CANCER – What is the Answer? Harnessing our Immune system – VIII
Last month, we talked about immunotherapy, the latest advance in the management of cancer. Harnessing a patient’s own immune system is considered the Holy Grail of cancer treatment nowadays. This means eradication of cancer through natural methods, which would then eliminate the necessity for chemotherapy with its side effects, radiotherapy and surgery. But of course, it’s easier said than done.
A little knowledge about our immune system would come handy in understanding the modern treatments of cancer. As you already know, the immune system – a complex arrangement – is our primary defense system that protects us from the invasion of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other organisms that invade the body. However, all these come from outside. But cancer cells develop spontaneously within our body and in addition they are equipped with a ‘taser’-like mechanism that give them ability to viciously attack our immune cells and destroy them, so they can proliferate and overwhelm the body. So, this action of cancer cells needs to be disabled. Which means our immune system should recognize the normal cells of our body as ‘self’ and needs to be protected and nurtured and the spontaneously growing malignant cells as foreign and must be destroyed. More than a dozen type of immune cells and hundreds of immune molecules collaborate and work in harmony to achieve this incredible feat. So, the main question is how to boost our immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells that spontaneously appear and grow in our body?
A type of cells called T Cells, part of the immune system, launch the fight against the cancer cells but they are blocked by the cancer cells. A new type of antibody developed recently seems to release the ‘breaks on these immune cells’ by the cancer cells and enables them to recognize and fight the cancer cells. The first such novel immune-stimulatory monoclonal antibody, Ipilimumab, was introduced almost a decade ago and now there are many such drugs approved for cancer treatment. Another approach is to genetically modify the patient’s T cells to accept immune stimulating genes and this has been a game changer. Yet another successful approach is ‘replacing the immune system’ with stem cell transplantation that has been in vogue for many years but significantly improved in efficacy and safety recently. This is called bone marrow transplant and the stem cells can be obtained from peripheral blood of a healthy donor – a simple procedure.
Any role for alternate therapies?
Once the cancer diagnosis is made, patients automatically get depressed and they can’t help feeling a sense of ‘gloom and doom.’ So, they try to do whatever they can to control this malady and many resort to alternative therapy often while undergoing scientific treatment by an oncologist. And patients often fall for advertisements that tout the benefits of alternative and naturopathic treatments. Please don’t pay attention to these false claims. And natural doesn’t mean harmless. Many patients take herbal medicines like Saw Palmetto, Garlic, Echinacea, Red wine leaf, Wild Yam, etc., but there is no proof that they work in scientific studies. Some patients were more likely to consider using herbal medicines to address the long-term consequences of cancer treatment.
Oncologists always ask their patients to keep in mind these five things: 1. No dietary or herbal product can cure cancer. 2. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not approve dietary products for cancer 3. Herbs may interact with chemotherapy and other drug treatments. 4. Antioxidant supplements, commonly used by many, may make cancer treatments less effective. 5. Some supplements may help reduce specific side effects of treatment – such as ginger for nausea, Vitamin B6 or glutamine for peripheral neuropathy, etc.
M.P. Ravindra Nathan, M.D., is a cardiologist and Emeritus Editor of AAPI Journal. For further reading, “Second Chance - A Sister’s Act of Love” by Dr. Nathan from Outskirts Press, can be found at www.amazon.com