Careers

Lehe Popularization

Cancer recurrence and metastasis: 90% of patients miss a crucial step!

时间：2026-05-22　人气：

Click on the blue text above to follow us

Recurrence and metastasis, how many cancer patients' hopes for cure have these two words taken away? Among them, cancer metastasis accounts for 90% of cancer deaths. [1] Regardless of which type, it means that cancer cells have regrouped and launched a new round of attack.

Where exactly is the vulnerability?

Which link of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy has gone wrong?

Why do recurrence and metastasis occur in you?

The answer lies in the most critical step of cancer cure, controlling micro-residuals.

Popular science

What is micro-residual?

Minimal residual disease (MRD) refers to the presence of a small number of cancer cells remaining in the body after tumor treatment (such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or bone marrow transplantation), which cannot be detected by conventional tests despite the disappearance of the tumor or the achievement of complete remission status as indicated by traditional imaging examinations such as CT, MRI, or blood tumor marker tests.

Over time, these minimal residual cancer cells may become reactivated and start proliferating, ultimately leading to recurrence or metastasis.

Popular science

How do micro-residuals lead to recurrence and metastasis?

Although micro-residuals may not be strongly noticeable, their harm is not insignificant.

First, let's talk about recurrence. Recurrence refers to the growth of tumor at the primary site or nearby areas again after patients with tumors have undergone radical treatment. It is divided into local recurrence and regional recurrence. These small and hidden residual cancer cells may have escaped the "killing" of treatment due to dormancy or insensitivity to therapeutic drugs, and they are waiting for changes in the body's internal environment, such as decreased immunity or altered drug metabolism, to reactivate and proliferate. Once they reach a certain "scale", tumor recurrence may occur again.

And "metastasis" is a "superpower" of cancer cells, with these micro-residual cancer cells being the protagonists. Due to the weakened adhesion between cancer cells, they can leave the primary lesion like a wild horse escaping its reins, spreading to other parts of the body through the bloodstream, lymphatic system, or other pathways. And when cancer cells reach their "new destination", they must create an environment conducive to their growth and survival, forming clusters of cancer cells. With just a few clusters of cancer cells taking root, they can quickly occupy new organs and grow new tumors through their powerful reproductive ability, completing metastasis.

Popular science

Controlling micro-residuals is the key to curing cancer

Even though many cancer patients have undergone radical treatment, micro-residuals are still unavoidable. Therefore, how to control this factor becomes the key to determining cancer cure.

1. Restoring immune ecology

In cancer patients, the immune ecosystem is often in an imbalanced state, which provides an opportunity for cancer cells to take advantage of. On the other hand, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and other treatments used in the process of cancer treatment may also cause damage to the immune system, further exacerbating immune imbalance. To control micro-residuals, it is necessary to first rebuild the patient's damaged immune defense network and fill the loopholes.

2. Cell therapy takes a "shortcut" to rebuild immunity

Immune cells are capable of recognizing and killing cancer cells. However, for cancer patients, especially those in the middle and late stages, relying on their own immune system to rebuild is not only challenging but also a lengthy process, with the added concern of the disease suddenly progressing due to the presence of residual cancer cells. Therefore, opting for immune cell therapy can provide a "shortcut" for immune system reconstruction, and the process is more controllable.

Among numerous immune cells, there exists a type of vNKT cell that is larger and more potent in killing. Once activated, it can efficiently eliminate hundreds of cancer cells that may remain undetected in the body. Furthermore, research has also revealed that vNKT cells possess a dual anti-tumor effect. Not only can they directly kill cancer cells, but they can also regulate the immune microenvironment within tumor tissues, kill inhibitory immune cells known as MDSCs, break down tumor immune evasion, rebuild the normal immune system, and further prevent recurrence and metastasis.

3. Enhancing the resilience of cancer cells

Through immune cell therapy, residual micro-lesions and cancer cells in the body are eliminated. At the same time, immune cells develop "memory" and continuously repeat the process of "recognizing and killing cancer cells," providing patients with long-term resistance to cancer cells.

Popular science

Boost immunity and seize the critical period

1. Ending the tumor treatment confrontation period After undergoing conventional treatment, cancer patients enter a better recovery phase following the end of the tumor treatment's confrontation phase, during which the tumor cell burden is significantly reduced. At this time, the introduction of immune cell therapy can not only eliminate micro-residuals and improve the tumor cure rate, but also alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, thereby enhancing the patient's quality of life.

2. Recovery period

After all treatments have been completed, some patients may lack suitable follow-up treatment options, which can compromise the continuity of their treatment. However, micro-residual cancer cells still persist. In this case, introducing immune cell therapy can not only enhance patients' immunity and aid in the clearance of residual cancer cells, but also improve tumor cure rates and survival rates.

3. Loss of other treatment opportunities in the late stage

For patients who have lost other treatment opportunities and may no longer be eligible for surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy, immune cell therapy can still be used to improve their lifespan and quality of life.

vNKT cell therapy brings new hope for cancer patients to be cured.

# vNKT cell immunotherapy

Natural killer T (NKT) cells, a special T cell subset with both T cell receptor (TCR) and NK cell receptors on its surface, combine the important characteristics of NK cells and T cells, possessing the dual ability to recognize tumor cells non-specifically and specifically, and can rapidly kill tumor cells. Among the NKT cell subsets, there is a larger and more potent special type of soldier discovered by the experimental team led by Professor Zhang Minghui of Tsinghua University, namely variant natural killer T (vNKT) cells.

The population of vNKT cells in the body is very small and they are not easily activated. However, once activated, they can effectively eliminate tumor cells that may remain undetected in the body. Additionally, research has found that vNKT cells exhibit dual anti-tumor effects. Not only can they directly kill cancer cells, but they also modulate the immune microenvironment within tumor tissues, killing inhibitory immune cells known as MDSCs, breaking tumor immune evasion, rebuilding the normal immune system, and further preventing recurrence and metastasis.

Experimental conditions: In the presence of vNKT cells, after 16 hours, nearly all B16 tumor cells were killed!

undefined

Lian
is a
I

Scan QR code
Communicate with Professor Zhang Minghui's team

Zhang Minghui Founder of Lehe New Medicine and PhD in Immunology from Tsinghua University School of Medicine

Since the discovery of vNKT cells in 2002, Professor Zhang Minghui's research team has been engaged in research for over 20 years, accumulating treatment experience in over 700 cases of solid tumors, covering almost all common solid tumors. The research results fully demonstrate the great value of vNKT in the treatment of solid tumors.

It is suitable for postoperative patients with high malignant potential or a risk of recurrence; patients whose tumors have been largely controlled but not cured through conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy; and patients who continue to have high carcinogenic factors. If these patients do not undergo effective follow-up treatment after traditional anti-tumor therapy, recurrence, metastasis, or re-emergence of tumors will be highly probable. In this case, vNKT cell therapy is an ideal follow-up treatment method that can significantly improve the prognosis of patients.

Reference source:
[1]Chaffer CL, Weinberg RA. A perspective on cancer cell metastasis. Science. 2011;331(6024):1559-1564.

Written by: Zhang Tuo
Reviewed by: Qiao Jiacheng, Wang Ying, Gao Chen
Edited/typeset by Zhang Jiao

Click on the image to view past exciting content

Reposting is a driving force, sharing is a kind of beauty

上一篇：吃益生菌的人注意，不做这件事，可能都白吃了！

下一篇：40.2%的癌症死亡可避免，只需远离3个习惯

About Lehe

Corporate Culture Founder's Introduction Academic Literature Lehe News

New Medical Services

Second Consultation Clinical Trial Enrollment Elite Care Post-Cancer Wellness Chronic Disease Rehabilitation

New Medical Base

Beijing Research and Development Center Zibo Pilot-Scale Base Beidaihe Pilot-Scale Base Suzhou Center for Medical Humanities

Oncology Clinical Research

Lung Cancer Stomach Cancer Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancers Intestine Cancer Breast Cancer B-cell lymphoma Cervical Cancer Other Solid Tumors

Chronic Disease Research

Hypertension Diabetes Obesity Immune Diseases Degenerative Diseases Chronic Inflammation Others

Lehe Education

Lehe Popularization Lehe Humanities

Contact Us

Address: Room 1101 (Unit 101), 11th Floor, Building 1, No. 7 Courtyard, Kexueyuan Road, Life Science Park, Changping District, Beijing
Phone：010-8265 9866
Email：lehemedneo@hotmail.com

Copyright©2022 Beijing Lehe New Medical Clinic Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved ICP: 京ICP备2025148232号京公网安备11011402054997号 Privacy Policy