Source: BCC
Scientists have developed two most likely methods for fighting the key cancer cell mutations. One is to develop personalized vaccines for patients to train their immune systems to detect and fight specific trunk antigens. The second method would be to populate existing cells in the patient’s immune system that already fight the key antigens.
The difficulty with personalized vaccine development is that it is costly and time consuming – which is, experts say, impractical for patients who seek immediate help. Another issue is that the method of targeting key mutations, although practical, will be difficult because cancer cells are ever-changing, often times losing initial antigens or developing a veil or “smokescreen” that makes them difficult to detect.
While the method could in fact only work in theory, the discovery itself sheds lights on immunotherapy drugs which do not work on most patients.
Read full story at: BBC