Cancer immunotherapy spreads rapidly
New approvals and expanded use for checkpoint inhibitor drugs illustrate the power of Nobel-winning science
A revolution is underway in cancer therapy, raising the spectre of hope for patients whose cancers are difficult or impossible to treat with surgery, radiotherapy or conventional chemotherapy. Immunotherapy, where the body’s immune system is primed to kill cancer cells in some way, is already making waves – and this year’s Nobel prize for medicine went to two pioneers.