Dendritic cells therapy

Dendritic cells (DC) offer hope that the treatment of end-stage cancer will become much more successful in the near future. Hundreds of dendritic cell-based therapeutic vaccines have already been developed, dozens of which are in the final phases of clinical trials. For now, dendritic cells therapy is considered an experimental method. A similar status was once held by all cancer treatment methods, which are now considered standard therapy for oncological diseases.

What are dendritic cells?

DCs are antigen-presenting immune cells. They must first encounter and study foreign cells (infectious agents or cancer cells) by capturing and fragmenting antigens, protein molecules that trigger an immune response. The antigens are then presented to T cells and other immune cells that attack the foreign agent: in the case of oncology, this is a tumor.

Thus, DCs teach other types of immune cells to recognize the target for attack, distinguishing it from normal tissues. They enhance the immune response. This is precisely the goal of using dendritic cell-based vaccines: to make T cells to more actively attack cancer cells.

How are dendritic cells used?

DCs are used to create personalized vaccines. They are then used for cancer immunotherapy.

The DCs are harvested from the patient's blood, so they are safe for the patient. The principle of treatment is that if your dendritic cells cannot find and present tumor antigens to T cells on their own, they need help to cope with their task. DCs come into contact with antigens in the laboratory and are then administered as a subcutaneous injection in their mature form into the human body.

The main stages of treatment are as follows:

1. Blood sampling from the patient.

2. Monocyte isolation.

3. Incubation and transformation into dendritic cells.

4. Addition of tumor antigens and cytokines and maturation of DCs.

5. Injection of the resulting vaccine into the patient.

The laboratory stage of the treatment lasts from 4 to 5 weeks: this is how long it takes to produce the vaccine. Vaccination then takes place with at least one dose and often several doses at intervals of several weeks.

What results can be expected?

It is difficult to say what specific results a person will get, because you need to know what kind of cancer he or she has: the type of cancer, its stage, blood biomarker levels, and the number and size of metastases. In addition, many clinical research projects are still ongoing and their results have not yet been published.

In any case, most patients benefit from treatment. This may include the following:

Activation of the antitumor immune response and increase in its effectiveness

Reduction in the size of tumor foci or stopping their growth

Reduction in tumor marker levels due to a decrease in the tumor load

Improvement of the duration and quality of life

Increase in the effectiveness of other concurrent treatments

When DCs are used after surgery, rather than in the terminal stage of cancer, they can reduce the risk of recurrence or increase the recurrence-free period.

Benefits of dendritic cells

Dendritic cell-based vaccines are used for systemic cancer therapy, which means that they affect all tumors at once, including metastases.

In addition, dendritic cells:

Have minimal toxicity

Can be combined with any type of cancer treatment

Enhance the effects of other types of immunotherapy

While DCs are not yet standard treatments, this therapeutic option can be used by enrolling in clinical trials. Some leading European clinics offer both local and international patients the opportunity to receive the dendritic cell-based vaccine.

If you are considering advanced immunotherapy treatment abroad, you are welcome to visit the Booking Health website. The world's leading medical centers are presented here. Some of them use dendritic cell-based vaccines. Please leave your request on the Booking Health website to find out which clinic offers this treatment and get advice from medical tourism specialists. They will select a clinic for you, make an appointment for your treatment on your preferred dates, organize your trip, and provide assistance and support during your stay in a foreign country.