Gene Therapy Shows Promise for Aggressive Lymphoma
By webmd.com
An experimental gene therapy for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma beat back more than a third of cancers that seemed untreatable, the therapy's developers report.
Thirty-six percent of over 100 very ill lymphoma patients appeared disease-free six months after a single treatment, according to results released by the treatment's maker, Kite Pharma of Santa Monica, Calif.
These patients had not responded to usual treatments and had no other options, Kite said Tuesday in a news release.
Overall, more than four out of five patients with the blood cancer saw their cancer reduced by more than half for at least part of the study, the company said.
"This seems extraordinary ... extremely encouraging," one cancer specialist, Dr. Roy Herbst, told the Associated Press.
But Herbst, who is chief of medical oncology at Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Conn., said longer follow-up is needed to see if the benefit continues.
Still, he said, "This certainly is something I would want to have available." Side effects, which had been a concern, seemed manageable in this study, he said.
The therapy -- called CAR-T cell therapy -- enables the patient's own blood cells to kill the cancer cells.
Lymphoma is a general term for cancers that begin in the lymph system. The lymph system is part of the immune system, which helps the body fight disease.
Here's how the treatment works: A patient's blood is filtered so immune cells called T-cells can be altered to contain a cancer-fighting gene. The cells are returned to the patient intravenously, and the cancer-targeting cells then multiply in the patient's body.
The U.S. National Cancer Institute developed the gene approach and licensed it to Kite. Now, Kite and another pharmaceutical giant, Novartis AG, are competing to gain approval of the treatment, according to the AP.
Kite reportedly intends to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval this spring and approval in Europe later this year. It could be the first gene therapy approved in the United States, the news report noted.
Although the therapy appears to benefit a significant number of patients, it is not risk-free. Researchers believe two patients died of treatment-related causes, the AP reported.
Other side effects included anemia or other blood problems that were treated, and neurological problems such as sleepiness, confusion, tremor or difficulty speaking, which typically lasted only a few days, the wire service reported.
Overall, however, the therapy seems safe, according to Dr. Steven Rosenberg, chief of surgery branch at the National Cancer Institute. He was not involved with the study.
"It's a safe treatment, certainly a lot safer than having progressive lymphoma," Rosenberg told the AP. He said he has a patient who was treated this way who is still in remission seven years later.
The cost of such treatment hasn't been reported yet, but immune system therapies tend to be very expensive.
The results are scheduled for presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research conference in April. Until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal, the data and conclusions should be considered preliminary.
Source: http://www.webmd.com/cancer/lymphoma/news/20170228/gene-therapy-shows-promise-for-aggressive-lymphoma
Friday, June 5, 2026
Orlistat (Xenical) - Weight Loss - Patient guide - What to expect
Using xenical orlistat safely usually depends on clear expectations, steady follow up, and realistic daily routines. It is commonly used for patients working on long term weight reduction with diet change. Main goal is not fast drama, but reliable improvement over time. Some patients notice benefit quickly, while others need dose adjustment, patience, or related lifestyle changes before progress becomes obvious. Patients who want basic orientation can review https://lucasclinic.com/weight-loss/xenical-orlistat/. Material like that is useful because it frames medicine inside real care decisions: when to take it, what changes deserve attention, and why follow up often matters more than casual online advice. Most medication trouble starts with ordinary disruption. Travel, illness, poor sleep, new over the counter products, or inconsistent timing can all affect results. Keeping routine stable gives clinicians cleaner picture when they decide whether treatment is helping. Patients should also remember that treatment sits inside weight management, not in isolation. Sleep, diet, hydration, activity, and underlying conditions can shape how well plan works. That is why follow up visits should review whole pattern rather than one symptom in a vacuum. Follow through after prescription also matters. Refills should be planned before bottles run low, symptom notes should be brought to visits, and any major change in routine should be mentioned early. Many medication problems are easier to fix when clinician hears about them after first week of trouble rather than after several months of guessing. Safety planning should stay simple and direct. Patients should report persistent abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, or vitamin deficiency concerns rather than assuming body will sort everything out. Fast communication often prevents avoidable urgent visits. General guidance for this medication category is collected at https://lucasclinic.com/weight-loss/. That broader view can support better questions at next visit and more realistic expectations between visits. Patients rarely need perfect routine, but they do need honest reporting, steady habits, and enough follow up to catch problems before they grow.
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