Story highlights Scientists have discovered possible new ways to attack core mutations in a patient's cancer cells

There are several limitations, including cost and the speed at which treatments could be developed

(CNN) A new breakthrough in cancer research could lead to a novel form of cancer treatment -- one that is highly specialized for each patient.

Researchers discovered that even though cancer cells mutate wildly within a person's body, the cancer cells within each patient also have common mutations -- ones that could be isolated and fought off by certain immune cells.

Think of it this way: A patient's cancer cells all start off with the same tree trunk, but then grow different kinds of branches. The new research shows certain immune cells can "chop the tree at the trunk rather than just pruning the branches," Dr. Sergio Quezada told CNN.

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Quezada, from the University College London's Cancer Institute, co-authored the study, which was published Thursday by Science magazine.

For years, one of the biggest obstacles in fighting cancer has been the fact that a tumor's cancer cells are not all the same.