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First patient to try revolutionary new cancer therapy is in remission

Updated Oct 10th, 2022 5:10PM EDT
scientists working in lab
Image: chokniti / Adobe

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A new cancer therapy has proven successful, as the therapy’s first patient has been in remission since June of 2021. The patient, John Hornsby Sr. was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma over a decade ago. After a decade of treatments, Hornsby Sr. looked to be out of options, until Dr. Jim Essell suggested a clinical trial with a more targeted approach against non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The results were amazing.

New cancer therapy frees patient from cancer battle after 10 years

It may have taken 10 years, but John Hornsby Sr. is now cancer free, and has been for over a year. The new cancer therapy responsible for the life-changing treatment offers a more targeted approach against non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It works by targeting T-cells that help kill the cancer without harming the rest of the patient’s body.

It’s a much more targeted approach than standard chemotherapy. A clinical trial of the therapy ended in June of 2021. That treatment has left Hornsby Sr. in remission for 12 months, after only 28 days of treatment. The success of the treatment has been so impressive, that the researchers are actually pushing for a second round of clinical trials.

These second trials for the new cancer therapy would involve more patients, which would obviously broaden the pool of results. Doing this is important because it could unlock more information about whether the therapy has different effects on different people.

Fighting fires

lung cancer MRI
Researchers are always looking for new ways to treat the various cancers patients are diagnosed with. Image source: utah51 / Adobe

Finding new ways to treat cancers like non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has been an ongoing struggle for researchers. And seeing the success of this new cancer therapy is exciting. However, it is important to note that there is still a lot we don’t know about the treatment. More clinical trials will help the researchers better understand what other effects it could have on patients.

And if those trials continue to be as successful as Hornsby Sr.’s, then it could mean a more widespread availability of this cancer treatment. Making treatment options like this as widely available as possible can literally mean the difference between life and death for some.

You can check an interview with WCPO News and Hornsby Sr. in the video above for more information on his struggle with cancer. And, with any luck, we’ll hear more about this new cancer therapy in the coming months.

More science coverage: See how a radioactive gel can kill skin cancer painlessly.

Josh Hawkins has been writing for over a decade, covering science, gaming, and tech culture. He also is a top-rated product reviewer with experience in extensively researched product comparisons, headphones, and gaming devices.

Whenever he isn’t busy writing about tech or gadgets, he can usually be found enjoying a new world in a video game, or tinkering with something on his computer.