Research from The University of Western Australia has advanced the development of cancer treatments that enable immune cells to fight tumours more effectively.
Dr Hannah Newnes and Dr Jesse Armitage, from UWA's School of Biomedical Sciences and The Kids Research Institute Australia, were co-authors of the study published in Science Advances.
"Immunotherapy is a safe and effective way to treat cancer in the clinic, however, not all patients respond in the same way," Dr Newnes said.
"We looked at metastatic melanoma – skin cancer that has spread to other parts of the body – which has been a therapeutic challenge due to the complexity of the tumour's microenvironment.
"Unfortunately, immunotherapy benefits are only fully realised in a small number of patients."
The study examined how the type of inflammatory response, or the defence mechanism that protects patients from infection, affected the immune system's ability to kill metastatic melanoma.
Researchers previously thought a highly inflamed tumour, called a "hot" tumour, was more responsive to immunotherapy.
"We have shown that a balanced inflammatory response within the tumour results in better outcomes in cancer patients," Dr Newnes said.
"The findings can be used to develop a treatment strategy that can 'cool down' or balance the inflammatory response, which enables immune cells to fight cancer more effectively."
The results can be used by researchers as guidelines to develop personalised cancer treatment options.
"This will ultimately benefit patients, who up to this point have not responded to current immunotherapies," Dr Newnes said.
