Gene therapy 'cures' dying cancer men

Gene therapy has eradicated cancer from two dying men using genetically modified versions of their own immune cells.

Both were suffering from skin cancer but the technique could be customised to attack other cancers, even after they have spread and the outlook is grim.

Mark Origer, 53, narrated how, after five years of a losing battle, he got well enough to attend his daughter's wedding. "She wanted me to be there," he said.
Origer was diagnosed with melanoma the most aggressive form of skin cancer in 1999. A cyst on his back in 2002 was found to have malignant cells and the cancer continued to spread until, in June 2004, it was found in his liver. He underwent various treatments but none helped.

In December 2004, he was given the gene therapy and was discharged the same month. By January 2005, his tumours had shrunk by half and by September, when he attended Katie's wedding, a spot remained in his liver which surgeons removed. Last week, doctors pronounced him completely clear of cancer cells.

Of the 17 patients who underwent the therapy, it worked only on Origer and "Thomas M", 39. But scientists say they can adapt it to fight other cancers.