Immune System and Acquired Resistance to EGFR Inhibitors - 1260093

Hi Tracey,

It's always a good idea to do what you can to strengthen your immune system, because as you've seen it helps with general well-being and the ability of the body to bounce back from the rigors of treatment. The problem with the immune system with regard to cancer cells is that since those cells are "normal" (although mutated) lung or breast or pancreas cells rather than something foreign invading the body, the immune system does not view them as dangerous and has no reason or way to attack them. Immunotherapies now being tested seek to find ways to get the immune system to recognize and eradicate cancer cells.

In any event, although there's no research to prove it, there isn't much reason to think that strengthening your immune system will hasten either acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs like Iressa or Tarceva or cancer progression. Oncologists will tell you that they have seen patients with strong immune systems progress rapidly or develop resistance quickly, and those with compromised immune systems do relatively well (assuming they can still tolerate necessary treatment). It's not the body which develops resistance to EGFR TKIs, it's the cancer cells. Still, as a general rule it's better to have a strong immune system.

JimC
Forum moderator

Tracey,

Sorry for the confusion. I was merely trying to state that although a strong immune system is always a good thing, it's not always predictive of good response to treatment; every oncologist can point to examples of patients who do well despite a compromised immune system, or patients who don't do well despite their otherwise good health.

Anything that kills cancer cells could potentially stimulate those cancer cells to further mutate and develop resistance, but killing cancer cells is always a good thing.

Jim

Tracey,

I wouldn't really agree that there isn't anything you can do to help yourself. Although much is determined by the biology of the cancer, staying active (including exercising) and eating a healthy diet does help, if for no other reason than to help you feel good enough that you can get all the way through a treatment regimen. No regimen is very effective if you need to stop well before it's intended end point.

JimC
Forum moderator

We are still learning about the interaction of the immune system with lung cancer and other cancers. It's definitely complex, meaning that we are learning that the immune system can be harnessed for some cancers, but it's not as simple as progression of the cancer meaning that the immune system has failed.

There isn't evidence that daily activities or dietary changes modify immune function enough to lead to a greater or lesser immune response against the cancer, but as Jim suggested, people with cancer who exercise regularly and eat better tend to also do better (though it's not clear whether they're doing better because they exercise and eat well or that the people who are going to do well can exercise and eat better than the ones who are destined to do poorly).

My impression after being focused on cancer for more than 15 years is that while there is a modulatory effect from a patient's efforts and habits, the biology of the cancer -- it's inherent sensitivity or resistance to various treatments -- is a far greater variable that is unfortunately not subject to modification by patient or physician input.

-Dr. West