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The promise of harnessing the immune system to fight cancer has long been dreamt of. In the late 19th century William Coley, a New York cancer surgeon, found that inflammation caused by purposely injecting streptococcal bacteria into sarcoma lesions could control the spread of the disease, at least temporarily. Over time, his ideas were left by the wayside as techniques in cancer surgery and radiotherapy were honed and the new science of chemotherapy was developed.

Original publication

DOI

10.1042/bio04101004

Type

Journal article

Journal

Biochemist

Publication Date

01/01/2019

Volume

41

Pages

4 - 7