"Researchers have kept cancer at bay in three patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia by genetically engineering the patients’ own T-cells to recognize leukemia cell antigens, then kill the cancer cells,” Tia Ghose wrote in yesterday’s The Scientist.
In two studies published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine and Science Translational Medicine, the focus is on the T-cells’ stunning success against late-stage leukemia. Two of the patients in the study went into a complete remission, and the third had a partial response.
The treatment could potentially be developed to fight not just leukemia, but other cancers as well. Kerry Sheridan wrote for the AFP yesterday
While it remains unknown how long the treatment may keep cancer at bay, researchers were excited to see that "memory" T-cells remained months after the cancer disappeared, indicating the body is retaining some protection.
The next step is to try the technique in two children and at least 13 adults with CD19-positive leukemia.
They are also looking to determine whether the approach could target non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and acute lymphocytic leukemia, mesothelioma cancer cells, ovarian and pancreatic cancer cells.
By using the body’s own T-cells, mesothelioma treatment based off of the positive leukemia results could mean hope for meso patients who are not good candidates for surgery, or are looking for a treatment that does not cause the severe side effects anyone who has been through chemo or radiation knows all too well.
This is fantastic. Although study co-author David Porter, an oncologist at UPenn, said it is "still too early to say [the patients] have been cured," I'm celebrating anyway.
And as one patient said in a statement to the press: "I'm healthy and still in remission. I know this may not be a permanent condition, but I decided to declare victory."
source: http://urdoctor-info.blogspot.com/2013/10/t-cells-key-to-curing-mesothelioma.html
Post a Comment