There has been a possible breakthrough in the fight against cancer, according to a new study.

Scientists say they have a potential new treatment that involves removing white blood cells from patients and genetically modifying them before putting them back into the body. Professor Stanley Riddell, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, says the treatment basically retrains the body's immune system to fight cancer.

The news came out of the American Association for the Advancement of Science's annual meeting in Washington, DC.

Researchers say early trials have shown that more than 90 percent of terminally ill patients reportedly went into remission, with most patients showing no symptoms after treatment.

However, experts say they still need to conduct more studies.