Narrator: This is Science Today. Although there are a number of cancers which are called "chemotherapy-responsive" - the sad truth is, they're not the majority of cases. That's why many cancer researchers, including Dr. Robert Figlin of UCLA, are looking at immunotherapy to play a bigger role in cancer treatment.

Figlin: The natural idea would be, if you can enhance their immune system so that their immune system is now observing the development of cancer and hopefully destroying it as it develops, then you have a surveillance mechanism that enhances the patient's chances for cure.

Narrator: Because of the recent advances in antibody therapy, including UCLA's promising approaches to prostate and kidney cancer, Figlin envisions using immunotherapy a lot more in the future.

Figlin: I think what you're going to see as we move forward is - in quotes - in those "chemotherapy-responsive" diseases, that doesn't mean that immunotherapy can't be part of the package and I think in those "chemotherapy-responsive" diseases, immunotherapy is being added to enhance what chemotherapy has accomplished.

Narrator: For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.