JUST over 40 years ago, the US declared war on cancer. Congress expected a swift victory. The National Cancer Act of 1971 declared it 鈥渁 national crusade to be accomplished by 1976鈥�.
Clearly, it didn鈥檛 work out that way. While we have won battles against blood and testicular cancers, for example, we are still a long way from winning the war. The outlook for most patients remains depressingly bleak: diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, remission and, eventually, fatal relapse.
Research earlier this year revealed why. Cancer is a many-headed hydra: it rapidly out-evolves treatments that target specific features of cancer cells (New 女生小视频, 22 June, p 6). Even superficially identical tumours contain many different mutations, making therapy for one type useless against others.
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Armed with this information, researchers are focusing on approaches that stimulate patients鈥� own immune systems to attack their tumour. Unlike drugs, immune systems can evolve as the cancer does, staying one step ahead of new mutations. This is how treatments based on a type of white blood cell called T-cells are curing some cancers, rather than just slowing their advance (see 鈥�Cancer meets its nemesis in reprogrammed blood cells鈥�).
Other immune therapies based on antibodies have also produced impressive outcomes in recent years. But T-cells appear to be even more promising, because they can react to abnormalities inside cancer cells rather than just on their surfaces. That opens up a huge new range of targets to attack.
It is still early days. The cures are limited to a small range of cancers, remain experimental, and are still a long way from the clinic. But they hold great promise. Once we know all cancer鈥檚 major evolutionary escape routes 鈥� and it turns there may be just a few 鈥� it may be possible to block them all off with T-cells or drugs like them.
聯The cures are still experimental and a long way from the clinic, but they hold great promise聰
It would be foolhardy to claim that victory is in sight. Many a promising treatment has fallen by the wayside. But T-cells look like a step change. Cancer researchers are still reluctant to use the c-word. But 鈥渃ure鈥� is starting to be whispered with a shade more conviction.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淏eating the big C鈥�
