In this approach, drugs are used to block the ability of cancer cells to present themselves as regular cells, essentially confiscating their fake passports and thus making it easier for T-cells to discriminate between friend and foe. This is the approach that was used, along with radiation therapy, by former president Jimmy Carter’s doctors to help his immune system fight off the melanoma in his brain and liver. Prior to this innovation, a diagnosis like his was, without exception, fatal.
