(CNN)A
new breakthrough in cancer research could lead to a novel form of
cancer treatment -- one that is highly specialized for each patient.
Researchers
discovered that even though cancer cells mutate wildly within a
person's body, the cancer cells within each patient also have common
mutations -- ones that could be isolated and fought off by certain
immune cells.
Think of it this way: A
patient's cancer cells all start off with the same tree trunk, but then
grow different kinds of branches. The new research shows certain immune
cells can "chop the tree at the trunk rather than just pruning the
branches," Dr. Sergio Quezada told CNN.
Quezada, from the University College London's Cancer Institute, co-authored the study, which was published Thursday by Science magazine.
For years, one of the biggest obstacles in fighting cancer has been the fact that a tumor's cancer cells are not all the same.
"The
tumor is an evolving mass. Mutations change here and there. Mutations
in one area of the tumor are usually different from mutations in other
parts of the tumors," Quezada said.
In a statement to Cancer Research UK, he likened the fight against cancer to police chasing a wide array of criminals.
"The
body's immune system acts as the police trying to tackle cancer, the
criminals. Genetically diverse tumours are like a gang of hoodlums
involved in different crimes -- from robbery to smuggling. And the
immune system struggles to keep on top of the cancer -- just as it's
difficult for police when there's so much going on," he said.
"Our
research shows that instead of aimlessly chasing crimes in different
neighborhoods, we can give the police the information they need to get
to the kingpin at the root of all organized crime -- or the weak spot in
a patient's tumor -- to wipe out the problem for good."
What this means for treatment
Quezada told CNN this discovery could lead to two kinds of treatment:
1) Making customized vaccines to target the core mutations in each patient.
2) Identifying which immune cells, or T-cells, can fight off those core mutations, then multiplying those T-cells in a lab.
Quezada said the customized vaccines would be "the ultimate personalized form of therapy."
"This would mean basically taking a cancer
tumor, finding the trunk, and then designing a vaccine (to) inject in
the patent," he said.
"The second
approach is to 'fish' these cells -- T-cells -- that recognize the
trunk, expand them outside the patient" and inject them in the body.
Quezada
said no human trials have started using either approach in light of the
study, but said he hopes trials will begin within five yearsThe limitations
But the
discovery doesn't mean all cancer patients will be cured soon. The
potential for new treatment also has several limitations.
First is "the speed at which you can generate personalized therapy," Quezada said. "Some cancers go really fast."
Developing a customized vaccine, for example, could take more time than a cancer patient has.
Second,
it would be expensive. Quezada said he doesn't have an estimate on how
much either type of treatment would cost, but given the highly
customized nature of each, it could be extremely expensive.
"That's going to be an important point of this discussion," he said.
Finally,
such treatments would likely work better for some types of cancer than
others. Quezada said he believes lung cancer and melanoma would be the
most likely to respond well to such treatment.
A massive collaboration
A
team of 36 international researchers worked on the study, which
included scientists from the London, the United States, Denmark and
Germany. The study was funded by Cancer Research UK and the Rosetrees Trust.
"It's the most amazing collaboration I've ever worked on, Quezada said. "It's been an amazing roller coaster."
The
next roller coaster will be determining when patients could receive the
treatments -- and learning how well they might work.
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