American researchers have developed a method to trigger an offensive reaction in the body to cancer cells . Immunotherapy has been carried out in animals and is not ready for clinical use in humans, but it lays the groundwork for a less fulminant treatment of the disease than the current ones. The study has been published in the specialized journal Nature Medicine.
The human immune system is based on a balance between attack on invading bodies and neutrality against healthy body tissues. The experiment consisted of unbalancing this balance, altering the functioning of the regulatory T cells (Tregs) in charge of stopping the immune response of our body towards its own tissues. In this way, the function of lymphocytes was reduced so that the body could detect the cancer abnormality and limit tumor growth. In both experiments, the change in the immune system restricted the growth of a type of lung cancer in the mice.
T-cell function maladjustment is currently common in transplant medicine , since its increase suppresses autoimmune function and prevents rejection of the received organs. However, these methods of immune alteration carry certain risks, since a less active system lacks protection against infections and a hyperactive one can lead to an overly aggressive attack of the body towards itself.
