{"id":1600,"date":"2018-12-25T01:11:04","date_gmt":"2018-12-24T23:11:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/my-immunity.com\/staging\/?p=1600"},"modified":"2018-12-25T01:15:45","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T23:15:45","slug":"immunotherapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/my-immunity.com\/staging\/immunotherapy.html","title":{"rendered":"Immunotherapy – the next generation of cancer treatment"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Immunotherapy vs. Conventional therapy (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The economic cost of cancer reached $1.2 trillion in 2010, according to the World Health Organization. Despite the investment in treatment and prevention, 8.8 million people died of cancer in 2015. In 2018, more than 1.7 million just in the U.S. will develop a tumor for the first time, and nearly 600,000 people will be killed by cancer. That number is projected to increase to 14.6 million in 2035.<\/p>\n

After many years of disappointing results, the tide has finally changed and immunotherapy has become a clinically validated treatment for many cancers. Immunotherapeutic strategies include cancer vaccines, oncolytic viruses, adoptive transfer of ex vivo activated T and natural killer cells, and administration of antibodies or recombinant proteins that either costimulate cells or block the so-called immune checkpoint pathways, natural compounds. \u00a0Cancer immunotherapy is an emerging branch of medicine<\/a> that calls on our immune systems to act as intermediaries in the battle against a tumor<\/p>\n

World press about immunotherapy:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1.) https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/health\/breast-cancer-cure-tcell-immunotherapy-tumour-treatment-disease-world-first-a8382806.html<\/a>
\nWoman cured of advanced breast cancer using own immune cells in \u2018exciting\u2019 global first<\/strong><\/p>\n

2.) https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/d9d91a4c-cece-11e7-947e-f1ea5435bcc7<\/a>
\nImmunotherapy: beyond melanoma and lung cancer treatment<\/p>\n

3.) https:\/\/www.nature.com\/subjects\/cancer-immunotherapy<\/a>
\nCancer immunotherapy<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Background<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The idea of exploiting the host\u2019s immune system to treat cancer dates back decades and relies on the insight that the immune system can eliminate malignant cells during initial transformation in a process termed immune surveillance .\u00a0 Cancer develops through a combination of genetic and epigenetic changes<\/strong> when the body\u2019s immune system fails to attack tumor cells, even though they are growing out of control facilitating immortality,<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, although the immune system is capable of noticing differences in protein structure at the atomic level, cancer cells manage to escape immune recognition and subsequent destruction. To achieve this, tumors develop multiple resistance mechanisms, including local immune evasion, induction of tolerance, and systemic disruption of T cell signaling. Scientists have known for decades that cancer cells are particularly efficient at suppressing the body\u2019s natural immune response, which is why most treatments exploit other means, such as surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, to eliminate neoplastic cells.\u00a0 James Allison<\/strong>, PhD<\/strong>, Chair of Immunology and Executive Director of the Immunotherapy Platform at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has been awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for launching an effective new way to attack cancer by treating the immune system rather than the tumor.<\/strong>\u00a0 James Allison \u00a0and Tasuku Honjo of Kyoto University in Japan each discovered ways to remove the immune system\u2019s \u201cbrakes\u201d that prevent it from attacking tumor cells. Dr. Allison identified a checkpoint called CTLA-4. Dr. Honjo found a different one, called PD-1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Honjo’s research showed that the protein PD-1 (Programmed cell death protein 1), similar to CTLA-4 functions as a T-cell brake.<\/p>\n

\"T-lymphocite\"

Scanning electron micrograph of a human T lymphocyte (also called a T cell) from the immune system of a healthy donor. (Image: NIAID)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

James Allison studied a known protein that functions as a brake on the immune system. He realized the potential of releasing the brake and thereby letting our immune cells to attack tumors,\u201d\u00a0 They identified a key receptor on the surface of T cells that they called cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4, or CTLA-4<\/strong>. Allison and others found that the T- cells carry molecules called checkpoints<\/strong>, that the body uses to shut the cells down when it needs to stop them. Cancer cells can lock those checkpoints<\/strong>, preventing them from fighting the disease.They wondered whether blocking the blocker<\/strong>\u2014the CTLA-4 molecule\u2014would set the immune system free to destroy cancer.<\/p>\n

\"APC\"

image source: <\/em>https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/figure\/T-cell-activation-by-anti-CTLA-4-antibodies-Notes-A-Tumor-antigens-can-be-presented_fig1_299401459<\/em><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Allison’s and Honjo’s discoveries have added a new approach in cancer therapy. It represents a completely new principle, because unlike previous strategies<\/strong> (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation), it is not based on targeting and killing the cancer cells, <\/strong>but rather\u00a0 the checkpoints – of the host immune system. \u00a0<\/strong>A large number of checkpoint therapy trials are now underway against most types of cancer<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Decline of Conventional cancer treatments<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A lot of progress has been reported in treating some cancers in recent decades. Many cancers remain difficult to treat.
\nConventional treatments and approaches often involve serious limitations, including limited effectiveness, side effects and expense. Various types of chemotherapies fail due to adverse reactions, drug resistance, and target specificity of some types of drugs.<\/p>\n

Radiation<\/h3>\n

Limitations:<\/p>\n