‘Immunotherapy emerging as effective arm to fight cancer’

Nagpur: With surgery, chemotherapy and radiation being widely used to treat cancer, immunotherapy is emerging as an effective arm to fight the killer disease. But, it would be premature to claim that it is the future of cancer treatment, said Dr Satyajit Rath, professor at Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER), Pune, on Thursday.

Clinical trials, research and studies are going on worldwide and modern medicos should be careful, cautious as well as optimistic while using it, he said while delivering the 13th Prof VG Bhide memorial lecture at Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT).

Rath whose subject of research is immunology — generation and activation of T, B and antigen, spoke on ‘Can we persuade our immunity to get rid of cancer?’.

According to him, the phenomenon of immunotherapy took a centre-stage after 2018 when Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine was awarded to immunologists James Allison and Tasuku Honjo.

“Both Allison and Honjo independently propelled the field of immunotherapy, laying the foundations for the development of a number of drugs now approved to treat cancer. But research trials show that this therapy is successful only in 30% of cases. Moreover, it has its own side-effects too,” Rath said.

According to him, cancer is not a single disease. It has many complications and remedies. Scientists are searching for common threads in all types of cancers so that they can hit the root cause. “However, it’s not just immunity that will help you to stay away from cancer. It could be one of the important factors to keep yourself safe,” he said.

Rath also answered some queries from the audiences. Physicians, surgeons, engineers and academicians attended the lecture in large numbers.

Maharashtra Academy of Sciences, Physics Promotion and Charitable Trust, VNIT and members of Bhide family jointly organize this lecture every year on August 8 in memory of eminent educationist and scientist VB Bhide. He was a physicist of international repute who worked tirelessly for promoting science among children. He was awarded Padma Shri for his achievements.

VNIT director Pramod Padole, Vishram Jamdar, chairman of board of governors, professor SK Deshpande and Dr Vidula Kapre, daughter of VB Bhide, were seated on the dais.