Skin Cancer Development

New skin cancer drug uses body's own 'killer cells' to make tumour cells self-destruct

• The drug makes infection-killing T-cells attack the cancer
• T-cells are a type of white blood cell that kill infections
• Some skin cancer sufferers saw their tumours shrink in trial

Scientists claim a new cancer treatment that uses the body's own defences to fight tumours has been successful in trials on patients with skin cancer.
The therapy uses a drug that binds tumour cells to T-cells - a type of white blood cell key to fighting infections known 'killer cells' - and eliminate them.
Now it is hoped the technique can be used on other tumours, including major killers like lung and prostrate cancer.

A drug that binds tumour cells to T-cells (pictured) - a type of white blood cell key to fighting infections known 'killer cells' - has had some success with skin cancer sufferers

 

Breakthrough: It is hoped the technique can be used on other tumours, including major killers lung and prostrate cancer. File picture

Mark Middleton, professor of experimental cancer medicine at Oxford University, presented the results at the American Association for Cancer Research in San Diego, California.
He said: 'I think this is at the high end [of expectations]. A number of phase-1 trials go nowhere but what we see here is a drug that works as predicted and has significant clinical activity. It is very, very exciting.'

SENTINELS OF HEALTH: WHAT ARE T-CELLS?

T-cells are a subset of lymphocytes that play a large role in the immune response.
The abbreviation 'T' stands for thymus, the organ in which their final stage of development occurs.
Every effective immune response involves T-cell activation; however, T cells are especially important in the defense against tumor cells and pathogenic organisms inside body cells.
Source: Science Daily

Rashes and inflammation of the tumours experienced by those in the trial appear to show their immune systems were breaking down cancer skills, said Professor Middleton.
'The one aspect that did surprise us is the extent of tumour inflammation that is possible to achieve from just a single dose of the drug, because we thought it might take several weeks to get going,' he added.

The drug, IMCgp100, operates by binding itself to protein antigens on the surface of the cancer cells.
A further trial is now taking place on more skin cancer patients in the UK and the U.S.
The driving force behind the research is Immunocore,  a privately owned, clinical-stage, Oxford-based biotechnology company that focuses on new T-cell receptor-based drugs to treat diseases.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2600331/New-skin-cancer-drug-uses-bodys-killer-cells-make-tumour-cells-self-destruct.html#ixzz2z8PzbZMf