancer. Smoking and drinking are risk factors for oesophageal cancer.
The therapy, which injects the virus directly into the tumour, attacks cancer in two ways – by invading and bursting the cancer cell, and by activating the immune system.
Around 40 patients were treated as part of the trial. Some patients received just one injection of the virus called RP2; others received another cancer drug, nivolumab, in addition to the virus injection.
The findings, presented at a medical congress in Paris, France, showed:
- Tumors shrank in 3 of 9 patients treated with RP2 injections alone, including Wojkowski
- 7 out of 30 people who received the combination treatment appeared to have better symptoms
- Side effects such as fatigue are generally mild
The researcher who led the trial, Professor Kevin Harrington, told the BBC that the results seen in a range of advanced cancers, including oesophageal cancer and a rare type of eye cancer, were “very, very good”.
“It is rare to see such a good response rate in early stage clinical trials, because their main purpose is to test the safety of a treatment. The participants were all advanced cancer patients whose current treatments were no longer working,” he said.
Professor Harrington added, “I am particularly interested to know whether we will continue to see results as we treat more and more patients.”
not the first time
This is not the first time scientists have used viruses to fight cancer. A few years ago, the NHS, the UK’s national health system, approved a virus-based cold therapy, called T-Vec, to treat advanced skin cancer.
Professor Harrington calls RP2 an advanced or upgraded version of T-Vec.
He said he had made other modifications to the virus that allowed it to effectively kill cancer cells once they had entered.
Dr Baker from Cancer Research UK said the encouraging findings could change the course of cancer treatment.
Dr Baker said scientists discovered 100 years ago that viruses could help treat cancer, but how to use them safely and effectively has always been a challenge.
Dr Baker said, “This new viral therapy has shown promising results in small, early stage trials – now we need more research to understand how well it works. Research shows that a combination of treatments is more effective. It’s strategies, and viral therapies so this can be part of our toolkit to defeat cancer.”
