Cancer patients from around the world flocked to a Houston oncologist who developed a cutting-edge treatment that achieves complete remission in 50 percent of patients.
Philip Salem, 82, combined immunotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy to develop a breakthrough cancer treatment called ICTriplex.
“I have been working in cancer medicine for 55 years. “I've never seen what I'm seeing now through ICTriplex,” Salem told ABC7.
The 82-year-old oncologist, who is at the forefront of cancer research, published his findings in the American Society of Clinical Oncology Journal in June 2022.
The compelling results of his study attracted desperate patients from around the world who traveled thousands of miles to Houston, Texas, in search of hope and the possibilities offered by this groundbreaking treatment.
Cancer patients from around the world flocked to a Houston oncologist, Philip Salem, who developed a cutting-edge treatment that helps 50 percent of patients achieve complete remission
Salem, 82, combined immunotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy to develop a breakthrough cancer treatment called ICTriplex
Petra, a cancer patient who described the treatment as a miracle, said: “I had a lot of pain at the beginning when I came here and in the first month it had already disappeared.”
Bianca Gurrado, a patient who traveled to Houston from Italy, said she first heard from Dr. Salem learned as her cancer progressed and spread.
“I started therapy in Italy, but unfortunately the results of the therapy were not good, so I found myself in a constant progression of the disease.”
Gurrado, who battled the serious illness for three years, is now in a state of complete remission, Salem said.
Petra, a cancer patient who described the treatment as a miracle, said: “I had a lot of pain at the beginning when I came here and in the first month it had already disappeared.”
The Salem Oncology Center is the only facility that uses the combination of immunotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy to treat advanced cancer, the doctor said.
“We took patients who had been told by the major cancer centers to go home and die, and we achieved a complete response rate of 50 to 60 percent.”
“Zero percent versus 50 percent, that’s an easy choice,” said cancer patient Marco Praagman.
Bianca Gurrado, a patient who traveled to Houston from Italy, said she first heard from Dr. Salem learned as her cancer progressed and spread
Gurrado, who battled the serious illness for three years, is now in a state of complete remission, Salem said
Salem's research on ICTriplex was published in the American Society of Clinical Oncology Journal, one of the most influential journals in the field.
He studied 41 patients with multiple types of cancer, including lung, pancreatic, colon and breast cancer, all of whom were at an advanced stage of progression.
The overall remission rate, which included patients in partial and complete remission, was an impressive 90 percent.
In contrast, conventional treatments typically achieve a remission rate of less than 30 percent, he said.
He told the Houston Chronicle in 2022, “And to our surprise, this combination is proving to be very effective across a wide range of cancer diagnoses. “It's not limited to one diagnosis or to one tumor.”
The breakthrough treatment was more effective in patients with lung and pancreatic cancer, achieving a complete remission rate of 70 percent.
Salem said: “We recommend the treatment as a first line of therapy as it was very effective in the lungs and pancreas.”
“Zero percent versus 50 percent, that’s an easy choice,” said cancer patient Marco Praagman
Salem studied 41 patients with multiple types of cancer, including lung, pancreatic, colon and breast cancer, all of whom were at an advanced stage of progression
The patients are grateful to Salem and recognize him as a beacon of hope in the fight against what is often considered humanity's most difficult disease.
Ellie Moore, who was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer a decade ago, has been in remission since 2019.
“I knew I had to do everything I could to fight, and Dr. Salem assured me that we would not give up,” she said.
“Because I live in Houston, I was able to leave my office to get treatment and then return to work the same day,” she added.
“I love Dr. Salem; “He’s my hero,” Gurrado said with genuine joy.