Cancer: Some immune cells found to give tumors a helping hand

Cancer: Some immune cells found to give tumors a helping hand


Lung cancer is the commonest cause of cancer-related death worldwide, accounting for nearly 1.7 cases out of 8.1 million in 2012.
After rising for several decades, rates of new cases of lung cancer are falling in the United States, in line with declining rates of cigarette smoking.
Nevertheless, lung cancer remains the second most common cancer in men and women in the U.S., where it is estimated to account for around 14 percent of new cancer cases and over a quarter of all cancer deaths.
Immunotherapy — which is also referred to as biologic therapy — is a way of treatingcancer by involving the patient's own immune system.
The approach can slow the growth of cancer cells, stop them spreading, and increase the immune system's ability to destroy them. There are several ways to do this, all using substances from the body or made in a laboratory to either boost the immune system or get a malfunctioning one to start working properly again.

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