As cancer treatment evolves, researchers are identifying ways to help the body’s immune system fight cancer cells. One of the most promising approaches of immunotherapy is cellular therapy, which alters a patient’s own immune cells in a laboratory before being reinfused back into them.
In a recent literature review published in Cancer, my co-authors and I highlight how one of these cellular therapies, tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, has evolved from an experimental concept to an FDA-approved treatment for some patients with advanced melanoma, as well as how researchers hope to expand its use across other cancer types.
What is TIL therapy?
Tumors are surrounded by immune cells that recognize cancer as a threat and attempt to fight it. Among these cells are tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, or TILs. However, many times, there are not enough of these TILs to eliminate the disease on their own.
TIL therapy helps TILs strengthen their natural defense by collecting them, multiplying them in a laboratory, and then returning them to the patient, increasing the body’s ability to target and attack the cancer cells.
Because TIL therapy is a complex and highly personalized treatment, it requires close collaboration across a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including surgical oncologists, medical oncologists and cellular therapy experts. Together, these physicians help determine whether TIL therapy is an appropriate treatment option and guide patients through every stage of care, from tumor collection and cell expansion to infusion and recovery.
A Breakthrough for Metastatic Melanoma
TIL therapy is most commonly used for metastatic melanoma, or melanoma that has spread to other areas of the body. In 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lifileucel, the first TIL-based therapy for advanced melanoma. For patients whose disease has progressed on other treatments, this approval marked an important milestone in cancer immunotherapy.
Can TIL Therapy Work for Other Cancer Types?
As identified in the literature review, researchers are now investigating whether TIL therapy can be effective in other cancer types beyond melanoma.
Early studies have shown encouraging results in cervical and non-small cell lung cancers. Additional clinical trials are exploring its potential use in gastrointestinal and head and neck cancers.
While further research is needed, scientists believe that expanding cellular therapies to other cancer types may help meet an important unmet need for patients with advanced disease.
The Future of TIL Therapy
Although TIL therapy has shown promise, researchers continue look for ways to make it more effective. Our article highlights current studies focused on:
- Identifying the immune cells most capable of recognizing and attacking cancer
- Reducing treatment-related side effects
- Enhancing how immune cells function within the tumor environment
As advancements are made, they may lead to future generations of TIL therapies that are more effective and available to a broader range of patients. What we are learning is that the future of cancer treatment may not come from a laboratory-created drug alone; it may come from empowering the body’s immune system to do what it’s supposed to do: fight cancer.
About the Author
Shen Li, M.D. is an assistant clinical professor of the department of surgery at City of Hope. He is a surgical oncologist at our Chicago location, specializing in complex gastrointestinal cancers and melanoma.