Daniel Flora/accru.org
Jun 11, 2025, 16:49
Daniel Flora: From Stage IV Cancer to Remission – Clinical Trials Made This Possible
Daniel Flora, Medical Director of Oncology Research at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, shared a post on Substack:
“This morning, I saw three patients in clinic, all with stage IV cancer:
One with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma that had spread to the lymph nodes
One with HPV-positive tonsil cancer metastatic to the lungs
One with melanoma of the chest wall that had also spread to the lungs
Each was started on treatment for several months with a PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab (Keytruda) or cemiplimab (Libtayo), a type of cancer immunotherapy.
And today, all three patients had no evidence of disease on their PET/CT scans, a complete response.
I got to share the news that their scans were clear, that there was no sign of cancer.
It’s hard to describe what it feels like to be part of that moment. After all these years it’s still quite emotional to see the relief of a patient waiting to hear the news, good or bad.
Just a few years ago, these same patients would’ve been getting chemotherapy or radiation often with significant side effects and no clear path forward. Now, they’re living their lives normally, feeling well, and cancer free.
For patients who respond to immunotherapy, these remissions can be durable. Some go on to live for years without recurrence. Some are cured.
Clinical trials made this possible. Industry partners helped bring these therapies to patients. And the patients themselves contributed by participating in something uncertain to help others and advance the science.
When I started ten years ago, I would’ve called today miraculous.
Honestly, I still do.”
More posts featuring Daniel Flora.
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Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
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ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
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ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
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Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
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OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
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Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023
Jun 11, 2025, 13:48