A new breakthrough in cancer
treatment has shown astonishing result in the treatment of blood cancer. T-Cell Therapy uses the body’s own immune
system cells to attack tumors that have spread in in the body. T-Cells are a
type of white blood cells that are engineered in the laboratory to identify and
attack tumorous cells. Many scientist are testing many kind of T-Cell therapy
using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to target the disease.
Trials of CAR T cells in adults
and children with leukemia and lymphoma have used T cells engineered to target
the CD19 antigen, which is present on the surface of nearly all B cells, both
normal and cancerous. Nineteen of the 27 patients with complete responses have
remained in remission with 15 of these patients receiving no further therapy
and 4 patients withdrawing from the trial to receive other therapy. According
to the most recent data from a POB trial that included children with ALL,
14 of 20 patients had a complete response. And of the 12 patients who had no evidence
of leukemic cells, called blasts, in their bone marrow after CAR T-cell
treatment, 10 have gone on to receive a stem cell transplant and remain cancer
free.
Even though the results of this
therapy have been over all positive, the summary of results discussed at the
American Association of the Advancement of Science annual meeting have not been
published. There is still a debate of whether or not this is a therapy that
should be provided to patients and the repercussions that this therapy may
have. Some specialist urged caution over early trial of T-Cell therapy saying
that some patients experienced toxic side effects. However, improvement has
been seen in patients that have failed at other treatments.
Research are still being conducted
to see more results of this therapies. But if this works, I wonder if these
cells can be adapted to treat other cancers.
Yerkely Gomez (1)
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