Melanoma is the most serious skin cancer. It is also most common in young adults. It begins when skin cells called melanocytes become malignant. In a recent test a man with advanced skin cancer was completely cured and still healthy two years later.
The body's immune system is an amazing thing. Scientists have recently been looking at its potential in fighting cancer. For treatment of skin cancer scientist concentrated on a type of immune system cell called CD4+ T cell. These cells can be found in a person’s white blood cells. The particular CD4+ T cells that they found and extracted were already primed to attack a chemical found in melanoma. The scientists took these immune system cells and made five billion copies in the laboratory, then they put them all back into the cancer patient.
After two months all of the cancer was gone. The man was completely healthy. While this was a major breakthrough in the fight against skin cancer, scientist believe that it may only work in certain cases, so further tests are being conducted to find out other possibilities.
Scientists hope that this break through with using a person’s own immune system will eventually lead to suppressing a lot of types of cancer completely. They don't think they will be able to completely remove it but they think they will be able to make it liveable like diabetes is today.
By James Hohaus
References:
Cancer Research UK 2009, 'Clone cell cancer 'cure' hailed', BCC News, viewed 18 March 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7460743.stm
Levin, R 2009 'Melanoma Cancer Centre ', viewed 18 March 2009, http://www.cancercenter.com/melanoma.cfm
