Harnessing the Immune System to Treat Cancer

There are multiple barriers to effective tumor immunotherapy, and until recently these barriers were not understood and could not be overcome.  That has now changed, due mainly to the discovery of approaches that unleash tumor-attacking T lymphocytes. Although these new therapies are not without risk or toxicity, they can provide dramatic benefits for some patients with previously untreatable cancers. In the future, combined treatment with immunotherapy and other agents will likely control and possibly cure many types of cancer.

Speaker: Dr. Edgar Engleman, Stanford