NIH Study Demonstrates that a New Cancer Immunotherapy Method could be Effective Against a Wide Range of Cancers

A new method for using immunotherapy to specifically attack tumour cells that have mutations unique to a patient’s cancer has been developed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The researchers demonstrated that the human immune system can mount a response against mutant proteins expressed by cancers that arise in epithelial cells which can line the internal and external surfaces (such as the skin) of the body. These cells give rise to many types of common cancers, such as those that develop in the digestive tract, lung, pancreas, bladder and other areas of the body.

The research provides evidence that this immune response can be harnessed for therapeutic benefit in patients, according to the scientists. The study appeared 9 May 2014, in the journal Science.

“Our study deals with the central problem in human cancer immunotherapy, which is how to effectively attack common epithelial cancers,” said Steven A. Rosenberg, MD, PhD, chief of the Surgery Branch in NCI’s Center for Cancer Research. “The method we have developed provides a blueprint for using immunotherapy to specifically attack sporadic or driver mutations, unique to a patient’s individual cancer.”

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