One-year-old Rihanna Plaza might be one of the tiniest pioneers in the world of cancer treatment. The connecticut girl was born with a rare type of tumor on the outside of her arm. My whole world fell apart. I was like, oh my god, like why did it have to be my daughter? Chemotherapy didn't work and doctors said they would have to amputate. Then they tried an experimental drug. Within three days, something amazing happened. The tumor started to shrink. The mass went down drastically and we're like, wow this stuff is something else.
This week the FDA approved that drug. The first to treat at least 12 types of cancer that all have the same specific tumor mutation, including breast, lung and colon. It works regardless of where the cancer came from as long as it has this specific mutation. A small number of tumors have this mutation, less than 1%. But those that have been successfully treated with the drug have seen astounding results, including Derek Laurie. Treated for a rare stage for cancer that spread throughout his body. Within a week of taking the drug. The tumors, these black dots started to disappear. For patients that have this mutation it is a revolution. We got a scan just last month and everything is clear. It's exciting to us, you know. A drug opening up a new frontier. The doctors believe could help many more patients in the future. So Lester, genetic testing of tumors is not routine, so if your loved one has a cancer that's not responding to treatment, you should ask your doctor about getting a test to see if this therapy might work for you. It's pretty, pretty attention-getting. It's very amazing. All right, doctor thanks.