

New Studies on Leukemia Therapies - swombat
http://online.wsj.com/articles/new-costly-cancer-treatments-face-hurdles-getting-to-patients-1412627150

======
x0x0
If this works, it's just flat out amazing. Leukemia killed a close family
member and I still donate to research.

    
    
       In two separate clinical trials — sponsored by Novartis AG NOVN.VX of 
       Switzerland and Seattle-based biotech Juno Therapeutics Inc. — almost 90% of 
       patients saw their leukemia disappear after being given experimental 
       so-called CAR T-cell therapies. The results were published in December and 
       February, respectively.
       
       Both trials were in small numbers of patients: 22 children in the Novartis 
       trial and 16 adults in the Juno trial. The patients had acute lymphoblastic 
       leukemia—the most common childhood cancer—and had exhausted standard 
       treatments. Both companies are now conducting larger trials.
    

And that's 90% after other treatments failed.

~~~
niels_olson
Yeah, this is pretty much the talk of the town these days. A hem-onc fellow I
surf with told me about it in July. There are real problems to work out
(surviving the pretreatment and the treatment) but there's definitely a lot of
buzz around it. Had one of the Moores Cancer Center pharmacists over for pizza
last night. She said it's pretty crazy. They get this $250,000 package on dry
ice and wait for a phone call.

~~~
x0x0
No disrespect to the unfortunate, but even if those numbers plummet, 50% out
of a last-resort would still be amazing.

Mind sharing what you're doing w/ the python/pg for your research?

