Carrie Downey was diagnosed with cancer last year.
A Welsh woman experienced a miracle when her cancer disappeared after doctors prescribed a new drug. Carrie Downey’s stage 3 colon cancer disappeared within six months of taking the drug dostarimab. BBC report.
The 42-year-old civil servant was diagnosed a year ago and received dostarimab intravenously for six months. Tests revealed that there was no longer any evidence of the disease. Swansea Bay University Health Board said in a news release.
Dostarlimab targets a specific variant form of colorectal cancer. Although still in clinical trials, it has already shown remarkable results in avoiding surgery, radiation therapy, or chemotherapy.
Dostarlimab is a type of immunotherapy, a targeted therapy that helps the immune system destroy cancer.
Downey was suffering from pain from a previous hernia mesh implant. Her doctors discovered her cancer during her investigation. She was diagnosed last year.
She was referred to Dr Craig Barrington, a consultant oncologist at Singleton Hospital in Swansea. Dr. Barrington prescribed dostarimab. She was given dostarlimab for 6 months, with each 3-weekly IV administration taking about 30 minutes.
“I was tired and had a rash here and there, but it’s nothing compared to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery,” Swansea-Bey said.
A scan midway through treatment showed the tumor had shrunk significantly. At the end of the course, there was no evidence of illness. Two subsequent scans confirmed this, according to the release.
A single mother with a 17-year-old son is preparing to return to work after successful treatment.
“I’m really grateful to Dr. Barrington and his team for taking a chance on me, looking into mutations and considering new treatments,” she told the BBC.
“He gave me life back and I will be forever grateful to him.”
Last year, the same drug was given to 18 patients with rectal cancer for six months, and the treatment resulted in complete disappearance of the cancer in all patients.
