Scientists are testing a new technique to fight cancer "train" blood cells learn to attack tumors.
The procedure is being studied by researchers at the Cancer Institute Dana-Farber, Boston, USA.
involves taking a blood sample from the patient, remove the lymphocytes (a type of white blood cells) and "convincing" in the laboratory for memorize and learn how to fight cancer cells.
Subsequently, these cells "educated", called T-tumor, is injected into the patient again and begin to hunt and destroy cancer cells.
As expressed by researchers in the journal Science Translational Medicine (Translational Medicine), preliminary tests showed that T cells were able to stay in the bloodstream for more than a year.
And in some cases, they say, there was no need to refer patients to other cancer treatments, which are highly toxic.
antitumor T cells in the laboratory trained can induce long-term anti-cancer effects. The dream is that we create a pool of anti-tumor T cells can be generated quickly for the patient, "Dr. Marcus Butler
, Dana-Farber Institute
Long-term effects
experimental technique is being tested in several patients from different countries. And scientists hope that, if proven results, could be available as a treatment in the clinic in about five years.
In the investigation of Dana-Farber Institute, part of Harvard University, participated nine people with melanoma, the deadliest form of cancer skin.
All were in advanced stages of the disease, and the tumor had spread from the skin to other organs.
If caught early, melanoma can usually be cured. But when it spread to other parts of the body, patients rarely survive more than a year.
experimental therapy did not stop the spread of cancer in most patients studied. But one did manage to shrink the tumor and, as researchers say, two years later, he was not in the scanners.
These are only preliminary studies of therapy and still need to test it on a larger number people.
But as the BBC said Dr. Marcus Butler, who led the study, the finding raises the possibility that such treatment may one day be offered to cancer patients.
immunotherapy is being tested with hundreds of patients worldwide
Immunotherapy
The approach, known as adoptive T cell therapy, has only been tested with several hundred people in the world.
One obstacle that presents itself is that the cells tend to disappear rapidly when injected into the patient.
But research Dana-Farber Institute showed that the life of these cells can be extended to prepare in the laboratory with an artificial version of cells found naturally in the immune system.
These cells will "inform" the system that the cancer is present and needs to be destroyed.
According to Dr. Naoto Hirano, another author of the study, the next step will be to study the treatment with other therapies that may increase the number and effectiveness of T cells
"We will begin a series of clinical trials are investigating combinations that work best for patients, "he explains. It's
only one of several investigations being conducted in several countries on these immunotherapy treatments, which, according to experts, are very promising in the fight against cancer.
According to Dr Laura Bell, of the British charity Cancer Research UK, "immunotherapy is a very interesting area of \u200b\u200bcancer research, designed to exploit the power of the body's own immune system to fight cancer."
"The results of laboratory studies in this field are now beginning to be reflected in the clinic, and we will be following your progress with great interest," added the expert.
Source: BBC World
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