A report in The Independent on Sunday sheds light on groundbreaking progress which is currently being made in the field of immuno-oncology - an approach to cancer treatment which uses the body's immune defences to combat the disease.
Working on the theory that an individual's T-cells - a critical component of the immune system - can be manipulated in order to source and combat cancer cells, researchers have previously ran trials on "liquid" tumours which have heralded very promising results.
According to the report, results of these trials on individuals suffering from multiple myeloma – a cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow and blood – showed “persistent and prolonged” effects in 16 out of the study's 20 patients, while a staggering 14 showing a near-complete or complete response to the treatment.
In light of this, scientists have now turned their attention to "solid" tumours, with the first large-scale clinical trial of T-cell treatment of the latter due to begin within a year - a course of action which will see the use of a patient's own cells in the fight against the growth of solid tumours.
In partnership with pharmaceutical company GSK, Adaptimmune - an Oxford-based biotech company- have organised the trial which will investigate the effect T-cell therapy will have on cancer patients living with synovial sarcoma - a solid-tumour cancer of the joint membranes.
The trial, which will see the participation of patients currently in the advanced stages of cancer, has, according to The Independent, been cited by many experts as "the most exciting advance since the development of chemotherapy half a century ago."
The trial will take place in both the US and Europe.
