Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. It works by stimulating the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, which are often able to evade the immune system. Immunotherapy can be used to treat various types of cancer, including melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, and others.
How does immunotherapy work?
Immunotherapy works by stimulating the immune system to recognize cancer cells as foreign and attack them. This can be done through various mechanisms, including:
Activating immune cells, such as T cells and dendritic cells, to recognize and attack cancer cells
Enhancing the body’s natural defenses to fight cancer
Inhibiting the growth of cancer cells
Inducing apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells
What are the types of immunotherapy?
There are several types of immunotherapy, including:
Monoclonal antibodies: These are laboratory-made antibodies that are designed to target specific proteins on cancer cells.
Checkpoint inhibitors: These are drugs that release the brakes on the immune system, allowing it to attack cancer cells more effectively.
Cancer vaccines: These are vaccines that are designed to stimulate the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
Adoptive T cell therapy: This is a type of immunotherapy that involves removing T cells from the body, expanding them in a laboratory, and then reinfusing them to attack cancer cells.
Oncolytic virus therapy: This is a type of immunotherapy that uses viruses to infect and kill cancer cells.