Study identifies immune cells that can attack deadliest lung cancer

Study identifies immune cells that can attack deadliest lung cancer - Lungs infected with pneumonia will have solid white areas on an X-ray. (Photo: Komsan Loonprom/Shutterstock)

The study found that gamma delta T cells could detect and attack these lung cancers that are able to evade conventional cancer-fighting immune cells, overcoming a major treatment challenge.

Researchers in Australia have identified a previously overlooked type of immune cell that can recognise and kill small cell lung cancer (SCLC), revealing a new immune pathway for fighting the deadliest form of the disease.

The study, led by Australia's Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), found that patients with higher levels of gamma delta T cells in their tumours tended to live longer, uncovering a hidden immune defence that could be exploited to attack these hard-to-treat tumours, according to a WEHI statement released on Thursday.

Researchers also showed two existing drugs could be repurposed to boost the cancer-killing abilities of these immune cells, potentially paving the way to enhance therapies for a disease with limited treatment options.

SCLC has a five-year survival rate of less than 7 per cent. Although immunotherapy has improved outcomes for several cancers, only a small proportion of SCLC patients experience long-term benefits, partly because these cancers are often invisible to the conventional immune cells that treatments rely on, according to the study published in Cancer Cell.

The study found that gamma delta T cells could detect and attack these lung cancers that are able to evade conventional cancer-fighting immune cells, overcoming a major treatment challenge.

The researchers created miniature tumours in the laboratory using patient samples and found that gamma delta T cells taken from the patients' blood could effectively recognise and kill SCLC cells.

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"This could open an entirely new avenue for personalized treatment approaches in SCLC and other solid cancers that are often missed by conventional immune cells," said Jin Ng, first author of the study at WEHI.