Breakthrough may improve cancer vaccine

A British discovery about the way tumours evade the immune system could lead to improved cancer vaccines, it is being claimed.
By The Newsroom
Published 5th Nov 2010, 10:07 BST
Updated 5th Nov 2010, 10:07 BST

Scientists at Cambridge University identified a type of cell that acts as a "cancer accomplice" by shielding tumours against the body's immune defences.

Removing the stromal cells from laboratory mice led to the rapid destruction of lung tumours, and also controlled the growth of pancreatic cancer.

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Many human cancers are associated with the same tumour-protective cells, including those of the breast and bowel.

Targeting the cells, or the protein they produce, could potentially help the body fight off cancer or boost the effectiveness of cancer vaccines which harness the immune system, it is believed.