New Direction in Lung Cancer Treatment: NTU Research Reveals Nerves as Accomplices to Cancer Cells

(CNA reporter Shen Pei-yao, Taipei, August 8) Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally. While immunotherapy has brought new treatment opportunities, a multinational study by National Taiwan University (NTU) has found that lung cancer utilizes the nervous system to suppress immune defenses, reducing the efficacy of immunotherapy. Blocking nerve signals may help improve treatment outcomes, revealing a new direction for treatment.

In recent years, immunotherapy has developed rapidly. Chen Chin-hsing, Director of the Department of Surgery at National Taiwan University Hospital, stated in a media interview before the research results press conference today that lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer in Taiwan, accounting for about 70%. Although immunotherapy has changed the fate of many patients, many still have limited responses. The reason has always been an answer that the international medical community has been actively seeking.

This research was led by Leonidas Nikolas Koutsouleris, a visiting professor at the NTU College of Medicine and currently a researcher at The Francis Crick Institute in the UK. In collaboration with NTU Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and other top institutions, an international team has, for the first time, revealed how lung cancer manipulates the nervous system to evade the body's immune army. The findings were recently published in the top international journal "Cell".

The research team discovered that a large number of "nociceptive nerves," responsible for sensing pain, gather around lung cancer cells. When these nerves are activated by cancer cells, they release special nerve signals that interfere with the normal functioning of the immune system.

This is the first time in science that it has been confirmed that nerve signals are an important "protective umbrella" for cancer cells to escape pursuit. Leonidas Nikolas Koutsouleris pointed out in his presentation at the press conference that the research shows that the nerves surrounding lung cancer act like a "communication system sending wrong signals," preventing immune cells from effectively gathering, ultimately allowing cancer cells to escape immune surveillance and grow unchecked.

Notably, this research also provides a new perspective on the harm of smoking. Leonidas Nikolas Koutsouleris pointed out that experiments have confirmed that cigarettes not only contain carcinogens that cause gene mutations but also stimulate the activation of these nociceptive nerves, further weakening the body's immune defense capabilities.

Leonidas Nikolas Koutsouleris said that the research shows that some monoclonal antibody injections currently approved for the treatment of refractory migraines may have the opportunity to be used in combination with cancer immunotherapy in the future. Animal experiments have also shown that this combination therapy can not only enhance the immune system's ability to attack cancer cells but also prolong survival time, indicating that existing drugs may be accelerated for repurposing in lung cancer treatment, bringing new treatment options for patients.

Chen Chin-hsing emphasized that this research reveals a completely new pathogenic mechanism for lung adenocarcinoma. In the future, cancer treatment can not only inhibit the blood vessels supplying nutrients to the tumor, akin to "cutting off water," but also simultaneously block nerve signals, similar to "cutting off electricity." By simultaneously regulating the vascular, nervous, and immune systems, there is an opportunity to develop more effective cancer treatment methods, bringing more possibilities for lung cancer patients. (Editor: Lung Po-an) 1150708

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