As scientists race to find effective treatments against cancer, others are working to address tumors before they progress into full-blown cancers. A recent study conducted in the UK has found a possible way to stop cancer in its tracks during its initial stages.
A team of researchers at UCL (University College London) conducted this preclinical study. Led by Prof. Sam Janes and Asst. Prof. James Reading, the team found that an “immune fog” forms long before cancer can be detected. This fog, made up of Tregs or regulatory T cells, develops in the lungs and its elevated activity blocks other immune system cells from being deployed in the lungs.
This blockage isn’t necessarily bad, because it is the body’s inbuilt way to prevent abnormalities like autoimmune conditions. However, in the case of lung cancer, the researchers found that the Tregs fog prevents the body from mounting an effective fight against the cancer in its initial stages.
The researchers discovered this immune activity after analyzing blood samples taken from people at high risk of developing lung cancer. They also observed the same Tregs activity in lung cancer mouse models, and in tissue samples taken from patients.
Prototype tests designed to analyze blood facilitated this discovery. The scientists then leveraged targeted drugs developed to treat cancer to suppress the Tregs. When these drugs were administered, the immune fog was dispersed and reversed, allowing other specialized immune cells to attack the pre-cancerous lesions or tumors.
Half of the mice treated in this way didn’t develop lung cancer, and those that did didn’t develop large tumors. The tumors observed weren’t as aggressive as those in mice that hadn’t received treatment to suppress the fog in the immune system.
The researchers are excited about their findings because their approach offers a promising way to catch lung cancer before it is detectable by conventional means and intervene to stop it from developing. This hope comes after they realized that the fog in the immune system appears years before existing tests can detect lung cancer.
Janes says the research makes it possible to act meaningfully when lung cancer is still in its precancerous state, and it gives greater meaning to the practice of cancer screening because those who are found to be at risk can be treated effectively so that the cancer is prevented from developing.
Cancer interception is attracting plenty of research attention, and breakthroughs like these are helping to give the new field increasing prominence in the scientific community. Given that some mice still developed lung cancer even after being treated to clear the immune fog, advanced immunotherapies being developed by firms like Calidi Biotherapeutics Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI) can possibly help those patients whose precancerous lesions go on to become cancerous.
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