00:00Usually when doctors operate to remove cancer, they also remove nearby lymph nodes.
00:05This has been a standard practice for years.
00:07Now, it is meant to stop cancer from spreading.
00:10But what if I told you that those lymph nodes are doing much more than we thought?
00:13And the question arises, are these cancer surgeries taking away our body's secret weapon against cancerous tumours?
00:20It is a bold question and a new research may have something very important to tell us.
00:24A research group at the Doherty Institute just uncovered how important lymph nodes are in fighting off cancer.
00:32There are studies published in Nature Immunology show that these small organs don't just filter germs and cancer cells.
00:39Lymph nodes actually help special immune cells called T cells grow, multiply and learn how to hunt down cancer.
00:47In fact, the lymph nodes are like training camps.
00:50They help make killer T cells that can attack both viruses and cancerous tumours.
00:55The scientists what they found is that these lymph nodes give stem-like T cells everything they need to stay alive and strong.
01:01These cells then generate the powerful killer T cells that help the body target cancer.
01:06Other parts of the immune system like the spleen just can't do this job as well.
01:11So why does this matter for surgery?
01:13Well, when surgeons remove lymph nodes to fight cancer, they might also reduce the immune system's ability to make these critical cancer-killing cells.
01:22Professor Axel Callis, one of the senior authors said, and I'm quoting him,
01:27lymph nodes aren't just passive waiting rooms for immune cells.
01:31They actively train and educate T cells and send them off to do their job.
01:35This means that by removing lymph nodes, doctors may lower the chance for immune-based treatments like immunotherapy or CAR T cell therapy to work as well as they could.
01:46These therapies often rely on a strong supply of well-trained killer T cells, which as it turns out, come from lymph nodes.
01:54The research also helps explain why some cancer patients respond better to treatment than others.
02:00If a person's lymph nodes are healthy and can make lots of these T cells, their immune response is much stronger.
02:07But if the lymph nodes are gone, that whole protective system could be weakened.
02:12Dr. Carlson Sui, the lead author of one study, said that these findings could help design better treatments,
02:20not just to kill tumors, but also to protect lymph node function.
02:24Imagine being able to boost the body's own cancer-fighting army just by preserving these small but mighty organs during the surgery.
02:34Now, going forward, experts believe that these therapies should do more than just target tumors.
02:41They should also preserve and maybe even enhance lymph nodes to give patients the best shot at beating cancer.
02:48Of course, this research is still mostly from animal studies, but the next step is to see if these ideas hold true for people as well.
02:58But doctors and scientists are eager to learn more and rethink old habits in the operation theatre.
03:03So, the bottom line is that preserving the body's own hidden army may just turn out to be a secret weapon in the fight against cancer.
03:11So, we'll see you next time.
03:12We'll see you next time.
03:13We'll see you next time.
03:14Bye.
03:15Bye.
03:16Bye.
03:17Bye.
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