According to reporting from Axios, a new class of cancer therapies is being heralded as the biggest innovation in treatment since CAR T-cell therapy. The new approach is called tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy. The approach harnesses immune cells from the cancer tumor itself to go on the attack. CAR T-cell therapy has primarily been developed as an approach for cancers of the blood (think lymphoma or leukemia) but has yet to see approval in solid tumor cancers.
Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Accelerated Approval to a TIL therapy developed by Iovance Therapeutics. Called Amtagvi, this therapy is developed to treat metastatic, unresectable melanoma, a potentially deadly skin cancer. A number of other TIL therapies are in various stages of development, targeting ovarian cancer, lung cancer, and kidney cancer, among others. In truth, TIL therapy was first pioneered decades ago, but their use has been limited.
The reason the therapy hasn’t seen wider use before now is the challenge in scaling up the method, since each patient’s therapy is personalized to the composition of their cancer tumor.
How Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Work
T-cells are extracted from the cancer tumors of the patient. These cells are strengthened, enhanced, and then reproduced in massive quantities. Meanwhile, the immune system of the patient is weakened temporarily with a round of chemotherapy before the T-cells are re-introduced into the patient. Patients are also given an infusion of a protein called interleukin-2. Potential adverse effects of TIL therapy include anemia, increased risk of infection, and potential lung, cardio, or kidney problems.
In Amtagvi’s phase 2 trial, the method produced 56% response rate, and of those respondents, 24% had a complete response, meaning that their melanoma completely disappeared. TIL is intended as a single-use treatment. Amtagvi will also carry a hefty price tag of $515,000, making it the most costly cell therapy in the US. Hopefully, TIL therapy will continue to show promise and gain approval in a wider range of cancer types.
kidney cancer melanoma news ovarian cancer TIL therapy treatment tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes
Last modified: February 23, 2024
