oncologists confirm promising antibody conjugate results

These three American oncologists met on Friday June 2 at ASCO, the World Cancer Congress in Chicago, are not recovering from the results of conjugated antibodies in breast cancer, which had already caused a sensation last year. Everyone has their own ecstatic commentary: “fantastic results”, “spectacular benefits”, “we are lucky to live in a world where conjugated antibodies exist“.

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This year, there are no less than fifty test results on conjugated antibodies on the Congress program. The principle of this therapy is to use chemotherapy, but rather than passing it through the blood throughout the body, the chemo is sent directly to the tumor.

“We stick the chemotherapy on a dart, which is generally an antibody, which will recognize a target on the tumor cell.”

Professor Benjamin Besse, director of clinical research at the Gustave Roussy anticancer institute in Villejuif

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“On an antibody, we can stick several molecules of chemotherapy, so we will say that the dart can be quite loaded with molecules of chemotherapy“, adds Professor Besse. The dart is then swallowed by the tumor and the chemo explodes inside, like mini-bombs.

Fewer side effects and a huge range of possibilities

By targeting only the tumor, this technique brings out old chemo stored in the closet. “These are chemotherapy molecules that had been discovered a long time ago but far too toxic when injected directly into the blood and had been somewhat forgotten. With this new structure of drugs, we were able to bring out these very toxic drugs and by targeting them directly on the tumor cells, we limit the side effects as much as possible..”

Side effects, there are still despite everything, because residues of chemotherapy escape from the tumor, recognizes Professor Sara Hurvitz, of the University of California. She conducted a trial with conjugated antibodies in breast cancer. “This caused nausea, vomiting to the patients who tested them, hair loss too and more rarely, in 10 to 12% of cases, lung problems“.

A session of the Chicago Cancer Congress will also be dedicated on Sunday, June 4 to the side effects of conjugated antibodies and how to reduce them. Because there are improvements to be found, we are only at the first generation of this therapy, admit oncologists. They are enthusiastic about this huge field of possibilities, with perhaps, very quickly, applications in lung and ovarian cancer.