Journal: Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals
Date: Sep 19, 2010
Length: 6 pages
Title of Article: Phase II Trial of Dendritic Cells Loaded with Antigens from Self-Renewing, Proliferating Autologous Tumor Cells as Patient-Specific Antitumor Vaccines in Patients with Metastatic Melanoma: Final Report.
Article Summary
Cancer has become one of the most widespread and widely studied diseases of our time. It occurs when cells inside the body acquire a series of mutations that give them the ability to divide uncontrollably. However, such mutations appear in our cells with surprising regularity. The reason that every single human does not end up dying of cancer by their early thirties is the fact that our immune system can spot these mutated cells and kill them before the cancer has a chance to grow. Cancer arises when the immune system fails to react to the mutated cells, allowing them to grow out of control. At first, these cells stay in one area, where we can target them with radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery. However, cancer cells can also metastasize, or spread to other areas of the body, where they are often out of reach of drugs and surgery.
But not out of reach of the immune system. The only problem is that, if the cancer has metastasized, that means that the immune system cannot recognize it as harmful. Researchers at Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian have devised a way to "teach" the patients own immune system to recognize the cells from their particular tumor as enemies in a lab, and then transfer those immune cells back into the patients body so they can fight off the cancer, even if it is out of reach of most traditional therapies. Essentially, the scientist have learned to create a personalized vaccine against the particular tumor in a person's body.
This study is the first to show that a cancer vaccine of this type is sucessful at forcing a cancer that has metastasized into complete remission, not just temporarily improve a patient's condition. However, this study has only tested the therapy in melanoma (a specific type of cancer) patients.
Conclusion/Personal Thoughts
This article is part of a growing trend of studies pioneering the use of our body's own natural defences to fight cancer. It seems that such treatments are clearly within the realm of possiblity, and they are certainly less damaging to the human body than the radiation and chemical treatments that are commonly used today. However, since these treatments are so new, and take advantage of processes that we do not yet fully understand, I am sure that there are also many things that can go wrong with this kind of treatment. For example, the immune system could become accidentally programmed to kill healthy cells, killing the patient as surely as the cancer. I suggest that, because of the dangers and uncertanties involved, this type of therapy only be used on patients who have no other options. We should test the water carefully before jumping in with both feet. But I think that this technology will soon become part of the growing arsenal of weapons we will use to fight cancer in the future.
This is clearly a step in the right direction when it comes to curing cancer. Cancer is so common and dangerous and I am happy to see that people are taking it seriously and trying hard to find cures. Even if this particular vaccine is not effective, it might lead to new discoveries and insights that will help cure this disease.
ReplyDeleteThis seems a reasonable place to begin searching for a cure, and should the cells become corrupt and cause self harm, would at least be limited to that single individual and not cause a widespread epidemic.
ReplyDeleteThis article seems very promising in the quest to find a cure. Instead of making a huge expensive procedure to fight cancer once it has already set in, why not stop it at the source and use what our body already to help fight it.
ReplyDeleteThis is rather brilliant and seems like, if taken in the right direction and fully explored, it could be the miracle solution we've all been waiting for. The biggest problems with Chemotherapy are that it has nasty side-effects associated with the harmful chemicals and radiation, and that it can't always reach the "reserves" of cancerous cells in the body, hence the relapses. This theoretically bypasses both of those issues, and could lead patients on a speedy and potentially painless recovery. It's a win-win in that it has the potential to be very effective and that it would circumvent the pain that both patients and their families go through with chemo.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do agree that it needs to be adequately explored and tested before it's taken any further, as do all drugs and treatments.
The most natural cure for cancer is probably the best, the introduction of harmful substances and radiation is expensive as well as potentially harmful to the cancer victim. I am really glad that new steps are being taken in this direction.
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