J Thorac Oncol: Study reveals key immune cells that kill lung cancer cells.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020 /----- In a recent study, researchers at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute in Australia revealed the molecular mechanisms of NK cells to fight lung cancer.
study of preclinical and patient samples of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), NK cells, rather than T cells, were found to be critical to slowing the aggressive spread of cancer.
the "boost" of NK cells further enhances their ability to fight cancer.
findings offer hope for better treatments for SCLC patients.
(Photo: www.pixabay.com) the study was carried out by Researchers Sarah Best, Dr. Walter and Eliza Hall, Dr. Jonas Hess and Dr. Kate Sutherland in collaboration with Associate Professor Melissa Davis and Professor Nick Huntington (now Monash Biomedicine).
NK and T cells are immune cells that fight cancer, and researchers have shown that NK and T cells can soak tumors in certain patients with SCLC, an invasive form of lung cancer.
preclinical models show that NK cells, rather than T cells, are critical to limiting the spread of SCLC and that "pressurized" NK cells enhance their effectiveness.
findings suggest that immunotherapy using NK cells may be an effective treatment for SCLC.
SCLC is the most aggressive type of lung cancer and is usually not detected until the disease begins to spread or metasnse.
. Best said that while SCLC patients would initially benefit from chemotherapy, these cancers can quickly develop resistance, with an average survival of only a few months.
" cells are not the only anti-cancer immune cells, and NK cells can also attack tumor cells.
, we decided which immunotherapy was most promising for SCLC patients.
" team first studied anti-cancer immunomarkers in patients' SCLC samples.
" analysis showed that the relative content of NK and T cells in tumors in patients was very different.
presence of these cells in the tumor indicates an anti-cancer response.
to see if NK or T cells could slow the spread of SCLC, the team studied experimental models of diseases that lack NK or T cells.
"We found that the absence of NK cells caused SCLC tumors to spread more, and the absence of T cells did not affect the spread of the disease."
suggests that NK cells, not T cells, are important for limiting the transfer of SCLC.
if we activated NK cells by adding cytokine IL-15, their ability to limit SCLC diffusion would be even better.
the activation of T-cells and NK cells further reduced the spread of SCLC, indicating that the two cells can work together.
"Our study shows that immunotherapy that harnesses the anti-tumor power of NK cells may be more effective for SCLC.
that NK cell-based immunotherapy may be an effective complement to chemotherapy, slowing the spread of the disease and prolonging the survival of SCLC patients.
.com Source: 'RethiNKing' which immune cells are the original source of the best weapon against the stst cancer: Sarah A. Best et al, Harnessing Natural Killer Immunity Instatic SCLC, Journal of Thoracic Oncology (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.jtho.2020.05.008.