STAT+: Natural killer cells, primed with an antibody, induce remissions in patients with advanced blood cancer
Two patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma were told their tumors were so resistant to treatment that hospice was their best option. Then, they were enrolled in a clinical trial of a novel immunotherapy involving so-called natural killer cells. After treatment, they saw complete remission.
Researchers say the study, detailed in results released Friday, are a hopeful if preliminary sign of the potential of immunotherapies harnessing natural killer, or NK, cells — innate immune system cells that have certain advantages over the more commonly recognized adaptive T cell cancer therapies.
