Cancer immunotherapy is equally effective in elderly and young patients, scientists 14:13

Elderly patients with cancer are not worse than young people despite the changes in immunotherapy and age in the immune system. This result was reached by the researchers of Kimmel Oncology Center University of Jones Hopkins. Published in İş Magazine Nature Communications (Natcom).

Although most of the diagnosis of most malignant tumors falls to people over 65 years of age, the effectiveness of treatment in this patient group is generally lower. For a long time, it was believed that the weakening of the immune system with age could intervene in recognizing and destroying cancer cells. However, a new study shows the following: immuno-oncological drugs, especially inhibitors in control points, treat patients equally well to patients of all ages.

Scientists examined the immune cells and proteins called cytokine in the blood of about a hundred people who were treated. Half of them were more than 65 years. All patients took control points inhibitors – drugs that help the immune system actively attack tumor cells.

Despite the general positive response to treatment, the analysis has shown that there are still differences in the functioning of immune cells between age groups. For example, the T cells responsible for the destruction of harmful agents seemed to be “more experienced ında in elderly patients-more than once, faced threats and reacted very sharply to their new ones. This may mean that immunotherapy is particularly important for elderly patients and helps to compensate for weakened reactions.

The next step, a researcher team plans to examine how immune cells behave directly in the tumor in patients of different ages. The data obtained will help to create new approaches to the treatment adapted to the age and condition of the patient and to increase the effectiveness of existing methods without increasing the risk of side effects.

Previously, scientists open Secret evolution mechanism.