There may still not be a cancer cure - but hopes are raised for a new generation of cancer treatments.

A new trial in the US has provided the first direct evidence that normal immune system cells can actually be altered in such a way to become tumour-hunters - raising hopes for a new generation of cancer treatments.

Two men who were apparently dying of the most viralent form of skin - melanoma, have been saved after their white blood cells were genetically engineered to fight their tumours.

Although the new treatment has been tried on the most viralent form of skin cancer - malignant melanoma which kills over two hundred people a year in New Zealand alone, scientists are convinced that it should eventually work on other tumours in the breast,lung and liver.

At the US National Cancer Institute a team has reportedly tailored human white cells to recognize and destroy other cancers in the lab - the researchers said it wouldn't yet work on every patient, and wasn't a silver bullet cure - but it was a promising breakthrough!

During tests on 17 melanoma patients who received tailored cells, only two responded effectively - but these two cases proved the principle that adapted cells can survive and shrink tumours.

This was the first time that gene manipulations have been shown to regress tumours in humans.It clearly was just the first step, but caution suggested that hopes should not be raised too much - it is however an exciting prospect and proved that this type of approach could be successful in the long term.

The two patients who are now apparently cured and originally had advanced skin cancer, had not been helped by standard therapies; they had also been given 3-6 mths to live.The tumours disappeared and they have now been completely disease free 18 mths later. Scientists have not yet given a longterm prognosis for the two men, although one was pronounced completely free of cancer when last examined.Time will tell!