OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) -- This week, researchers unveiled encouraging news in the fight against cancer as the FDA fast-tracked a specific type of gene therapy. Nebraska Medicine is one of only a handful of cancer in the country participating in a clinical cancer for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. <\/p>\n
Amy Cheese, a 3rd grade teacher from Colorado stepped away from the classroom last year hoping to find a treatment that would save her life. She had run out of treatment options for her cancer in the blood. <\/p>\n
Nothing was shrinking the grapefruit-sized tumor in her chest. <\/p>\n
So she came to Omaha where her CAR t-cells would get a science make-over. <\/p>\n
It works like this: we all have t-cells to fight infection. But in a cancer patient, they go haywire. <\/p>\n
Her cells are sent from Omaha to a California lab to be re-engineered, and returned two weeks later to pinpoint the cancer and destroy it. <\/p>\n
We were there in January when Dr. Julie Vose in Oncology revealed whether the therapy was working for Amy. <\/p>\n
Dr. Vose: Continuing improvement. Its now 2.7 and that means complete remission. Amy: Oh really. Wow. I have to hug Susan. Susan: Its awesome. Amy: I didnt think it was ever going to happen. Thats what everybody wants to hear. Complete remission. <\/p>\n
Successful cases like Amy Cheeses has the FDA expanding the reach of the clinical trials. <\/p>\n
About 60% of the patients had a complete remission, said Dr. Vose in an interview with WOWT 6 News this week. Meaning that at the end of the therapy theres no sign of the lymphoma. 3-months after that there was 40% of the patients in complete remission, which may not seem like a lot but these are patients who had failed every other therapy they could possible fail. <\/p>\n
Amy Cheese recently had her 6-month check-up. She remains in complete remission. <\/p>\n
Doctors believe this breakthrough cancer therapy could one day apply to all cancers. As a big picture, said Dr. Vose, I think it has huge and incredible potential. <\/p>\n
With the FDA fast-tracking this method, doctors say more patients will now be a part of a larger clinical trial.<\/p>\n
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