Lingbing Zhang Ph.D*

Yinuoke Ltd., Changchun, Jilin, China

^*Corresponding author: Lingbing Zhang, Yinuoke Ltd., Changchun, Jilin, China.

Received: 1 July 2025; Accepted: 18 July 2025; Published: 05 August 2025

Article Information

Citation: Lingbing Zhang. A New Frontier in Cancer Treatment: Addressing Self-destroying Immune Dysfunction. Archives of Clinical and Biomedical Research. 9 (2025): 302-303.

DOI: 10.26502/acbr.50170466

Keywords

Cancer; Immune Dysfunction

Article Details

Cancer remains one of humanity’s most persistent foes, claiming millions of lives each year. For decades, the medical community has fixated on tumors [1]—those ominous clusters of rogue cells—as the primary drivers of cancer’s lethality. Current immunotherapies, like checkpoint inhibitors and CAR-T cell therapies, have transformed treatment by empowering the immune system to attack these tumors [2]. Yet, despite these breakthroughs, many patients still lose their battle with the disease. Our decade-long research has led me to a critical realization: cancer doesn’t kill by tumor alone. It hijacks our immune system, turning it against us to unleash a cascade of destruction that current therapies are not designed to stop. It’s time to develop life-saving immunotherapies that target this destructive immune dysfunction, a mission I believe is essential to saving lives.

The conventional view in oncology holds that tumors kill by infiltrating vital organs, disrupting their function, or spreading to critical areas like the brain or lungs. This is true, but it’s only part of the picture. Through my investigations, I’ve come to see cancer as a master manipulator, capable of weaponizing the very system meant to protect us. In advanced stages, cancer can trigger immune dysregulation by reprogramming immune cells to attack healthy tissues or ignite a hyper-inflammatory state, such as a cytokine storm. This self-inflicted havoc can lead to organ failure, sepsis-like conditions, or cachexia (severe body wasting), often proving fatal even when tumors are controlled or reduced in size.

Consider paraneoplastic syndromes, where tumors release factors that provoke immune attacks on the nervous system or other healthy tissues. Or look at cancers like pancreatic or lung cancer, which drive systemic inflammation that exhausts the body, leaving patients vulnerable to infections or metabolic collapse. My research suggests these are not mere secondary effects, they are deliberate mechanisms of death orchestrated by cancer’s subversion of immune function [3]. Yet, our existing immunotherapies remain narrowly focused on shrinking tumors, overlooking this broader betrayal by our own defenses.

This gap in treatment isn’t just a scientific oversight; it’s a call to action. Tumor-targeting therapies like PD-1 inhibitors have delivered inspiring victories, turning some terminal cases into manageable ones. But for every success, there are patients, like those I’ve studied whose tumors don’t respond when bodies begin to waste away [4]. Why? Because PD-1 inhibitors work dependent on a functional immune system. I propose a paradigm shift: immunotherapies that don’t just attack cancer cells, but restore balance to an immune system thrown into chaos by the disease.

Developing these therapies is a challenge, but the tools are within our grasp. Advances in immunology, which I’ve explored in my work, highlight key culprits in cancer-induced immune dysfunction—massive myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) infiltration to vital organs, or pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-alpha that fuel systemic damage. Imagine a next-generation immunotherapy, born from this research, that pairs tumor-killing agents with immune modulators to quell this immune turmoil perhaps using biologics to neutralize harmful cytokines, or engineered immune cells trained to distinguish friend from foe. Combined with diagnostics to identify patients at risk of immune-mediated decline, we could redefine cancer care.

Skeptics might argue that broadening immunotherapy’s focus risks overcomplicating a field already stretched thin, or that we should perfect tumor-targeting approaches first. I disagree. Tumors ignite cancer’s fire, and eliminating them remain crucial, but ignoring the immune dysfunction they provoke will leave patients’ lives in imminent danger. We must tackle both, and my research shows we can.

The stakes are staggering. Cancer claims over 10 million lives annually worldwide, a toll set to grow as populations age. I urge the scientific community to embrace this new frontier [5]. The tumor-centric model has carried us far, but its limits are clear. By pioneering immunotherapies that address cancer’s hijacking of our immune system, we can save lives that are slipping away despite our best efforts. Patients deserve treatments that don’t just shrink their tumors but preserve their body’s capacity to fight and heal. The science is ready; the need is urgent. I call on us to act because every life lost to immune dysfunction is one we might have saved.

References

1. Liu B, Zhou H, Tan L. et al. Exploring treatment options in cancer: tumor treatment strategies. Sig Transduct Target Ther 9 (2024): 175.
2. Dagher OK, Schwab RD, Brookens SK, et al. Advances in cancer immunotherapies. Cell 186 (2023): 1814-1814.
3. Zhang L, Bonomi PD. Immune System Disorder and Cancer-Associated Cachexia. Cancers (Basel) 16 (2024): 1709.
4. Matsuo N, Azuma K, Murotani K, et al. Prognostic effect of cachexia in patients with non-small cell lung cancer receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. Thorac Cancer 14 (2023): 1362-1367.
5. Zhang L. Novel immunotherapy targeting tumor-induced immune disorder reverses cancer cachexia and prolongs survival [abstract]. Cancer Immunol Res 13 (2025): A090.

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