Recurrence (Cancer)
While many treatments for cancer are successful in eliminating the disease, with some patients, there is always the danger that the cancer can return. Recurrence is defined by CancerWeb's Online Medical Dictionary as "the point when cancer cells from the primary tumour are detected following the primary treatment for the cancer" (1997).
The rate of recurrence in cancer patients varies widely depending on numerous factors, including the type of cancer, genetic and lifestyle issues, and more. For example, according to Amanda Gardner of HealthDay, there are 186 genetic markers that can indicate the chances of recurrence in cases of breast, prostate and certain types of brain cancers.
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The likelihood of lung cancer recurrence can also be predicted through the analysis of T-cells.
Lung cancer is usually treated surgically. A study conducted at the Duke University Medical Center has shown that patients who have had surgery for early stage lung cancer are more likely to experience a recurrence if there are large numbers of T-regulatory cells present in the tumor.
T-regulatory cells are part of what has made the development of cancer treatments involving the immune system difficult. These make up a subpopulation of thymus cells that actually inhibit the immune system. Normally, this is not a bad thing, as they prevent immune cells from attacking the body's own healthy cells.
Normally, immune cells are activated when a "foreign" pathogen (i.e., a virus or bacterium) are detected. Technically, cancer cells are not "foreign" - they are simply cells of the body that begin to grow in an uncontrolled manner, and therefore, are not recognized as "foreign."
The presence of T-regulatory cells exacerbates the problem by suppressing the action of immune cells. Current research which is focused on "tricking" the body's defenses into attacking cancer cells as they would a foreign pathogen must find a way around these T-regulatory cells in order to make such a therapy successful.