A new study has found that a combination of two drugs could enhance the immune system to treat one of the most common types of cancer in the world, bowel cancer. Also known as colorectal cancer, despite its widespread presence, the treatment options for this condition are limited. What the study specifically found was that this procedure could shrink the tumours caused by this condition by around 60%.

What Are The Drugs Involved

The trial involved the use of two immunotherapy drugs, botancilimab and balstilumab. It is a monoclonal antibody that works to stimulate the body's immune system to attack cancer. The study is a rather significant find, as it’s the first time that a consistent and durable response to immunotherapy has been reported in patients with solid MSS mCRC tumours.

The study was divided into several phases for more than 6 months. In the US trial, around around 101 patients with microsatile stable metastatic colorectal (MSS-mCRC) tumours showed a decrease . Around 61% of the patients experienced tumour shrinkage or stabilization after combined treatment with votancilumab and balstilumab. When it comes to downsides, diarrhea and fatigue were found to be the most common side effects or side effects of this drug.

These results are interesting and open to exploration. To date, immunotherapy has not been effective in patients with CNS-mCRC tumors. This study demonstrates the potential of the combination of botenlimab and balstilimab in the treatment of CNS mCRC, providing new hope for people diagnosed with colon cancer.

What Could This Mean For Bowel Cancer Treatment In The Future

The study is currently in the final stages of clinical trials, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hopes to quickly gain approval for its use because of the importance of this area that affects many people. The efficiency shown demonstrates the potential of botansilimab to contribute to broad antitumor immunity.

All in all, the combination of botensilimab and balstilimab represents a promising new direction in the treatment of colorectal cancer. This breakthrough could improve conditions for many patients worldwide and lights a new hope in the fight against this common disease. The results of this study show the effectiveness of immunotherapy in this field and how its potential to transform cancer treatment can only grow in the years to come.

Actress Pamela Anderson has opened up about her hepatitis C diagnosis that once made her fear she had only a few years to live, highlighting how dramatically treatment for the viral infection has changed.

Speaking at the 2026 amfAR Gala Venezia during the Venice Film Festival, Anderson recalled being diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2002. She said doctors had told her she had around 10 years to live, describing the diagnosis as a “death sentence”.

Anderson has previously said she contracted hepatitis C after sharing a tattoo needle with her then-husband Tommy Lee. At the time, the diagnosis carried significant uncertainty because effective curative treatments were not yet available. But more than a decade later, Anderson announced that she had been cured of hepatitis C following antiviral treatment.

What Is Hepatitis C?

While some people clear the virus on their own, most people with hepatitis C who do not clear it develop chronic infection. Over time, chronic hepatitis C can cause liver cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 47 million people were living with chronic hepatitis C globally, with about 0.9 million new infections occurring each year.

In 2024, approximately 239,000 people died from hepatitis C, mainly due to cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Also read: The Silent Killer: Why More Indians Need To Pay Attention To Liver Cancer

How Did Hepatitis C Become Curable?

The major breakthrough came with the development of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). Before these medicines became available, hepatitis C treatment relied heavily on interferon-based therapies, which could involve prolonged treatment and significant side effects and did not cure everyone.

The first interferon-free DAA treatments were approved in 2013 and 2014, marking a major turning point in hepatitis C treatment. WHO says these medicines can cure the infection in more than 95% of people, generally within a short course of treatment.

Unlike older treatments, DAAs directly target the hepatitis C virus and prevent it from multiplying. Treatment is now usually oral, much better tolerated and considerably shorter than earlier regimens.

WHO recommends pan-genotypic DAAs for people with chronic hepatitis C, with treatment generally lasting around 12 to 24 weeks depending on the person's condition.

Also read: RFK Jr. Accepts Pennsylvania Child’s Measles Death After Questioning It: Here's Why

Access Remains A Challenge

The transformation in treatment does not mean hepatitis C has disappeared. There is currently no vaccine against hepatitis C, and millions of people remain undiagnosed.

WHO estimates that by the end of 2024, only around 36% of people who had ever been infected knew their diagnosis, while only about 20% of those diagnosed with chronic infection had received DAA treatment. This makes early testing and access to treatment critical.

Anderson's experience also reflects how quickly medicine can change the outlook of a disease. “I’m not a victim, I’m a victor,” Anderson said while accepting the amfAR Award of Courage in Venice.

Just days after questioning whether the state had correctly linked the deaths of two unvaccinated people to the ongoing measles outbreak, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has acknowledged and accepted that measles caused the death of a six-week-old child in Pennsylvania.

The shift came after Lancaster County Coroner Stephen Diamantoni confirmed that the infant had died from measles. The child was among two people reported by Pennsylvania health officials as having died in connection with the outbreak.

Kennedy had previously questioned the state's reporting and reportedly asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to remove the two deaths from its official tally. The CDC subsequently excluded them from its public data while the deaths remained under review.

What Did The Coroner Find?

The case of the six-week-old infant became particularly controversial because initial findings appeared to raise questions about whether measles was the direct cause of death.

According to Coroner Diamantoni, a review of the infant's medical records and clinical information showed that measles was the cause of death. The child had also been diagnosed with a rare congenital condition that made the infant particularly vulnerable to infections.

The other reported death remains more complicated. In that case, a forensic pathologist found that the infant died from a ruptured spleen and did not determine that measles was the cause, although measles was present. Diamantoni also said that the immediate cause of death was a ruptured spleen, which had further complicated the debate.

The coroner had said that he did not believe measles was the cause of death, although measles was listed on the baby's death certificate as a contributing condition.

Also read: Another Child Dies From Measles In US Amid Vaccine Concerns: Why The Virus Is More Than A Fever And Rash

Kennedy Says Shapiro 'Politicized' The Death

Kennedy's acknowledgement of the infant's death comes amid a public dispute with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.

Shapiro had criticised Kennedy after the federal health secretary questioned the state's reporting of the deaths, arguing that such statements could undermine confidence in vaccination and public health efforts.

Kennedy, meanwhile, accused Shapiro of “hastily politicizing” the deaths and argued that the state had announced them before the investigations were complete.

The dispute has now placed the focus not only on the deaths but also on how measles fatalities are investigated and recorded by state and federal health authorities.

Also read: Why Has CDC Challenged The Report Of Two Measles Deaths In Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania's Measles Outbreak Continues

Pennsylvania has been dealing with a major measles outbreak, with hundreds of cases reported and dozens of people hospitalised. State health officials have said the two people who died were unvaccinated.

The controversy comes at a time when measles is resurging in parts of the US, with declining vaccination coverage raising concerns among public health experts.

Measles is highly contagious and can lead to serious complications, particularly in infants and people with weakened immune systems. Vaccination remains the primary method of preventing infection and transmission.

An infected person can spread the virus to around nine out of 10 unvaccinated people who are exposed. Most people recover, but measles can cause serious complications including pneumonia, brain inflammation and death.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has terminated 16 grants worth a combined $38 million, including programmes focused on maternal and infant health, postpartum care and infant mortality, as the agency shifts funding priorities towards infertility and physical activity.

The grants, administered through HHS’ Office of Minority Health (OMH), were cancelled on August 25, according to reports. The affected programmes had already received funding for the first two years of their four-year grants.

The move has sparked criticism, particularly because some of the cancelled programmes were directly focused on supporting mothers and babies after childbirth.

HHS Shifts Focus To Infertility And Male Reproductive Health

According to the letters sent to grantees, future awards should directly support efforts aimed at “reducing overmedicalization in health care by addressing the root causes of infertility.”

The areas listed by HHS include hormonal imbalances, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, low sperm count, low testosterone levels and erectile dysfunction (ED). Programmes promoting “regular physical activity and exercise” were also listed among the priorities.

For grants dealing with maternal health, officials reportedly acknowledged that maternal and infant health remained important but said the specific projects did not advance minority health within OMH’s current priority are.

Also read: This Common Heart Attack Risk Starts Silently In Healthy People In Their 20s

Which Health Programmes Lost Funding?

Among the affected programmes was an initiative by Illuminate Colorado, which sends nurses to the homes of minority women following childbirth to check on the health of mothers and newborns.

“It was news to us that maternal and infant fatality prevention wasn’t a priority,” Jillian Fabricius, co-executive director of the organisation, told NOTUS.

Another programme administered by Housing Works and EngageWell helped people with hypertension monitor their blood pressure at home and provided fresh produce and eggs to 150 New Yorkers every two weeks.

The cancelled grants also included programmes focused on cancer screenings, suicide prevention among first responders and reducing obesity among Native American youth.

At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, a programme aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality among Black families in the Arkansas Delta could also end because of the funding loss.

Leslie Taylor, a university spokesperson, said the issue was “certainly a big issue in our state” given Arkansas’ high maternal and infant mortality rates.

Also read: Why You Suddenly Can’t Tolerate Foods You Once Ate Easily

HHS Decision Is Drawing Criticism

The cancellations come amid a bigger shift in US federal health policy under the Trump administration, with HHS increasingly emphasising infertility, chronic disease prevention, exercise and what officials describe as addressing the underlying causes of health problems.

However, critics argue that programmes addressing maternal and infant mortality are also essential preventive healthcare, particularly for minority communities that experience significant health disparities.

“It is shocking that OMH under any leadership would prioritize erectile dysfunction over the health and wellbeing of infants and new mothers,” Representative Diana DeGette, the ranking Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee, wrote to HHS officials.