Posted on 10/05/2025 9:07:29 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
A team of researchers explored the cellular and molecular interactions revealing how lymph nodes play a crucial role in the fight against chronic infection and cancer.
The research showed that lymph nodes provide the right environment for stem-like T cells, an important type of immune cell, to survive, multiply and produce killer cells that can fight cancer or viruses.
In other immune organs, such as the spleen, these cells don't develop or proliferate as effectively, making lymph nodes essential for a strong immune response and successful immunotherapy.
Professor Axel Kallies said the findings have important implications for cancer therapy.
"Lymph nodes aren't just passive waiting rooms for immune cells, they actively train and educate T cells, and send them off to do their job," said Professor Kallies.
"Our research suggests that removing lymph nodes during cancer surgery, a common practice to prevent tumor spread, may inadvertently reduce the effectiveness of treatments, such as checkpoint blockade and CAR T cell therapies. Preserving lymph nodes could strengthen immune responses and increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy."
This work may also help explain why some patients respond better to immunotherapy than others. The state and function of lymph nodes influence how well the immune system can produce cancer-fighting T cells, directly impacting the success of immunotherapy.
Dr. Carlson Tsui, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Doherty Institute and first author of one of the papers, said the findings could help to develop new strategies to make immunotherapy more effective.
"Furthermore, our research shows that rather than only focusing on the tumor itself, therapies should also be designed to preserve and enhance lymph node function. By targeting these critical immune hubs, we could boost the body's natural ability to fight cancer, increase the effectiveness of existing immunotherapies and help more patients respond to treatment."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Gosh - I thought that was common knowledge....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.