Immunotherepy for cancer is relatively new but limited successes have been impressive. The key discovery is that cancer cells which should be detected as foreign and destroyed naturally have evolved tricks used by native cells to suppress the activation of the immune system. Checkpoint blockade inhibitors are drugs that defeat this trick and let the T-cells go to work. The problem is that it requires a delicate balance and if the drugs are too effective they can produce a deadly autoimmune response when the body attacks its own cells as well. Early human trial volunteers actually paid with their lives before this balance was determined.
What this research indicates is that for some tumors just releasing the brakes isn’t enought to activate T-cells. They need an additional chemical signal to go into action. If this signal is isolated to just tumor cells it will kill the disease and leave the healthy cells alone.
Very interesting... :)
Something to do with blood flow too. I remember some show on PBS, I think. The cancer “blob” was actually controlling and diverting the blood flow to itself. Otherwise, its growth was limited by the nutrients that it was getting. Not the immune system solution but a way to limit its growth so that other treatments could be applied in time.
Also, metastasizing is what kills people. Well, the chances of survival are less if it spreads. Contain it and the patient’s chances of survival increases.
The problem is there are very significant side effects to the immune checkpoint inhibitors that can be fatal and cause people to stop therapy in about 25% of cases. They are miracle drugs if they work but can cause a lot of problems as well. Side effects can show up even after therapy is stopped. This is the most promising treatment for cancer but a lot of work remains to be done