Blood Cancer Therapy Is Last Chance for Some

Blood Cancer Therapy Is Last Chance for Some

An experimental therapy uses a person’s weak immune system to fight deadly blood cancers.  

Stanley Riddell is a researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in the U.S. state of Washington. He and his colleagues added molecules¹ to immune cells that attack cancer cells. They put the modified cells back in the patient, where they multiply and fight cancer.

“So, that’s the one interesting thing about this. It doesn’t require repeated treatments or repetitive cycles of chemotherapy,” said Riddell.

“That’s what I think in the future may be most important for patients – that it’s a single treatment instead of many months of treatment.”

It has shown great promise in small trials with patients. In one study of 35 patients with a type of leukemia, 94 percent experienced a complete remission. Fifty percent to 80 percent of patients with other blood cancers also saw a reduction in symptoms.

Riddell said, “This is encouraging because these are all patients who have failed all conventional therapies, including many kinds of bone marrow² and stem cell transplants.”

Getting these very high rates of remission is “obviously very exciting for us,” he added. These patients do not have any other treatment options that are likely to work.

Immune system cells usually fight invading viruses and bacteria. They can also combat cancer. But they are soon overwhelmed by the disease.

The work by Hutchinson researchers increases this natural cancer-fighting ability.

Using the immune system has also shown promise against skin cancer and some lung cancers. But for other cancers, immunotherapy is considered a last resort.

Riddell said he thinks that may change. In some cases, it may be better than chemotherapy or even replace it, he said.

Words in This Story

therapy – n. the treatment of physical or mental disorders³

immune system – noun phrase  the body's natural defenses for fighting disease

leukemia – n. a serious disease in which the body forms too many white blood cells

remission – n. a period of time during a serious infection when the patient's health improves

conventional – adj. of a kind that has been around for a long time and is considered to be usual

marrow – n.  a soft substance that fills the bones of people and animals

immunotherapy – n.  a treatment that uses your body’s own natural defenses to help fight cancer

1 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

2 marrow   

n.骨髓；精华；活力

参考例句：

• It was so cold that he felt frozen to the marrow. 天气太冷了，他感到寒冷刺骨。
• He was tired to the marrow of his bones.他真是累得筋疲力尽了。

3 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》