The MYC Gene Responsible for 30% of Cancers

[elte]

Those 30% of cancers that are MYC gene driven and that rely on the gene reading aid, the spliceosome, could be thrawted if the spliceosome could be disabled.  Cells that aren't cancer appear to do okay without a functional spliceosome.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-09-di...eadly.html

[Magical Realist]

This is great news. Add to this the growing success of getting our own immune cells to target cancer cells, and we're definitely making headway on the great nemesis.

"Immunotherapy, or the use of a person’s own immune system to treat an infection or disease, has recently been at the forefront of cancer research. In a new study, researchers found that a form of immunotherapy could produce a “significant clinical response” in 70 percent of patients with a particularly deadly type of cancer known as multiple myeloma. These results not only highlight the potential of this exciting new field but also the importance of further immunotherapy research.

The study, published online in Nature Medicine, was conducted by researchers from the University of Maryland Medical Center. Twenty patients with an advanced form of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells, underwent a stem cell transplantation of their own stem cells before being injected with around 2.4 billion genetically altered immune system T cells.


Healthy immune systems work by detecting antigens, the byproducts of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Once these antigens are detected, the immune system produces antibodies to fight off and destroy the disease. Unfortunately, cancer has a way of evading the immune system. But with this form of immunotherapy, the researchers were able to use the genetically altered T cells to spot cancer and avoid evasion."===http://www.medicaldaily.com/immunotherap...new-343818

[elte]

Recent research suggests that aspirin may be able to strengthen our immunotherapeutic counter attack against that dreaded disease, and increase our hope for cures.

http://news.yahoo.com/scientists-turn-as...nance.html

 Aspirin blocks PGE2 production and the researchers found that adding it to an immunotherapy treatment called anti-PD-1 substantially slowed the growth of bowel and melanoma cancers in mice when compared with treatment by immunotherapy alone.