The doctor María E. Cabanillas Remember clearly the time that, during a panel, he said that one day it would be possible to say “that we have cured anaplastic thyroid cancer.” An oncologist present called her irresponsible for that approach. But, now, after years of work and the successful treatment of patients, the oncological endocrinologist can say that he was right.
“We have patients who have been living for eight years, with a disease that killed you in three months. And, well, that is my satisfaction, to be able to see a patient probably cured of Anaplastic thyroid cancer And to think that almost humiliation in front of that group of doctors, in an important thyroid society, to be able to say that he was right and he did not, ”said Cabanillas.
For its role in the development of a treatment that increases the survival of patients with this type of rare cancer – which affects between one and two people per million per year in USA-, Cabanillas was recognized with the Rosalind Franklin Society in Science 2024.
“This award, because it is named Rosalind Franklin, is personally more significant to me, because it is named after such an important woman in the history of medicine and science. And I also think it is important for women and minorities – especially being Puerto Rican – that they recognize us”He said, in an interview with The new day.
Franklin, British chemistry and crystallographer whose work led to the discovery of the double propeller of the DNA and who was not recognized in life for his contribution, gives name to the annual award of the Rosalind Franklin Society And the Independent Editorial Mary Ann Liebertwhich recognizes the contributions and research of women and minorities underrepresented in science.
Cabanillas, oncologist endocrinologist in the MD Anderson Cancer Center from the University of Texas, in Houston, is The first Puerto Rican who receives this prestigious award.
The doctor stressed that the work that gave way to her recognition was a publication in it Journal of Thyroid Research about treatment of patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer – the most difficult to treat, according to Cabanillas – that has allowed their survival to increase “significantly”. “Patients usually died within months, and for the discoveries we made, that survival has increased three months to several years”he added.
“What we did was combine three drugs. Instead of using one at a time, that the patient falls, use them all at once, and also introduce surgeries, radiation, those things we knew they worked, but that (on their own) they did not result in a cure,” he added. The three drugs that combine treatment are: Dabrafenib, Trametinib and Pmbrolizumab (Immunotherapy).
“What we do in the MD Anderson is that we give the three drugs and then operate, because immunotherapy, unlike the other two drugs, has the potential to eliminate thyroid cancer versus the other (treatment), which makes the smallest tumor, but in reality the cancer does not go When that happens, Patients have a longer survival than patients where anaplassic did not fully. And that’s why we think that the three drugs at the same time is optimal, because, in reality, immunotherapy can eradicate cancer and not come back, which is what we want, ”he explained.
Cabanillas mentioned that one of the figures that has inspired his work is the oncologist Emil J. Freireichwho managed to cure acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children by introducing combined chemotherapy, in which cancer medications are managed simultaneously instead of individually.
“That was always an inspiration for me, because this man, who thought he was irresponsible and crazy about trying to heal a disease, for me is incredible, and I feel that way with this disease too. People thought we were crazy about trying to cure these patients. Actually, when we started, we were not trying to cure them, what we were was trying to help them live longer, but what we realized after time is that some patients were healing, ”he added.
Cabanillas, who estimated that between 80 and 100 patients have successfully received the treatment proposed in the MD Anderson, he urged the Puerto Rican young women to explore a career in the sciences to which “Do not let anyone tell them they can’t do itbecause if you want to do it, you can do it. ”