Cancer has been around since 3000 BC; it is a relentless and persistent disease, which is why we need as many treatment options as possible. Scientists have been working on inventing new treatment options, and the most promising one is called immunotherapy. It is still in clinical trials, but it has been showing promising results and will be most likely available to the public soon. You may be asking, how is immunotherapy different from other cancer treatments? It is different because it uses the body’s immune system to fight cancerous cells. Since the cancerous cells are the body’s own cells the immune system does not recognize them as a threat, so the immune system needs help acknowledging the cells as dangerous. Much like other cancer treatments, there are different kinds of immunotherapy.
Since there is a large number of cancer variants there has to be a significant number of cancer treatments. The type of treatment that gets chosen for a cancer patient depends on almost everything, from the stage of cancer to the history of the patient; because of this, there has to be a lot of treatment options. Various types of treatments are under the same umbrella as immunotherapy, these treatments include
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are drugs needed to block immune checkpoints, which are a part of the immune system. They keep immune responses from being too strong, but by blocking them it allows the immune system to respond to the cancerous cells.
T-cell transfer therapy is a treatment that enhances the natural ability of the T-cells to fight cancer. In this treatment, the immune cells get taken from the tumor, and the ones that are most active against the cancer get put back into the body with a needle inserted in the vein.
Monoclonal antibodies are immune system proteins that are grown in a lab; they are designed to bind to specific targets on cancerous cells. Some monoclonal antibodies are used to mark the cancer cells so they are better seen by the immune system.
Treatment vaccines help fight cancer by strengthening the body’s immune system and making them more aware of the cancerous cells.
Immune system modulators enhance the body’s immune response against cancer.
Along with all these different types of immunotherapy, there are also different ways that it can be administered, such as intravenous (IV), oral (pills or capsules), topical (a cream to rub on the skin), and intravesical (inserted directly into the bladder).
Immunotherapy is still a very experimental treatment for cancer, but it has a lot of potential. Research shows that immunotherapy can treat bladder cancer, brain cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, esophageal cancer, head and neck cancer, kidney cancer, leukemia, liver cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, melanoma, multiple myeloma, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, sarcoma, skin cancer, and stomach cancer. Even though that is a lot, immunotherapy is not guaranteed to treat any of the cancers that are listed; it depends on many things, but mainly what stage the cancer is at when it is discovered. Cancer is a lethal disease, but we keep getting closer and closer to finding a cure.
Sources:
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/immunotherapy.html Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board