{"id":3633,"date":"2015-07-15T10:36:22","date_gmt":"2015-07-15T14:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/52.229.122.34\/en\/?p=3633"},"modified":"2021-02-17T12:00:30","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T17:00:30","slug":"former-nurse-receives-experimental-viral-therapy-for-cancer-at-the-ottawa-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/uncategorized\/former-nurse-receives-experimental-viral-therapy-for-cancer-at-the-ottawa-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Former nurse receives experimental viral therapy for cancer at The Ottawa Hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christina Monker was one of the first patients in the world to receive an experimental viral therapy for cancer.<\/em><\/p>\n

On June 2, a team at The Ottawa Hospital infused 10 billion particles of a virus derived from Brazilian sandflies directly into Christina Monker\u2019s bloodstream. Monker, a former nurse from Rockland, Ontario, was participating in a clinical trial led by Dr. Derek Jonker to evaluate an experimental anti-cancer therapy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Dr. Jonker asked me if I wanted to try a new viral therapy for cancer, I was very intrigued,\u201d said Monker, 75. \u201cI was of course a bit nervous because he said this virus had never been tried in humans before, but I felt like this might be my last hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monker had led a very healthy and active life until 2012, when she was diagnosed with anal cancer. Despite chemotherapy and radiation, the cancer spread to both her lungs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe nausea of chemotherapy was worse than I ever could have imagined, but with the viral therapy I just felt like I had the flu for a couple of days, and the symptoms were easily managed,\u201d said Monker. \u201cIt is too soon to know if I may have benefited from this therapy, but I\u2019m very glad to contribute to this important research that could improve care for others.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea of using viruses to treat cancer has been around for more than a century, with sporadic reports of cancer patients experiencing remarkable recoveries after viral infections. However, it is only in recent years that viral therapy has begun to be developed and tested in a rigorous way.<\/p>\n

\"Drs.<\/p>\n

The experimental viral therapy was discovered and is being developed by a team of researchers including (from left to right) Drs. Brian Lichty, Derek Jonker, David Stojdl and John Bell.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea behind this trial is to use one virus to prime the patient\u2019s immune system to recognize their cancer, and then use a different virus to directly kill their cancer and further stimulate their immune system to prevent the cancer coming back,\u201d said Dr. John Bell, a senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa. \u201cThe trial is the first in the world to evaluate this kind of double virus therapy to treat cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClinical trials are where we ask people with cancer to try an experimental treatment, not yet knowing what the treatment might do,\u201d explained Dr. Jonker. \u201cIn my opinion, people like Christina, who participate in clinical trials, are heroes. These are people who have serious illnesses, sometimes incurable. And yet they are willing to partner with us doctors and scientists to try and make a breakthrough, not just for themselves, but also for other people like them.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information:<\/p>\n