Everyone is connected to cancer in some way. We all know someone who has or had cancer, a friend or family member, or we know someone who knows someone. According to the American Cancer Society, more the one million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. It is a frightening diagnosis. However, every year, there is more research, more knowledge and better treatments. In fact, there are breakthroughs in treatment and preventive care every single day.
What Is Immunotherapy?
One such breakthrough that is getting a lot of attention is immunotherapy. Cancer grows as cells that the body does not attack because it does not recognize them as being foreign. If you think about bacteria for example, the body’s immune system fights it with fevers and other mechanisms. The body does not fight cancer on its own. Immunotherapy is recognized right now as a way to suppress the immune system for disease such as Rheumatoid Arthritis where the body attacks its own immune system. Immunotherapy for cancer is different in that it activates the immune system to fight the cancerous cells. This research is being done on a number of different types of cancer.
Breast cancer is one of the big cancers for which immunotherapy is being researched and trialed, especially what is called triple negative breast cancer. This very aggressive form of cancer is unresponsive to most of the major treatments. Other news for breast cancer is genetic testing of the tumors to find out if they will respond to chemotherapy. This research has spared over 1,000 women from unnecessary chemotherapy. If chemotherapy is determined to be helpful, there is a study showing that in certain breast cancer types (the HER2+ mutation), less chemotherapy is needed than previous dosage recommendations.
Vaccine as Treatment
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that starts in the white blood cells called lymphocytes. There are two types: Non-Hodgkins and Hodgkins lymphoma. Scientists are working on using genetics to understand how changes in DNA cause normal lymphocytes to become cancerous. This research can then be used to identify changes earlier, identify specific mutations and target treatments accordingly. A clinical trial is underway to use another form of immunotherapy, in this case a vaccine that activates the immune system. For lymphoma, the vaccine would be a treatment and not a preventative method.
Bone marrow transplants are a common way to treat lymphomas. Generally the bone marrow is donated from a person with the correct match. This does not work perfectly and the recipient must then take strong medications to reduce the chances of rejecting the donor bone marrow. Research is being done to work on taking a patient’s own bone marrow and “clean” it of the cancerous lymphocytes and then inject it back into the patient. In the past, the lymphoma has not been completely eradicated and has a chance of recurring. Current research is working to fix this and this treatment would be considered a form of immunotherapy as well.
Is T Cell Transfer the Answer?
Ovarian cancer is sometimes referred to as a silent killer because by the time the cancer is causing symptoms, it is at a very advanced stage. Research and new breakthroughs in this type of cancer can have enormous positive effects since the earlier any type of cancer is caught, the better the outcome. It is well known that a lot of research has gone into the BRCA genes and aggressive preventative measures are being taken if mutations are found. However, not everyone who gets ovarian cancer has the familial genetic mutation. DNA screening is being used to target ovarian cancers that will or will not respond to certain chemotherapies. As with breast cancer and other recent discoveries, many women are saved from unnecessary treatments. Doctors have a better understanding about which treatments are the best options for an individual’s specific situation.
As with the cancers mentioned above, ovarian cancer is another of the cancers being targeted in the immunotherapy research. One such trial is called adoptive T cell transfer. After removing T cells from a patient’s blood, the cells are genetically modified and treated with medications. They are then injected back into the patient. A second method is called oncolytic virus therapy which uses modified viruses causing tumors to self destruct and at the same time providing a better immune response against the cancer.
With all of the cancer research on the horizon entering clinical trials and becoming standard treatments, people affected by cancer can hope for a brighter outlook. With immunotherapy and other innovative treatments entering the picture, there will come a day when the need for matching donors and toxic medications is lessened.
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