Scientists have discovered immune cells that are able to recognize and destroy aggressive lung cancer

Australian researchers have discovered immune cells that are able to recognize and destroy small cell lung cancer, one of the most aggressive and intractable forms of cancer. This writes New Atlas with reference to a study published in Cancer Cell.

The discovery was made by specialists from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research (WEHI). They found that a special type of immune cells — gamma delta T lymphocytes — can detect cancer cells even when they become virtually invisible to the immune system.

Small cell cancer accounts for about 10-15% of all lung cancer cases. It is characterized by rapid growth and high mortality. The five-year survival rate of patients, according to the researchers, does not exceed 7%. One of the main problems of treatment is the ability of the tumor to suppress the mechanisms by which the immune system recognizes malignant cells.

Scientists have found that gamma delta T lymphocytes are able to bypass this defense. Moreover, laboratory experiments have shown that existing drugs - tarlatamab and zoledronate - can enhance their antitumor activity.

This opens up prospects for new immunotherapy methods, including using the patient’s own immune cells, multiplied in the laboratory and returned to the body to fight cancer.

While the results are obtained mainly in laboratory conditions, so it is too early to talk about a ready-made method of treatment. However, researchers believe that the discovery could be an important step in the fight against the disease, which for decades remains one of the most difficult tasks of oncology.

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