Exploring Various Immunotherapy Approaches to Combat Cancer
This article provides an overview of the primary types of immunotherapy used in cancer treatment, including non-specific agents, T-cell therapy, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and oncolytic viruses. It explains how these therapies work to boost the immune system's ability to fight tumors and prevent metastasis. The piece aims to inform readers about cutting-edge cancer therapies, their applications, and benefits within the oncology field, highlighting advancements in biological treatments that enhance survival rates and quality of life for patients.
Exploring Various Immunotherapy Approaches to Combat Cancer
Immunotherapy, also known as biological therapy, uses specialized substances, either engineered in laboratories or naturally produced by the body, to enhance the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. Its goal is to strengthen immune responses to eliminate existing cancer cells, halt tumor growth, and prevent metastasis.
There are four main types of immunotherapy:
Non-specific immunotherapies
These include agents like interleukins and interferons that help activate the immune system to attack cancer cells, often working alongside other treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation.
T-cell therapy
This approach involves modifying a patient's T-cells—immune cells that fight infection—so they can specifically target cancer cells. The process includes extracting T-cells, engineering them with receptors in the lab, expanding their numbers, and reinfusing them into the patient to seek out and destroy tumors.
Cancer vaccines
Vaccines designed to treat or prevent cancer expose the immune system to tumor-specific antigens, prompting an immune response that fights the disease.
Monoclonal antibodies
These laboratory-produced molecules such as Avelumab or Pembrolizumab target specific proteins on cancer cells, aiding the immune system in recognizing and destroying tumors. They also inhibit immune checkpoints that cancers exploit to evade immune attack.
Oncolytic virus therapy
This technique involves injecting genetically engineered viruses like T-VEC directly into tumors, causing cancer cells to burst and die without harming healthy tissue. Multiple rounds of treatment aim to eliminate cancer entirely.
