In:
eLife, eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd, Vol. 5 ( 2016-11-18)
Abstract:
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that is particularly difficult to treat. A new approach that has shown a lot of promise in treating many different cancers, including melanoma, is called “immunotherapy”. This technique harnesses the immune system – the body’s natural defences that help to protect against infections and disease – to combat cancer. One powerful type of immunotherapy involves injecting patients with cells called lymphocytes, which form part of the immune system. This is known as adoptive cell therapy and can activate the immune system to fight cancer, helping to shrink tumors. This treatment can be made even more powerful by combining it with a drug called cyclophosphamide and this combination, known as CTX-ACT, is currently one of the most efficient treatments for melanoma. Yet, little information is available to indicate why this treatment is so effective. Using mice implanted with melanoma cells, Qi, Li et al. sought to understand how CTX-ACT treatment works, with the goal of optimising it to increase its success. The results showed that a protective barrier of immune cells that suppresses the anti-tumor immune response – called an “immunosuppressive ring” – surrounds untreated tumors. CTX-ACT treatment can breakdown these rings, helping to reactivate the anti-tumor immune reaction in the tumors. This allows both the injected and mouse’s own immune cells to move into the tumor and destroy cancer cells. Qi, Li et al. used their findings to optimise treatment and succeeded in controlling tumor growth in the mice for several weeks. These new insights could be used to improve current immunotherapies, and offer new approaches for investigating the involvement of immune cells in the treatment of a wide range of different cancers.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2050-084X
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.14756.001
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10.7554/eLife.14756.002
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10.7554/eLife.14756.003
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10.7554/eLife.14756.004
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10.7554/eLife.14756.073
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10.7554/eLife.14756.074
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10.7554/eLife.14756.069
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10.7554/eLife.14756.070
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10.7554/eLife.14756.071
DOI:
10.7554/eLife.14756.072
Language:
English
Publisher:
eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd
Publication Date:
2016
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2687154-3
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