Discovery of a new type of immune cell that could help identify which patients will benefit most from immunotherapy treatment

A UK/USA study funded by Cancer Research UK found that lung cancer patients' with large amounts of a particular type of immune T-cell, called tissue-resident memory T-cells, in their tumour had increased survival rates. The new T-cells also produce other molecules that attack the tumour, meaning that the body's immune system could be more likely to hunt out and destroy cancer cells.

In future, testing for these cells could help doctors identify which patients will benefit most from immunotherapies that help to build up the body's attack on the cancer.

The published article appears in Nature Immunology and you can read an article about the study in Medical News Today.