In Stockholm awarded the Nobel prize in medicine and physiology. The award went to American James Ellison, and the Japanese, Tasuku Honjo “for the discovery of cancer therapy by inhibiting a negative immune regulation.” Tell what and does this mean that cancer will soon be defeated.
What is this therapy?
Our immunity constantly searches for and destroys the threat: bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc. But when a person has cancer, this system fails: mutated cells its “cheating” and suppress the alarm. Because of this, the immune system is inhibited, and the tumor is growing.
Allison and Honjo have found a way to stop them: through their research, new medications prevent cancer “hiding” from the immune system. As a result, the body begins to fight the disease much more effective.
It is really such an important discovery?
Yes, it seems, is a real breakthrough in clinical Oncology. At least, so tweeted the Nobel prize: “To the discoveries made by the award winners 2018, progress in cancer therapy has been modest. Immune checkpoint therapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer. We learned that the disease is controllable”.
Many scientists spoke in the same vein:
“Even 10 years ago, metastatic melanoma was virtually untreatable. Now, thanks to the work of Allison and Honjo, patients there is real hope” – Charlie Swanton, chief physician Cancer Research UK.
“The work done by Jim and Honjo, so epochal that many have waited a few years, when they finally get the Nobel” – Sergio Quesada, Professor, University College London.
“This therapy does not help everyone, but it has saved many lives” – Professor, University of Manchester Dan Davies.
“In clinical Oncology is one of the biggest events in history” – Michael Maschan, Deputy Director of the Center for pediatric Hematology, Oncology and immunology named Dmitry Rogachev.
When immunotherapy will be available to all?
Has published several drugs: they can help with melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer and tumors of the bladder. Now they are actively testing in other types of cancer – so maybe the range of applications will expand soon. Such medication is in Russia, but they are very expensive: more than a million rubles per course (and they’ll need a few).
While these drugs cannot be called a panacea, but with their help, patients recover even at these stages of cancer that were previously considered incurable. Scientists believe that it is only “the tip of the iceberg”, and the main discoveries are still ahead. Perhaps in the coming years, we learn about new, more affordable and effective treatments.
So far, the best method of dealing with cancer is early diagnosis. The Russians can do it at the expense of the budget: more about free medical care are telling in the article “medical insurance: what health services you should have a free in 2018”.