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Cancer: the mystery of immunotherapy
Cancer: the mystery of immunotherapy – (France 2)
Immunotherapy, a treatment that relies on the humanitarian system of patients, is often used as a last-chance treatment. On certain patients, this form of therapy has proven itself.
Cancer patients are treated with immunotherapy, a technique which consists of letting one’s own immune defenses fight and reject cancer cells. This treatment is often used as a last resort, and only works in very few cases.
For a 61-year-old man interviewed by France 2, he nevertheless proved his effectiveness. Doctors diagnosed him with incurable lung cancer in 2015. The man who was only expected to live a few more months is still alive eight years later, and his doctors intend to permanently stop his treatments.
How do some patients manage to cure the most serious cancers?
In his case, oncologist Benjamin Besse explains that “it was his immune system that did the work. We were there to stimulate him“. At the Gustave Roussy Institute, specializing in cancerology, researchers are trying to solve the mystery. Within this team, Margaux Gardet is seeking in particular to understand how healthy cells manage to fight cancer cells. “We weren’t able to do it previously.”she specifies.