Bowel cancer patients will be able to fight the disease more effectively in the future if they under...
Bowel cancer patients will be able to fight the disease more effectively in the future if they undergo a transfusion of genetically engineered blood cells, find scientists at Cancer Research UK.
A pilot trial of the treatment ' where researchers take white blood cells from patients and engineer them to recognise and kill tumours ' is to take place in the UK. Scientists involved in the trial so far have high hopes the treatment will transform the prospects of many bowel cancer sufferers.
According to Cancer Res- earch UK, for the immune system to successfully fight off cancer, it needs to recognise cancer cells as alien invaders. However because cancer cells are rogue versions of a person's own cells, they make them much harder to recognise and attack. By genetically engineering the white blood cells, it gives them an artificial boost to help fight the disease.
'In most situations, the immune system is powerful and highly effective, but when it comes to cancer it can get confused and may need a helping hand,' said Professor Robert Hawkins of Cancer Research UK's department of oncology. 'We've shown that the technique works 100% of the time in the laboratory, but the real test will be whether it works in cancer patients, which we'll begin to look at in the clinical trial.'
The trial is set to take place at Manchester's Christie Hospital in 2004.
