近日，一项刊登在国际著名杂志Nature Medicine上的研究报道中，来自利兹大学等处的研究者通过研究发现，机体免疫系统的特殊行为可以作为检测癌症复发的早期警报，这或许为开发癌症的新型疗法提供一定的思路。

    文中，研究者发现，由于癌症细胞会发生突变并且躲避免疫系统监视，因此常常会使得癌症复发；通过对小鼠进行试验研究者发现了免疫应答的早期征兆，这或许表明癌症被再度激活了，而且这也可以帮助研究者准确预测癌症复发的时间。

    Alan Melcher教授说道，预测癌症复发的时间将可作为一种新型工具来帮助我们应对疾病的复发，但是如今我们需要开发一种方法，来检测癌症个体的疾病是否会在数年后再度复发。在癌细胞产生变异躲避免疫系统监视之前，研究者就可以使得癌细胞苏醒，随后研究者使用小鼠自身的防御系统来追踪并且杀灭尚存的癌细胞，这项研究中研究者开发的方法可以成功治愈100%的癌症复发小鼠。

    研究者认为，在癌细胞抗击免疫系统之前就先使其苏醒，这或许可以帮助医生们更好地应对癌细胞治疗癌症，但与此同时也需要加强更为有效的监控以及加速疗法的开发。目前这种将癌细胞“故意”激活的方法似乎还存在争议，但是类似的方法已经在甲状腺癌患者中使用了，患者被给予甲状腺**激素来激活休眠的肿瘤从而使得研究者使用放疗的方法更有效地治疗这种癌症。

     Detecting and targeting tumor relapse by its resistance to innate effectors at early recurrence

    Timothy Kottke, Nicolas Boisgerault, Rosa Maria Diaz, Oliver Donnelly, Diana Rommelfanger-Konkol, Jose Pulido, Jill Thompson, Debabrata Mukhopadhyay, Roger Kaspar, Matt Coffey, Hardev Pandha, Alan Melcher, Kevin Harrington, Peter Selby & Richard Vile

    Tumor recurrence represents a major clinical challenge. Our data show that emergent recurrent tumors acquire a phenotype radically different from that of their originating primary tumors. This phenotype allows them to evade a host-derived innate immune response elicited by the progression from minimal residual disease （MRD） to actively growing recurrence. Screening for this innate response predicted accurately in which mice recurrence would occur. Premature induction of recurrence resensitized MRD to the primary therapy, suggesting a possible paradigm shift for clinical treatment of dormant disease in which the current expectant approach is replaced with active attempts to uncover MRD before evolution of the escape phenotype is complete. By combining screening with second-line treatments targeting innate insensitivity, up to 100% of mice that would have otherwise relapsed were cured. These data may open new avenues for early detection and appropriately timed, highly targeted treatment of tumor recurrence irrespective of tumor type or frontline treatment.