Immunotherapy Heralds New Era For Cancer Treatment

For Lorraine Harris, it all started with a sharp pain in her back. She visited the hospital thinking she contracted food poisoning. Instead, she was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer.

"My sister and I looked at each other, and we just burst out crying," she said.

Harris, who lives in Lithonia, was referred to Emory's Winship Cancer Institute where doctors placed her on an aggressive regimen of chemotherapy and radiation.

"It was painful," said Harris, 69. "I was losing my hair. I lost weight."

But the aggressive treatments worked, at least for a while. The tumor shrank, and for three years Harris was cancer free.

"Then one of my CAT scans showed that the cancer had come back, and I was now at stage 4," she says.

Doctors gave Harris the option to restart chemotherapy, but she felt she couldn't possibly go through the physical side effects again.

"Then I found out that my son and his wife were expecting a baby. And they were going to have a girl," she said, after having two grandsons. "I thought, 'Oh my goodness, I have got to live to see this child.'"

Her Winship at Emory oncologist, Dr. Taofeek Owonikoko, told her she could participate in a clinical trial with an immunotherapy drug. Immunotherapy drugs are a new class of cancer-fighting medications that are transforming how doctors treat certain types of cancer.

"When I first found out, I had a long talk with God," she said. "And I said, 'I'm putting my life in your hands.'"

June 2018 marks six years since her initial cancer diagnosis. Today, thanks to the treatments, she has fought back against aggressive, recurrent lung cancer.

"It's been great," she said, "absolutely great."

New ways to fight cancer

Immunotherapy drugs work by boosting the body's natural defenses. With chemotherapy, a patient faces unwanted side effects, but immunotherapy works differently, Dr. Owonikoko said.

"It's not trying to kill the cancer directly," he said. "It's trying to help the body's immune system wake up and recognize that the cancer cells are not supposed to be in the body."

Dr. Owonikoko describes chemotherapy as using a dull blade to try to cut through a piece of fabric.

"There may be lot of damage to the material," he said.

Immunotherapy drugs, on the other hand, are like using a sharp razor that makes a clean cut. Dr. Owonikoko said immunotherapy drugs are simply better at controlling the patients' disease.

"Not curing them, unfortunately, but providing good disease control and good quality of life," he said.

New directions for medical research

"Immunotherapy as a class of medicines have dramatically changed how we treat diseases, not just cancer," Dr. Owonikoko said.

He has been studying these drugs for over seven years at Emory and was one of the core investigators in a study that examined how the drugs could help lung cancer patients.

For patients like Harris, whose cancer isn't controlled by chemotherapy, studies conducted at Emory and elsewhere found that immunotherapy drugs can provide a 30 percent improvement over conventional treatment, Dr. Owonikoko said. Previously, patients would have had few options beyond palliative care.

For her treatment, Harris took immunotherapy infusion every two weeks.

"I didn't lose my hair, and I wasn't throwing up as much at all," she said, comparing the drug to her experience with chemotherapy. "It was a pleasant experience, as far as it goes."

Dr. Owonikoko said there is a small risk of adverse reaction to immunotherapy drugs.

"When we try to wake the immune system up, we can overdo it," he said.

An overactive immune system attacks healthy tissue in addition to cancer cells, but Dr. Owonikoko said the reaction occurs in less than 5 percent of patients.

New hope for cancer patients

Winship at Emory researchers are working to understand the unique characteristics of patients who will benefit from immunotherapy. They're also exploring radiation treatment as a way to sensitize tumors to immunotherapy and exploring how chemotherapy and immunotherapy can be used together to quickly treat newly diagnosed patients.

As for Harris, she looks forward to celebrating her granddaughter's fourth birthday in August. She is extremely grateful for the team at Emory who enabled her treatment and for her to have more time with her family.

"Every day I wake up and I say, 'Thank you for this day,'" she said.

Emory Healthcare

At Emory Healthcare, we’re here to help you find the care you need, when you need it. With more than 2,800 doctors and 300 locations, including 11 hospitals, and hundreds of primary care offices, urgent cares and MinuteClinics, we’re delivering specialized care across the region. If you have questions or concerns about your social wellness, find a doctor near you to help you get and stay healthy.

Talk to Our Nurses

Emory HealthConnection is where registered nurses can help you find a location or specialist that’s right for you. Call 404-778-7777 from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST (M-F).

Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

Seeing over 17,000 patients a year, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University is Georgia’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and serves as the coordinating center for cancer research, education and care throughout Emory University.