Ohio State doctors are turning the tables on tumors by altering cells to better detect and kill cancer. Richard Wu, MD, PhD, and his OSUCCC – James colleagues are at the forefront of a new type of cancer treatment in which lymphocytes from patients’ immune systems are removed from their tumors and then enhanced in the lab and returned to their bodies to better detect and kill cancer cells. The process, called tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, is currently being studied in clinical trials at The James and other leading cancer centers. The lymphatic system includes T cells and B cells that fight cancer. “In the patients I treat, the cancer has been infiltrated by T cells, but for some reason, their tumors don’t shrink,” Wu explains. “The cancer cells have found a way to shut off the immune system.” Wu shares more details about TIL therapy on our Cancer-Free World Podcast. Listen via the video player above, or via SoundCloud. Through TIL therapy, Wu and his team are attempting to take advantage of the T cells’ natural abilities by removing them from what Wu describes as the “suppressive environment” of the tumors. These millions of cells are then “exposed to a potent stimulus to regrow and regain function.” Millions of T cells subsequently become billions, and because they’re from the patients’ bodies, the immune systems can recognize them and maximize their cancer-killing potential. Click to learn more about immunotherapy at Ohio State. “We are at the tip of the iceberg. I see TIL as a platform therapy — we’re only at the beginning, and there are multiple ways it is being explored so we can make it work even better,” Wu says of the process, which is treating lung cancer and melanoma in the early stages of its trial. “This is what drives me in my daily work — seeing patients who haven’t responded to standard treatment options and coming up with a new approach and never being satisfied with the status quo.” Click to learn more about cancer clinical trials at the OSUCCC – James.