Look Who it Was Random video

Turning the Immune System Against Lung Cancer

610 views · Published 24 May 2015 · 1:43 · Indexed 21 October 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

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The first in a new line of immune boosting drugs approved for melanoma is presenting a new pathway for cancer doctors to explore.

“Melanoma cells are able to disguise themselves or camouflage themselves within our bodies, and what Keytruda does, is it removes that camouflage,” says Dr. Frank Rodriguez, who is an oncologist on medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System. 

Used on late stage melanoma patients, Keytruda delivered exceptional results for people who were out of options; proving the value of immunotherapy.

“We can then harness the power of our own bodies to fight off these cells that don't belong,” says Dr. Rodriguez. 

Drugs like Keytruda reinforce the idea that it doesn’t matter where a cancer originates. What’s more important is what drives it. The same mutation found in melanoma may be present in other cancers- including lung cancer- where researchers are hoping for similar success.

“So it’s being studied now in lung cancer. We’ve had some very interesting, very encouraging preliminary results for clinical trials and we’re hoping that as we moved forward and we find out more about the drug it’s going to end up being approved and effective in other malignancies,” says Dr. Rodriguez. 

Several studies showed the immunotherapy drug stalled progression and lengthened overall survival in about half of test patients with the most common form of lung cancer. Giving hope where there was very little.

“We now have a whole new pathway to target, a whole new area of investigation,” says Dr. Rodriguez. 

Instead of targeting tumors, new drugs are harnessing the body’s inner power.

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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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