Immunotherapy, Explained in Star Trek Terms
Lung Cancer
Cancer cells develop force fields around them that block the immune system from attacking. Immunotherapy works by allowing a blockade of that force field – essentially awakening the immune cells and alerting them that they should be attacking the cancer.
To illustrate how this process works, Dr. Scott Strome – who had a part in discovering a protein called PD-L1 that drastically changed how many cancers are treated – uses a Star Trek analogy. He compares the cancer cells to the Klingon ship blocking the Starship Enterprise from attacking. When the shields are down, the Enterprise (and the immune cells) are free to open fire. (Some of us get that analogy better than others!)
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Cancer cells develop force fields around them that block the immune system from attacking. Immunotherapy works by allowing a blockade of that force field – essentially awakening the immune cells and alerting them that they should be attacking the cancer.
To illustrate how this process works, Dr. Scott Strome – who had a part in discovering a protein called PD-L1 that drastically changed how many cancers are treated – uses a Star Trek analogy. He compares the cancer cells to the Klingon ship blocking the Starship Enterprise from attacking. When the shields are down, the Enterprise (and the immune cells) are free to open fire. (Some of us get that analogy better than others!)
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Treatment: Early Stages
Treatment: Stage Three
There are several types of lung cancer surgery, and the decision about which is best is based largely on the location of your cancer, its size and whether it has started to spread.
Treatment: Surgery
There are several types of lung cancer surgery, and the decision about which is best is based largely on the location of your cancer, its size and whether it has started to spread.