These immunotherapies highlight a promising new strategy in the war against cancer – rebooting the immune system so that it can keep cancers in check whatever tricks they spring on us.

Despite evolving throughout a person's life to control and destroy life-threatening intruders, the immune system is regularly outfoxed by cancer. This is often because tumour cells find ways to camouflage themselves from the immune system.

Results presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago show how three antibodies can blow cancer's cover.