American researchers have succeeded in understanding the links between the IKZF1 gene, responsible for hair loss, and the activity of the immune system in the event of a tumor. Their results could help improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy for some patients.
Beating cancer with the help of your body alone: this is not the proposition of a dubious marabout but the concept of immunotherapy. It consists of stimulating the body’s immune defenses so that they attack the tumor. Columbia University Irving Medical Center researchers publish new study in journal Cell Systems, which shows that the gene responsible for hair loss could precisely improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy against cancer.
Tumors that escape the immune system
One in two cancers today is cured thanks to “classic” cancer treatments: surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Immunotherapy will not replace these effective techniques, but it can help patients for whom traditional methods do not work. However, in some, immunotherapy is out of reach: “Many patients cannot benefit from immunotherapy because their tumors are able to escape the immune system”, explains Angela M. Christiano, head of the study.
The role of the IKZF1 gene
This research started from an observation: autoimmune diseases and cancers are opposed in terms of signals sent to the immune system. If the latter is very active, the patient risks autoimmune disease, on the contrary, if it is under-active, the cancer can “escape” and progress in the body.
Researchers have identified genes that are very active in autoimmune disease in order to use them in the treatment of cancer. Among them, the IKZF1 gene, which is responsible for the overproduction of immune cells, causes the destruction of hair follicles and therefore hair loss.
The researchers tested their results in mice to understand whether activating this gene in tumor cells could attract immune cells to attack the tumor. In mice for which the gene has been activated, the immune response is stronger, and the tumor is less able to escape the immune system, compared to rodents in the test group.
Different cancers, different immune responses
These results may differ depending on the type of cancer because the IKZF1 gene is not always active. In kidney and colorectal tumors, the gene does not improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy. On the other hand, it is in prostate cancer. These discoveries could help improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy in treating cancer and treat more patients. According to the national cancer institute, the incidence of cancer in France was 400,000 cases in 2017.
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