Author: admin

The consumer watchdog has been asked to look at airline fare structures after Republic of Ireland soccer fans were hit with exorbitant price increases for a World Cup play-off.

Fine Gael Senator Mark Duffy confirmed he has written to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) highlighting surges in prices for flights to Prague around the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifier play-off against Czechia on March 26th, 2026.

In the letter to the CCPC, Senator Duffy highlighted the unfairness of dynamic pricing in situations where loyal fans are trying to follow their team:

“Within hours of the draw which confirmed Ireland must travel to Czechia on March 26th, the cost of Ryanair flights surged to €900 return. I fully appreciate that Ryanair operate in a supply and demand environment but ultimately this form of dynamic pricing is grossly unfair and is just taking advantage of loyal Irish fans desperate to follow their team.”

He stressed that while dynamic pricing may not be illegal, it leaves consumers exposed to predatory practices when demand is at its peak:

“Carriers are entitled to operate profitably but there is an onus on the CCPC to ensure that adequate consumer protections are in place. Given the extent of the price inflation I am calling on the CCPC to undertake a full review of these pricing practices to ensure that Irish consumers are not being exposed to unfair price gouging.”

Senator Duffy also acknowledged Ryanair’s long-standing role in supporting Irish sport but insisted protections must be strengthened:

“Ryanair is a fantastic company that has benefitted the sporting public hugely over many years, but it is crucial proper protections are in place to ensure that passengers are not left exposed.”

Gastric cancer, also known as stomach cancer, remains a serious global health problem. While surgery, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies continue to play a central role, outcomes for advanced gastric cancer were historically limited. Over the past decade—and especially by 2025—immunotherapy has become an important part of treatment for selected patients, improving survival and offering durable benefit for some.

Understanding the immunotherapy success rate for gastric cancer can be challenging. Immunotherapy does not work the same way as chemotherapy, and its benefits depend strongly on tumor biology, biomarkers, and treatment setting. This article explains how immunotherapy is used in gastric cancer today, what clinical studies show, who benefits most, and what patients should realistically expect in 2025.

Read About Stomach Cancer on OncoDaily

How Immunotherapy Works in Gastric Cancer

Immunotherapy drugs used in gastric cancer are mainly immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as pembrolizumab and nivolumab. These drugs block immune “brakes” like PD-1 or PD-L1, which cancer cells use to hide from the immune system. By releasing these brakes, immunotherapy allows immune cells to recognize and attack cancer more effectively (Fuchs et al., 2018).

In gastric cancer, immunotherapy is most commonly used in advanced or metastatic disease, either alone in selected patients or, increasingly, in combination with chemotherapy as first-line treatment (Janjigian et al., 2021).

What “Success Rate” Means for Patients

When patients ask about the immunotherapy success rate for gastric cancer, doctors consider more than just tumor shrinkage. Success may include:

• Tumor response (shrinkage seen on scans)
• Disease control (cancer stops growing)
• Longer overall survival
• Durable benefit lasting months or years
• Improved quality of life compared with chemotherapy alone

Because immunotherapy works through the immune system, responses may take time and are not seen in all patients.

What Clinical Trials Show About Success Rates

Later-Line Immunotherapy

Early trials established the role of immunotherapy after chemotherapy. In the ATTRACTION-2 study, nivolumab improved overall survival compared with placebo in heavily pretreated patients, with an overall response rate of about 11% and long-lasting responses in some individuals (Kang et al., 2017).

Similarly, the KEYNOTE-059 trial showed that pembrolizumab produced responses in approximately 15% of previously treated patients, with higher response rates in tumors expressing PD-L1 (Fuchs et al., 2018).

First-Line Immunotherapy Plus Chemotherapy

By 2025, the biggest impact of immunotherapy in gastric cancer has come from first-line combination therapy. The CheckMate 649 trial demonstrated that nivolumab plus chemotherapy significantly improved overall survival compared with chemotherapy alone, especially in patients with PD-L1 combined positive score (CPS) ≥5 (Janjigian et al., 2021).

In these studies, response rates exceeded 40%, compared with roughly 25–30% with chemotherapy alone. Importantly, survival improvements were seen even when tumors did not shrink dramatically, highlighting the immune-mediated benefit.

HER2-Positive Gastric Cancer

For patients with HER2-positive gastric cancer, the addition of pembrolizumab to trastuzumab and chemotherapy further improved outcomes. In KEYNOTE-811, response rates reached over 70%, leading to regulatory approvals and changing first-line standards of care (Janjigian et al., 2023).

The MATTERHORN Trial

The MATTERHORN trial is one of the most important studies influencing the immunotherapy success rate for gastric cancer in 2025. Unlike earlier trials focused on advanced disease, MATTERHORN evaluated immunotherapy in resectable stage II–III gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer, where the goal is cure.

In this Phase III study, durvalumab was added to standard perioperative FLOT chemotherapy given before and after surgery. The trial showed a significantly higher pathologic complete response rate, meaning more patients had no remaining cancer at the time of surgery compared with chemotherapy alone (Janjigian et al., 2024). Durvalumab also improved event-free survival, reducing the risk of recurrence after surgery.

While overall survival data are still maturing, these findings suggest that immunotherapy can increase the chance of long-term remission when used earlier in treatment. Benefits were seen across patient groups, with greater effects in PD-L1–positive tumors.

For patients diagnosed in 2025, MATTERHORN shows that immunotherapy success in gastric cancer is no longer limited to metastatic disease and may play an important role in curative-intent treatment strategies.

Read About MATTERHORN Trial on OncoDaily

Who Benefits Most From Immunotherapy in 2025

Not all patients benefit equally from immunotherapy. Key factors that influence success include:

PD-L1 Expression: Patients with higher PD-L1 CPS scores generally have better outcomes with immunotherapy, particularly when combined with chemotherapy (Janjigian et al., 2021).

MSI-H / dMMR Tumors: A small percentage of gastric cancers are microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H). These tumors are highly responsive to immunotherapy, with response rates often exceeding 50% and very durable benefit (Le et al., 2017).

Treatment Setting: Immunotherapy works best when used earlier in the disease course, particularly in first-line combination regimens rather than as a last resort.

Real-World Outcomes and Durability

Real-world data now support what clinical trials showed: although only a subset of patients respond, those who do may experience long-term disease control. Some patients remain progression-free for years, which was rarely seen with chemotherapy alone.

Equally important, many patients report better tolerability and preserved quality of life compared with prolonged chemotherapy, especially after the initial treatment period.

Side Effects: What Patients Should Expect

Immunotherapy is generally better tolerated than chemotherapy, but side effects can occur. These are caused by immune activation and may include fatigue, skin rash, diarrhea, thyroid changes, or inflammation of organs such as the lungs or liver. Most side effects are manageable when detected early, and oncology teams monitor patients closely throughout treatment (Postow et al., 2018).

What Patients Should Know in 2025

By 2025, immunotherapy is no longer experimental in gastric cancer—it is part of standard care for many patients. However, it is not a one-size-fits-all treatment. Biomarker testing, including PD-L1 and MSI status, is essential to guide decisions. Combination approaches are now preferred in most first-line settings, and clinical trials continue to explore new combinations and earlier use.

Patients should feel empowered to ask their oncologist how the immunotherapy success rate for gastric cancer applies to their specific diagnosis and what factors may influence their chance of benefit.

Key Takeaway for Patients

Immunotherapy has meaningfully improved outcomes for gastric cancer, particularly when combined with chemotherapy or used in biomarker-selected patients. While it is not a cure for most, it offers longer survival, durable responses, and improved quality of life for many. In 2025, immunotherapy represents one of the most important advances in gastric cancer treatment, and understanding who benefits most is key to making informed care decisions.

You Can Watch More on OncoDaily Youtube TV

Written by Armen Gevorgyan, MD

In the economic gloom of Labour’s first year in power, Rachel Reeves has had a reliable shred of comfort to cling to: five times since the general election, the Bank of England has cut interest rates.

This week, in all likelihood, the chancellor will get a sixth to shout about, as Threadneedle Street prepares to reduce borrowing costs in an early Christmas present that will be seized upon by the Treasury.

The view in the City is that a festive cut on Thursday is odds-on. After last week’s disappointing October growth figures, the jobs market and consumer prices data due out on Tuesday and Wednesday – before the rates decision – are expected to confirm that inflationary pressures in the UK economy are fading.

But while a cut will be good news for businesses, mortgage borrowers and the beleaguered occupants of Downing Street, attention will quickly shift to the prospects for 2026. How many more times could the central bank come to the chancellor’s rescue? Here things are a bit more complicated.

That Britain’s economy is in the doldrums should hardly come as a surprise. Continual tax speculation has sapped business confidence and household spending, while Reeves’s increase in employer national insurance contributions has played a part in UK unemployment hitting the highest levels since 2021, during the height of the Covid pandemic.

Celebrating a rate cut, in this context, is akin to an arsonist cheering the arrival of the fire brigade.

There are, though, factors beyond Reeves’s control. Not least the dire state Britain’s economy was left in by the Conservative party, and Donald Trump’s damaging tariff war.

The Bank has also played a role. Borrowers have been singed by three years of punitively high interest rates set in deeply restrictive territory. The policy is the central banker’s main tool for combating inflation as it chokes off demand by incentivising saving and discouraging spending.

After the inflation shock triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Threadneedle Street argues it had little choice but to act. But the growth trade-off is clear. Even after successive rate cuts, the Bank’s own analysis shows the base rate continues to subtract about 2% from the level of GDP.

Bank rate chart

Anyone who has remortgaged their home since 2022 knows this first-hand. And despite progress since the Liz Truss debacle, millions of borrowers still face substantially higher loan repayments – and will continue to do so for years to come. That is hardly going to light a match under the UK’s consumption-driven economy.

This week the Bank’s policymakers are expected to be split on the appropriate way forward. Some on the nine-strong monetary policy committee (MPC) recognise the damage rates are doing at a time when inflation is cooling. Others think a tough approach is warranted to snuff out price rises.

Andrew Bailey is expected to hold the casting vote. The Bank’s governor has suggested he thinks inflation is more likely to fall back than stick at stubbornly high levels – paving the way for a quarter-point cut on Thursday.

Next year, however, it is tougher to anticipate how the MPC will respond. Policymakers are likely to remain divided on the inflation outlook and the “neutral” position for rates – the point at which they are neither stoking nor hosing down economic activity.

Reeves’s budget measures – including relief on energy bills, fuel duty, rail fares and prescription charges – could support the case for deeper cuts. The Bank predicts the policies could slash headline inflation by up to 0.5 percentage points by the middle of 2026.

All of this was part of a deliberate strategy inside the Treasury in the hope voters give credit to Labour for lower mortgage costs. Government borrowing costs could also fall back, unpicking some of the factors behind the recent years of fiscal drama in Westminster.

However, many economists warn the reprieve could be temporary.

Much of the disinflationary impulse will be in energy prices, and do little to help Britain’s issues with sticky service sector inflation. Other areas of government policy could also push in the wrong direction.

Business leaders warn a higher minimum wage, business rates, and other tax increases will drive up their costs – resulting in companies putting up prices for their customers, in turn stoking inflation.

That said, some of the factors the hawks are betting on look shaky.

Business costs are rising but hardly at breakneck speed. At 4.1%, the rise in the minimum wage from April is significantly below that in previous years – particularly when set against the context of 2022, when Jeremy Hunt ignored misplaced warnings about a wage-price spiral and increased the legal pay floor by 9.7% from April 2023.

By the time we get to spring, there should be signs that inflation is undershooting, and wage growth is slowing. The economy will probably still be lacking momentum. Household confidence may be picking up, and companies will probably lack the pricing power to push through yet more increases.

All of this means Reeves could see more rate cuts from the Bank.