Experimental Cancer [treatment] Wipes Out Tumors In Mouse Trial
""
A new study, courtesy of a team led by Stanford Medicine (SM), places its bets on immunotherapy, a rapidly growing field that – unlike conventional chemotherapy – triggers the patient’s own immune system to deal with the cancer itself. Generally speaking, immunotherapy is more precise, whereas chemotherapy targets cells somewhat indiscriminately.
As with plenty of immunotherapy investigations, the focus here was on stimulating the body’s T cells. These are lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that plays a huge role in dealing with infections. They come in two flavors, helpers and killers, with the former assisting in the development of antibodies – the “handcuffs” that pin pathogens down – and the latter actually annihilating damaged or infected cells.
These T cells are excellent at spotting and dealing with abnormal cells, but they have some difficulty when it comes to cancerous cells. As they’re corrupted versions of our own cells, this means that they’re somewhat camouflaged. Even when the T cells do recognize the growing threat, they are often unable to destroy it as it proliferates through the body.
...
In 90 mice infected with lymphoma – a cancer of the immune system – 87 of them were completely cured. The cancer did return in three of the cured mice, but a second round of treatment put that insurrection to an end.
“Studies that work well in mice do not guarantee success in human patients, though the fact that each of the two individual treatments used in this study are currently in clinical trials – and that they are now recruiting for the first human trials – is encouraging.”
Additionally, “not all tumors will be accessible for injection – many tumors require surgery first,” Eckert added. However, she suggests that “if this treatment is used alongside surgery and this can prevent secondary tumors or metastases from forming, then we could greatly improve life expectancy and/or cure rates for patients.”
""
""
A new study, courtesy of a team led by Stanford Medicine (SM), places its bets on immunotherapy, a rapidly growing field that – unlike conventional chemotherapy – triggers the patient’s own immune system to deal with the cancer itself. Generally speaking, immunotherapy is more precise, whereas chemotherapy targets cells somewhat indiscriminately.
As with plenty of immunotherapy investigations, the focus here was on stimulating the body’s T cells. These are lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that plays a huge role in dealing with infections. They come in two flavors, helpers and killers, with the former assisting in the development of antibodies – the “handcuffs” that pin pathogens down – and the latter actually annihilating damaged or infected cells.
These T cells are excellent at spotting and dealing with abnormal cells, but they have some difficulty when it comes to cancerous cells. As they’re corrupted versions of our own cells, this means that they’re somewhat camouflaged. Even when the T cells do recognize the growing threat, they are often unable to destroy it as it proliferates through the body.
...
In 90 mice infected with lymphoma – a cancer of the immune system – 87 of them were completely cured. The cancer did return in three of the cured mice, but a second round of treatment put that insurrection to an end.
“Studies that work well in mice do not guarantee success in human patients, though the fact that each of the two individual treatments used in this study are currently in clinical trials – and that they are now recruiting for the first human trials – is encouraging.”
Additionally, “not all tumors will be accessible for injection – many tumors require surgery first,” Eckert added. However, she suggests that “if this treatment is used alongside surgery and this can prevent secondary tumors or metastases from forming, then we could greatly improve life expectancy and/or cure rates for patients.”
""
