What is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a type of
cancer treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer. The immune system helps your body fight infections and other diseases. It is made up of white blood cells and organs and tissues of the lymph system. Immunotherapy is a type of biological therapy.
How Does Immunotherapy Work?
Immunotherapy works by boosting the natural defenses of the body so it can more effectively target cancer cells. This can be accomplished in several ways, such as by stimulating the immune system to work harder or smarter to attack cancer cells, or by providing the immune system with additional components, such as
man-made immune system proteins.
Types of Immunotherapy
There are several main types of immunotherapy used to treat cancer: Checkpoint inhibitors: These drugs help the immune system respond more strongly to a tumor. They work by releasing the "brakes" that keep immune cells from attacking cancer cells.
CAR T-cell therapy: This treatment takes some of your T cells (a type of immune cell) from your blood, modifies them to have special structures called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) on their surface, and then infuses them back into your body. The modified cells are better able to find and destroy cancer cells.
Monoclonal antibodies: These are immune system proteins created in the lab. They are designed to bind to specific targets found on cancer cells.
Cancer vaccines: Vaccines work by boosting the body's natural defenses to fight cancer. They can be used to prevent or treat cancer.
Immune system modulators: These drugs generally enhance the body's immune response against cancer.
Benefits of Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy can be very effective for some types of cancer, sometimes providing a long-term remission. It can be used alone or in combination with other treatments such as
surgery,
radiation therapy, or
chemotherapy. One of the most significant benefits is that it can target cancer cells specifically, leading to fewer side effects compared to conventional treatments.
Challenges and Limitations
Despite its promise, immunotherapy is not without challenges. Not all patients respond to immunotherapy, and among those who do, responses can be very different. Some patients might experience significant side effects, including inflammation and auto-immune reactions. Moreover, the cost of immunotherapy can be very high, posing an additional barrier to widespread use.Recent Advances
Recent advances in immunotherapy include the development of personalized cancer vaccines, which are tailored to the specific mutations in a patient's tumor. Additionally, the combination of immunotherapy with other treatments, such as targeted therapies, is being actively researched to improve outcomes.Future Prospects
The future of immunotherapy looks promising with ongoing research and clinical trials aimed at improving its efficacy and expanding its use to more types of cancer. Efforts are also being made to minimize side effects and make these treatments more affordable and accessible to a broader population.
