Immunotherapy cuts cost, boosts effectiveness of cancer treatments

Radiologist and researcher Jason William, MD, has developed a method of injecting immunotherapy drugs directly into the cancer cells using image-guided cryoblation.

Williams injected immunotherapy drugs with cryoblation on animals and found it improved survival rates by as much as 80 percent. The freezing and killing of cells, then using image guidance to insert probes within the tumor, allows the body to fight tumors. Patients can then received injections of immunotherapy drugs to treat tumors. This process uses one-eighth the typical amount of medication, cutting the cost from $300,000 to $37,500.

"Biologically, the idea makes sense, because intentionally leaving dead tissue for the body to dispose of naturally is a way to potentially immunize against cancer cells," said tumor immunology and immunotherapy researcher Alex Y. Huang, MD, PhD, associate professor of the department of pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and clinical fellowship director of the division of pediatric hematology/oncology at University Hospitals Case Medical Center/Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital. "Cryoablation uses cold temperature to induce necrotic cell death, which is a signal for the immune system to wake up. The dead tumor proteins will be seen as foreign by the immune system, which will attack the cancer."

Current human tests on 80 patients, one with advanced breast cancer found.

"A single treatment ablated two lung tumors and, using combination immunotherapy, she had complete resolution of the tumors in the body and 50 percent reduction in size and number of the brain tumors," said Williams. "In many patients, we have seen complete resolution of their cancer, even in remote sites not directly treated. We have treated enough patients now to know that these results are not a fluke, but I look forward to testing this therapy in an official clinical trial."