Cancer surgery destroys body’s immune response

Cancer surgery destroys the body’s immune response—and makes a recurrence more likely.

Oncologists have traditionally removed lymph nodes to stop the cancer spreading, but new research has discovered that the nodes play a vital role in the development of our cancer-fighting T cells.

Researchers at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia have uncovered new details about how lymph nodes help the body fight persistent infections and cancer by coordinating key immune cell activity.

They have found that lymph nodes create the ideal setting for stem-like T cells—an essential type of immune cell—to survive, multiply, and generate the “killer” T cells that target viruses and tumors.  “Our research suggests that removing lymph nodes during cancer surgery, a common practice to prevent tumor spread, may inadvertently reduce the effectiveness of immunotherapy while preserving them could strengthen immune responses”, said Axel Kallies, one of the researchers.

Surgery is the usual choice for solid tumours, such as in breast, colorectal, kidney, lung, and prostate cancers, and for cancers that haven’t spread.

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