It is a constant battle between our immune system and the diseases, illnesses such as Cancer and Tuberculosis, a few among many life-threatening illnesses we suffer from, here as well as in developing countries, especially later on in life. They surface when our immune system weakens due to old-age, poor health and unhealthy life-style and diseases has the upper-hand over the immune system.
Recently a case of a woman suffering from advanced drug resistant, terminal breast cancer appears to be cured after her doctors used two types of immunotherapy when conventional treatment failed to make any impact on her cancer. The cancer had spread to other parts of her body, including her liver.
The technic involves removing immune cells that fight such cancers, then multiply them into billions of cells in a laboratory and inject them back into the body, using patient’s bloodstream. British experts say this is an exciting development even though it involved only one patient so far.
A wide-spread study involving hundreds of patients will have to be undertaken before it could be available to selected patients, as the prohibitive cost may make it impossible to have such a treatment on NHS, at least in the beginning until the cost comes down, as is the case with any advancement in medical treatment. It may take a decade or two but if successful, it could end the Cancer misery, a word that passes shivers in our body, a death sentence for many patients.
Kumudini Valambia
By email
