Tuesday, December 06, 2016 5:29:35 PM
Cancer study: Immunotherapy before surgery could dramatically improve cancer survival rates
.. when asked, in an interview i was lucky to catch yesterday, 'why did you think of giving the drug before removing
the tumor?. the good doctor said, ' we just thought we would try treatment in a different order .. pretty cool, eh ..
Updated yesterday at 11:49am
Michele Teng Mouse
Photo: Dr Michele Teng from QIMR says the finding could lead to widespread changes in
oncology practices. (ABC News: Melinda Howells)
Reversing the order of treatment for patients with certain cancers could increase survival
rates by up to 60 per cent, Queensland scientists have found during an experiment on mice.
this one may not work
GIF: Triple breast cancer cells
Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute trialled giving immunotherapy drugs to mice with breast cancer before surgery, rather than after.
Survival rates are usually very low, but about half of the mice treated in this order were cured.
Dr Michele Teng, who led the study, said if they results were replicated in humans it could lead to widespread changes in oncology practices.
"To our surprise, when we gave mice a combination of two immunotherapy drugs before surgery, between 40 and 60 per cent were cured of triple-negative breast cancer," she said.
"It appears that this therapy destroyed any cancer cells that had spread to other parts of the body and stopped the cancer from returning."
Treatment creates 'SAS officers' to destroy cancer
In the past five years, immunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of some cancers.
It has been shown to be effective against 15 types, such as melanoma and kidney cancer.
It works by activating a patient's immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells.
The QIMR Berghofer researchers found the mice that received immunotherapy before surgery had higher levels of an immune cell known as tumour-specific T cells, which destroy cancer cells.
Furthermore, the T cells were found to be better quality and lasted a long time, preventing the cancer's return.
"Giving these drugs while the primary tumour is present not only increases the number of soldiers
fighting the battle, but also turns them from regular fighters to SAS officers," Dr Teng said.
The next step is for the researchers to understand in more detail why giving immunotherapy before surgery led to better survival rates in mice and whether this could also apply to other cancers.
Photo: Malignant breast cancer cells, with the cancer killing about half a million people worldwide
a year. (Supplied)
More articles inside .. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-06/cancer-study-immunology-before-surgery-boost-survival-in-mice/8095214
This one on a quick look i don't think includes the above breakthrough which i guess is a newer development.
Harnessing the Immune System to Fight Cancer
New drugs and methods of altering a patient’s own immune cells are helping
some cancer patients — but not all — even when standard treatments fail.
By DENISE GRADYJULY 30, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/health/harnessing-the-immune-system-to-fight-cancer.html?_r=0
.. when asked, in an interview i was lucky to catch yesterday, 'why did you think of giving the drug before removing
the tumor?. the good doctor said, ' we just thought we would try treatment in a different order .. pretty cool, eh ..
Updated yesterday at 11:49am
Michele Teng Mouse
Photo: Dr Michele Teng from QIMR says the finding could lead to widespread changes in
oncology practices. (ABC News: Melinda Howells)
Reversing the order of treatment for patients with certain cancers could increase survival
rates by up to 60 per cent, Queensland scientists have found during an experiment on mice.
this one may not work
GIF: Triple breast cancer cells
Researchers at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute trialled giving immunotherapy drugs to mice with breast cancer before surgery, rather than after.
Survival rates are usually very low, but about half of the mice treated in this order were cured.
Dr Michele Teng, who led the study, said if they results were replicated in humans it could lead to widespread changes in oncology practices.
"To our surprise, when we gave mice a combination of two immunotherapy drugs before surgery, between 40 and 60 per cent were cured of triple-negative breast cancer," she said.
"It appears that this therapy destroyed any cancer cells that had spread to other parts of the body and stopped the cancer from returning."
Treatment creates 'SAS officers' to destroy cancer
In the past five years, immunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of some cancers.
It has been shown to be effective against 15 types, such as melanoma and kidney cancer.
It works by activating a patient's immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells.
The QIMR Berghofer researchers found the mice that received immunotherapy before surgery had higher levels of an immune cell known as tumour-specific T cells, which destroy cancer cells.
Furthermore, the T cells were found to be better quality and lasted a long time, preventing the cancer's return.
"Giving these drugs while the primary tumour is present not only increases the number of soldiers
fighting the battle, but also turns them from regular fighters to SAS officers," Dr Teng said.
The next step is for the researchers to understand in more detail why giving immunotherapy before surgery led to better survival rates in mice and whether this could also apply to other cancers.
Photo: Malignant breast cancer cells, with the cancer killing about half a million people worldwide
a year. (Supplied)
More articles inside .. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-06/cancer-study-immunology-before-surgery-boost-survival-in-mice/8095214
This one on a quick look i don't think includes the above breakthrough which i guess is a newer development.
Harnessing the Immune System to Fight Cancer
New drugs and methods of altering a patient’s own immune cells are helping
some cancer patients — but not all — even when standard treatments fail.
By DENISE GRADYJULY 30, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/health/harnessing-the-immune-system-to-fight-cancer.html?_r=0
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”
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