Therapy Flags DNA Typos to Rev Cancer-fighting T Cells
Published:15 Jun.2017 Source:ScienceNews
A new study suggests, mutations that prevent cells from spell-checking their DNA may make cancer cells vulnerable to immunotherapies.
A type of immune therapy known as PD-1 blockade controlled cancer in 77 percent of patients with defects in DNA mismatch repair-the system cells use to spell-check and fix errors in DNA. The therapy was effective against 12 different types of solid tumors, including colorectal, gastroesophageal and pancreatic cancers, and even tumors of unknown origin.