HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015496.jpg
1.67 MB
Extraction Summary
4
People
2
Organizations
1
Locations
2
Events
1
Relationships
3
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Magazine article / investigative file
File Size:
1.67 MB
Summary
A magazine article page (p. 36) titled 'An Unlikely Cure Signals New Hope for Cancer' by Kat McGowan. It details a case study at Memorial Sloan-Kettering where a 73-year-old bladder cancer patient ('Patient 45') had a miraculous recovery using the drug everolimus in 2010. The article highlights Dr. David Solit's work in sequencing the patient's genome to identify the mutations responsible for the cure. The document includes a Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015496', indicating it is part of a congressional investigation file.
People (4)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Kat McGowan | Author |
Author of the article regarding cancer research.
|
| David Solit | Clinical Oncologist / Director |
Director of developmental therapeutics at Sloan-Kettering; sequenced the genome of the patient's cancer.
|
| Patient Number 45 | Patient |
73-year-old woman with metastatic bladder cancer who was cured by everolimus.
|
| Ellen Weinstein | Illustrator |
Credited for the illustration in the article.
|
Organizations (2)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center |
Location of the drug trial and research.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015496'.
|
Timeline (2 events)
January 2010
Patient number 45 enrolled in the everolimus study at Sloan-Kettering.
Sloan-Kettering
Locations (1)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Medical center where the study took place (New York).
|
Relationships (1)
Solit analyzed the patient's genetic code to understand her reaction to the drug.
Key Quotes (3)
"In April 2010, her cancer was gone."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015496.jpg
Quote #1
"But this time was different. Clinical oncologist David Solit... saw a new opportunity to explain what happened by sequencing the whole genome of the woman’s cancer."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015496.jpg
Quote #2
"He found that one of her mutations shows up in about 8 to 10 percent of other bladder cancer patients"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015496.jpg
Quote #3
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,399 characters)
BIOLOGY | MEDICINE
An Unlikely Cure Signals
New Hope for Cancer
New Hope for Cancer
How “exceptional responders” are revolutionizing treatment
for the deadly desease
for the deadly desease
BY KAT MCGOWAN
JUST LIKE EVERY NEW drug the oncologists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center tested against bladder cancer in the last 20 years, this one didn’t seem to be doing any good. Forty-four people in the study were given everolimus in a last-ditch attempt to slow down or stop their advanced cancer. When the researchers analyzed the data, they could see that the drug wasn’t slowing or stopping tumor growth. Everolimus seemed to be another bust.
Then there was patient number 45. She joined the trial with advanced metastatic cancer. Tumors had invaded deep into her abdomen, clouding her CT scan with solid grey blotches. She was 73 years old. None of the standard bladder cancer drugs were working for her anymore; she had “failed treatment,” in the dismal lingo of oncologists. She enrolled in the study only because she happened to be a patient at Sloan-Kettering in January 2010. In April 2010, her cancer was gone.
This sort of happy surprise is not unheard of in drug studies. Bodies are fluky, each with its own idiosyncratic combination of genetic blueprints and environmental inputs. So sometimes a patient will be cured by a drug that is useless for everyone else. In the past, these spectacular reactions were written off as outlier responses that defied explanation—medical mysteries. Doctors just shrugged their shoulders and thanked their lucky stars that even though the study tanked, they did manage to help one person.
But this time was different. Clinical oncologist David Solit, director of developmental therapeutics at Sloan-Kettering, saw a new opportunity to explain what happened by sequencing the whole genome of the woman’s cancer. Just five years ago, decoding and analyzing all 3 billion bases of the DNA from a tumor would’ve been absurdly time-consuming and expensive. Now the sequencing takes as little as a few days.
Poring over the outlier patient’s genetic code, Solit pinpointed two mutations that made her tumor sensitive to this drug. He found that one of her mutations shows up in about 8 to 10 percent of other bladder cancer patients, meaning that they too might be helped by everolimus. His success has inspired a whole set of
ILLUSTRATION BY ELLEN WEINSTEIN
36
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_015496
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