Prof. Hajtó's book is ideal for healthcare practitioners wanting to expand and update their knowledge in this vital area, without having to read tomes of scientific research. Despite covering complex issues, the book is also surprisingly readable for non-practitioners wanting to appreciate the depth and complexity of the immune system, and how to optimise it. Understanding the complexities of immunity and finding effective and non-toxic ways to safely modulate that natural protection has been the holy grail of medicine for a few decades now. This is believed to hold the key to effective cancer treatments, which is why this topic is the focus of so much medical research.
The book starts out with an overview of the innate and adaptive immune systems, and how they complement each other, and then goes into more detail on these two primary arms of immunity. The importance of NK cells is highlighted because of their key role in the body's first line of defence against cytotoxicity and uncontrolled cell proliferation. Prof. Hajto then moves on to the topic of cancer immunotherapy, and how it has become the target of intense research over the past few decades. Different deliberate methods of modulating immunity have been tried in this area, including the use of vaccines, IL-2 and IFN therapy, bacterial infection (such as Coley's toxins), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and genetic modification. However, clinical studies show that there are usually serious unwanted side effects, making these approaches less viable in actual treatment programmes. (There are also incidental factors that lower immunity, including diseases such as diabetes, certain bacterial and viral infections, and organ transplants, which require immune suppressing drugs.)
The problem with the immune system is the complexity of its function, so that when one aspect is boosted (or suppressed) there are often unexpected and undesirable side effects in other parts of the system, so the entire system as a whole becomes difficult to control. Trying to modulate immunity is often self-sabotaging. However, Prof. Hajto shows how there are natural plant-based molecules — specifically rice bran arabinoxylan compounds (RBAC), which are proprietary arabinoxylan concentrates made from the enzymatic breakdown of rice bran — that have the ideal pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP) in their molecular structure, which powerfully stimulate immune function without unwanted side effects. This presents a huge step forward in immunology, which is why RBAC (commercially known as Biobran) is becoming very popular in clinics worldwide, allowing for the stimulation of weak immune systems without unwanted side-effects.
The book ends with the observation that the immune system balance may play a significant role in tumour development in the first place, and that it is vital to keep these systems in balance to maintain optimal health and reduce the chance of pathologies.
In conclusion, Clinical Tumour Immunology by Professor Hajtó provides an important overview of tumour immunology today, highlighting the most promising methods for safely and effectively stimulating our natural defences.
