The immune system considers cancer cells to be “foreign” to the body, just as cells from other diseases such as influenza or measles are. This triggers the production of antibodies that mobilize to attack the invading organisms. However, the rapid and uncontrolled growth in the number of cancer cells can quickly outpace the production of antibodies, resulting in an accumulation of cancer cells in the bloodstream or elsewhere in the body in the form of a tumor.

Even though cancer cells can overwhelm the immune system’s ability to deal with them, scientists are employing this antibody vs. foreign invader principle to create promising new treatments to combat cancer. They are making monoclonal antibodies that oncologists at Doylestown Hospital and other leading institutions are using to treat a growing number of malignancies. The basic concept of antibodies combatting disease may not be new, but ongoing research is showing that the results can be revolutionary.

From just one cell... an exciting cancer treatment
To produce a monoclonal antibody for a specific type of cancer, scientists first isolate an antibody-producing cell that formed as a result of exposure to the cancer. They then fuse that single (mono) cell to a specialized cell capable of rapidly reproducing (cloning) itself. The resulting ‘hybrid’ cell produces large quantities of identical cancer-fighting antibodies descended from the original cell. Once placed in the human body, these monoclonal antibodies seek out and destroy cancer cells that are the same type as the one that produced the original antibody.

Sometimes monoclonal antibodies are used in conjunction with chemotherapy, which may be more effective when the cancer cells have already been weakened by the monoclonal antibodies. A radioactive substance can also be attached to monoclonal antibodies to boost the effects of treatment. In this case, monoclonal antibodies are able to deliver a relatively large amount of radiation directly to the tumor cells and immediate area without damaging healthy tissue.

Hitting the bull’s eye
By their very nature, monoclonal antibodies target the type of cancer that generated their original “parent” antibody. A monoclonal antibody for a particular type of breast cancer is not effective for colon cancer or even another type of breast cancer. Researchers feel that such specificity is actually very positive. It may not yet be the magic bullet, but it does go far toward hitting the bull’s eye while producing far fewer side effects.