Given that it looks like a few larger tumors not likely to be small cell carcinoma that is hard to treat.

But good news as the white spots on the midbrain area were also reduced.

Yes. Science is amazing and also frustrating.

Father in law is in last few weeks of small cell carcinoma that metastasized to his brain. First two rounds of chemo and radiation gave him an extra 18 months of quality life to see two grandchildren graduate high school. But in the end, small cell carcinoma always wins as the whack a mole nature and the blood brain barrier make it impossible to cure, at least for now.

Yonnie3

(19,011 posts)

4. Here is Massimo's full tweet about this

Reply to JT45242 (Reply #2)

Wed Oct 29, 2025, 08:18 AM

Wednesday

Massimo is an Italian re-poster on Twitter who doesn't seem to link sources and doesn't appear to be involved in research.

A single dose of a new cancer drug made a brain tumor almost disappear – in just five days.

Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital reported “dramatic and rapid” tumor regression in the first patients treated with a next-generation form of CAR T-cell therapy for glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive brain cancers known.

The therapy, called CARv3-TEAM-E, was developed to overcome a major hurdle in treating solid tumors: their ability to hide from the immune system.

The personalized treatment reprograms a patient’s immune cells to attack the tumor, and in one extraordinary case, nearly eliminated the cancer within just five days. This novel therapy is designed to target multiple features of the tumor at once, a strategy that may help overcome the common challenge of treatment resistance in solid tumors like glioblastoma.

Although the tumors eventually returned, the early outcomes were described as unprecedented. One patient saw a 60% reduction in tumor size that lasted for half a year—an impressive result in a cancer known for its aggressiveness.

The trial’s success marks a major step forward for immunotherapy in brain cancer and raises new hopes for long-term control or even a cure. Researchers are now working to refine the treatment and extend its effects, with the ultimate goal of turning a once-terminal diagnosis into a survivable condition.

Link to tweet

colorado_ufo

(6,171 posts)

13. It is what took my beloved father.

Reply to JT45242 (Reply #2)

Wed Oct 29, 2025, 10:25 AM

Wednesday

Daddy was only 66. It broke our hearts.

NNadir

(36,829 posts)

5. CAR T therapy is extremely expensive; each treatment is individualized for the patient and not generally applicable...

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Wed Oct 29, 2025, 09:10 AM

Wednesday

...to other patients.

It involves reprogramming the patient's immune cells to recognize the cell surfaces of the tumor cells as foreign.

themaguffin

(4,803 posts)

6. No doubt, though is still amazing.

Reply to NNadir (Reply #5)

Wed Oct 29, 2025, 09:21 AM

Wednesday

NNadir

(36,829 posts)

8. If one is wealthy or possesses amazing insurance coverage, it matters. Yes, it's an amazing technology but will...

Reply to themaguffin (Reply #6)

Wed Oct 29, 2025, 09:35 AM

Wednesday

...only reflect the value of human life in the sphere of extreme inequality.

I have peripherally studied the science in connection with my job, but no, it's not ready for the general public.

There are a number of treatments of this nature, including certain forms of gene therapy, on which I have worked.

It is very difficult to understand the economics of a treatment that costs close to a billion dollars to develop, when considering all of the regulatory and experimental needs involved for a treatment that may involve just a few injections to cure a disease for a single patient. From an ethical standpoint one is troubled to understand denying a curative treatment to anyone based on cost, but I confess, I like to be paid, I need to be paid, for what I do.

These types of products are known as "one and done."

For most of the world, this "breakthrough" won't matter. I actually have a huge problem with the abuse of the word "breakthrough" not just in the medical field, but in the energy field as well. In the end, it can lead to magical thinking. The way the media reports science is often disturbing to me.

bmichaelh

(1,026 posts)

7. Cancer Research works

Reply to applegrove (Original post)

Wed Oct 29, 2025, 09:23 AM

Wednesday

Last edited Wed Oct 29, 2025, 10:03 AM - Edit history (1)

This is great news.

Cancer research needs to be restored.

However, but I expect some researchers have already left the country to go to other countries like Canada or in Europe that is more receptive to cancer research.

I can state that cancer research works.

I was first diagnosed with lymphoma in 1990; it returned in 2002 and 2019.
I went through four unsuccessful treatments over 2 years; all failed.
In 2021, it was successful, thanks to a new drug that was approved by FDA in 2020.

Trump is either incompetent.
Or
He does not understand the complexities of cancer care.
Or
He does not care as long it does not impact him.

When it returned in 2019, I tried the same treatment that worked in 2002.
It did not work.
Many times, you can not use the same treatment that was tried before.
That is one reason that cancer research is vital.
This is cardinal rule with my lymphoma: When it returns, it is more aggressive and it returns in a different location and it is resistant to prior therapies.