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1 in 2 of us will be diagnosed with cancer in our lifetimes. Many cancers are masters of disguise, able to avoid detection by our body’s immune defences, making them harder to treat. However, local researchers have found new ways to see through the ‘invisibility cloaks’ of tumours and train the body to fight back. Join us to find out how these findings are revolutionising treatments in the clinic!
Why immune therapy for cancer is not on sale in your health food store
Dr Neil Steven
(Academic consultant medical oncologist)
Immune therapy for cancer has been a century in the making. In the last decade, it has found its place with standardised pharmaceuticals made available in the NHS based on evidence of benefit. Many people like the idea of immune therapy because it seems “natural”, not like “allopathic” chemotherapy. It is true that some immune therapies are really well tolerated. However, the immune system is a complex chaotic system, balanced on the edge of catastrophe. We are starting to learn what it really means to use it as a tool against cancer.
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