An Australian-first treatment for cancer found in the kidney has been successfully administered at Monash Health with fantastic results.
Josie was visiting Monash Health for a regular check-up when a CT scan discovered a shadow on her kidney. This shadow was soon diagnosed as an upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), a type of cancer that occurs in the lining of the urinary tract, specifically the kidneys or the ureters.
After receiving laser treatment and six weeks of chemotherapy, the cancer in Josie’s kidney was still present. This prompted Dr Weranja Ranasinghe to approach Josie with a new treatment that had never been administered in Australia.
Dr Ranasinghe had come across JELMYTO during his fellowship in Texas, USA when the treatment was in the trial stage. After a successful trial, JELMYTO received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has become the first and only FDA-approved treatment for low-grade UTUC. JELMYTO was tested in a clinical study that found 58% of patients had their tumours disappear after treatment. At the 12-month mark, the majority of the patients who had their tumours disappear were still tumour free.
Based on these successful results and Josie’s special circumstances, Dr Ranasinghe recognised that this treatment could be an effective solution for Josie.
Josie had no hesitations in saying yes to this new treatment. “I thought anything to help me prolong my life; I am in for,” she said.
Three weeks after Josie’s last treatment, tests confirmed there was no cancer in her kidney, and Josie received the wonderful news that she is now cancer free. When asked how it felt to administer an Australian-first treatment successfully, Dr Ranasinghe said, “It was very rewarding to be able to provide Josie with good quality of life.”
Read the full article: https://monashhealth.org/…/australian-first-cancer…/
