A drug used to treat leukemia can enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy for lung cancer, researchers at National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) found, saying that the discovery might increase the life expectancy of those with the disease.
The team led by Tsai Hsing-chen (蔡幸真), a doctor in the hospital’s internal medicine department, told a news conference in Taipei on Thursday that new treatments for lung cancer are urgently needed, adding that the disease kills more than 9,000 people per year in Taiwan, as it is often discovered at a late stage.
People with advanced lung cancer have in the past few years increasingly received immunotherapy, which seeks to boost the body’s immune defenses and has fewer side effects than chemotherapy, Tsai said.
However, immunotherapy is only suitable for about 50 percent of people with lung cancer, with long-lasting results for about 30 percent of those who receive it, NTUH thoracic oncology department director Shih Jin-yuan (施金元) said.
The hospital’s four-year research project sought to make immunotherapy an option for more people with the disease and increase its efficacy, NTUH said.
The team found that decitabine, a drug that blocks the activity of enzymes that facilitate the spread of cancer cells in myeloid leukemia patients, also increases the number of a certain type of receptor on the surface of lung cancer cells, Tsai said.
This made the cancer cells more vulnerable to the immune system’s gamma delta T cells, she added.
Although there is a limited number of gamma delta T cells in the body, the cells can be cultivated in the laboratory and administered together with decitabine, Tsai said.
In experiments on mice, the team found that the treatment reduced the size of lung tumors and increased life expectancy, she said.
The hospital is planning to apply for clinical trials, Tsai said, adding that similar treatments could be developed for other types of cancer, including colon and ovarian cancer.
The researchers’ findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications on Monday last week.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS