A scientific team from Hospital del Mar, in Barcelona, has made a discovery that could change the way we treat breast cancer. It is a type of lymphocyte (white blood cell), which appears to have a crucial role in the fight against this disease.

This study, published in the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, focused on a particular type of breast cancer, known as HER2 positive, which can be especially difficult to treat. The research team discovered that these white blood cells, called Natural Killers (NK), are not only present in patients with this type of cancer, but also play an important role in the response to treatment. When these lymphocytes come into contact with the antibodies used to treat this type of cancer, they not only directly attack the tumor cells but trigger a broader immune response in the body.

Dr. Aura Muntasell, one of the study’s principal investigators, explained that this discovery could not only improve the way we treat HER2-positive breast cancer, but could also help develop new markers to measure response to treatment. This finding could have broader implications in the fight against cancer. The scientific team believes that what they have discovered about these NK cells could be applied to other types of tumors, meaning we could be on the path to more effective and personalized treatments for a variety of cancers.

Therefore, this study not only sheds light on how our immune system works against cancer, but also offers hope for the development of more effective treatments in the future.

Source: Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research

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