Scientists report "extraordinary" success in using patient's own immune cells to fight cancer with two notable studies revealing the therapy's remarkable potential. The revolutionary treatment that can make cancer disappear entirely will soon be available.
T-cell immunotherapy is a type of immunotherapy that uses the body's own T-cells which are white blood cells that fight off viruses and bacteria. These T-cells are removed from the patient's body and genetically modified to recognize and attack cancer.
These newly engineered T-cells are regenerated into an army of immune cells before being infused back in the body of the patient. From there, the cells will hunt down and destroy the specific type of blood cancer.
Researchers and scientists all over the world are trying to perfect the technique as a series of trails have shown great potential. Due to the experimental nature of the treatment, trials have been limited to patients who only have a few months to live or are no longer responsive to other treatments.
A study from the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan suggests that the treatment can last for 14 years in the body, which raises the prospect of it being a permanent cure for cancer. However, cancer cells can remain unnoticed by the body's defenses, which is why researchers acknowledged the need to track how long patients would remain in remission.
"T-cells are a living drug, and in particular, they have the potential to persist in our body for our whole lives," according to hematologist Dr. Chiara Bonini. She also likened the treatment to a vaccine as the cells would patrol the body and stop the disease from ever returning.
"The implication is that infusing genetically-modified versions of these particular T-cells could provide a long-lasting immune response. Immunotherapy has great potential to revolutionize cancer treatments," according to Professor Daniel Davis, an expert on the immune system from Manchester University. David said that the treatment is 'an important advance."
In another promising study, about 35 leukemia patients were treated with genetically modified T-cells with only months to live. While symptoms could reappear, cancer disappeared in 94 percent of the terminally ill patients reinforcing the potential of the treatment.
Patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma saw a rate of 80 percent disappearance in the same study conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. More than half patients with lymphoma also went to complete remission from the treatment, according to Daily Mail.
Both studies were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world's biggest science conference, according to The Guardian. However, the treatment can only be used in "liquid cancers" such as leukemia compared to tumors that come in solid form.
