A long-awaited cancer treatment reaches patients

Thanks to the pandemic, the immune system has gotten a lot of attention. When I think about all the viruses, bacteria and other invaders that the body’s defenses fend off, I’m in awe, even if the nudge of a vaccine is sometimes needed to help mount the counterattack.

This issue’s cover story reminds me of another reason to be in awe: The immune system not only protects against foreign threats but homegrown ones as well. On Page 22, senior writer Meghan Rosen describes a recent breakthrough in wielding the immune system against cancer. Earlier this year, the U.S.