Hodgkin lymphoma (blood cancer) study reveals cancer trick
A new study about Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer, has provided new insights into how cancer cells survive. Scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute found that cancer cells are able to protect themselves by using signals to control certain types of immune cells, preventing them from attacking the cancer cells.
The study, published in the journal Blood, also showed that high concentrations of these immune cell clusters in patient samples could predict when chemotherapy will fail. This information could speed up the development of precision medicine and help identify patients who would benefit from newer immune-based therapies, which are often more effective when traditional treatments have failed.
What is Hodgkin lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer affecting the lymphatic system, part of the immune system that helps fight infections and destroy abnormal cells. This type of cancer is characterized by the presence of Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg cells, which are a type of white blood cell called B lymphocytes that have become cancerous. Around 2,100 people are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in the UK each year.
Hodgkin lymphoma study findings
The new study used multiple approaches to examine the immune environment around Hodgkin lymphoma tumors in greater detail. Researchers combined single-cell sequencing and imaging data from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Newcastle University to learn more about the genes expressed by each cell and how they relate to their neighbors.
The results showed that cancer cells were surrounded by clusters of immune cells, including macrophages, monocytes, and cDC2 dendritic cells. These cells were found to suppress the ability of the immune system to fight the cancer.
The study also identified two different environments around the cancer cells, which could predict the success of traditional treatments. High concentrations of immune cell clusters around the cancer cells were linked to treatment failure, while high concentrations of stromal cells were associated with treatment success.
How the new Hodgkin lymphoma findings could improve cancer treatment
This new information could be used to tailor treatments to individual patients, limiting the effects of chemotherapy for patients who are less likely to respond and proceeding directly to immune-based therapies that are more likely to be successful. The study also suggests that the signals used by cancer cells to control immune cells could be a target for new drugs.
The study provides a new level of detail about the human body and disease, and the researchers believe that the information generated will have a positive impact on the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma in the future.
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Micrograph of Hodgkin lymphoma cancer cells via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons LicenseFeatured Image Credit
Micrograph of Hodgkin lymphoma cancer cells via Wikimedia Commons with usage type - Creative Commons License
