Many cancer tumors defend themselves using the body's regulatory T-cells, making treatment difficult. But a new implant created by researchers at the University of California Los Angeles is designed to stop tumors from hijacking T-cells and allow treatment to reach the tumor.
The device, called SymphNode, has been shown to keep regulatory T-cells in check around the tumor and strengthen tumor-fighting cells, according to a Jan. 5 article on the University of California website. It is implanted next to the tumor and resembles a lymph node.
Researchers implanted SymphNode into mice with breast cancer and melanoma. The device led to tumor remission in 80 percent of mice and eliminated metastasis in all mice with breast cancer; in mice with melanoma, it shrunk tumors in all mice. In more than 40 percent of cases, cancer was decreased to undetectable levels. The device also prevented growth of new tumors and resulted in longer survival in the mice. The findings were published in Nature Biomedical Engineering on Jan. 4.
"Getting rid of regulatory T cells within the tumor seems to be transformative," co-corresponding author Manish Butte, MD, PhD, a professor of pediatric allergy, immunology and rheumatology, said in the article. "Every solid tumor is crammed with these cells, and they're why 91 percent of cancer deaths occur from solid tumors. They're probably limiting our ability to cure the cancer in the first place."