A revolution in cancer treatment is on the way! Cancer treatment will be possible within 10-15 years

Prof. Dr. Derya Unutmaz, a scientist and principal investigator at the Jackson Laboratory in the US, stated that cancer could become treatable in the future.

Unutmaz noted that they are examining the potential of T cells in cancer treatment and that the therapy aims for the immune system to recognize cancer cells. He described this method as "taking the army's soldiers out of the patient, training and equipping them, and then giving them back to the patient."

Unutmaz stated that this method, called immunotherapy, is accepted for some types of cancer and is used particularly in the treatment of lymphoma in the US.

"IT CAN CAUSE HARM IF NOT USED CORRECTLY"

However, Unutmaz pointed out that such treatments have some problems. He drew attention to issues such as the immune system itself, the ineffectiveness of cellular therapies in solid tumors, and the high cost of treatment. Emphasizing that the immune system is a dangerous system, Unutmaz said, "Think of it like an army inside us; this army has powerful weapons, but if not used correctly, we can harm our own body."

He also explained that cancer cells are not very different from normal cells and that cells could accidentally target normal cells while killing cancer cells.

Explaining another reason why cellular therapies are not effective in solid tumors, Unutmaz said, "For example, think of breast cancer; breast cancer develops inside a tissue. These cells need to penetrate the tissue. However, cancer uses the tissue to protect itself like a fortress. In this case, an attack needs to be organized from the outside."

Unutmaz also drew attention to the high cost of treatment and stated that this treatment costs between 300,000 and 500,000 dollars in the US. Making suggestions to reduce the cost of treatment, Unutmaz stated that preparing and freezing the cells so they can be applied to many patients could lower the cost.

However, Unutmaz stated that the implementation of the treatment does not yet have a set schedule. Saying "Such studies have processes," Unutmaz explained that the laboratory process must be completed first, followed by the trial process. Unutmaz stated that conducting such studies in Turkey is costly and therefore does not seem possible yet, but emphasized that Turkey has potential in this field.

Finally, Unutmaz said, "I think that cancer treatment will be possible within the next 10-15 years," and emphasizing the power of the immune system, he added, "The immune system is a truly very powerful system. Therefore, it may be possible to defeat cancer with the right approaches."