What is immunotherapy?
Cancer immunotherapy, also known as immuno-oncology, is a form of cancer treatment that uses the power of the body’s own immune system to prevent, control, and eliminate cancer.
Cancer immunotherapy comes in a variety of forms, including targeted antibodies, cancer vaccines, adoptive cell transfer, tumor-infecting viruses, checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, and adjuvants. Immunotherapies are a form of biotherapy (also called biologic therapy or biological response modifier (BRM) therapy) because they use materials from living organisms to fight disease. Some immunotherapy treatments use genetic engineering to enhance immune cells’ cancer-fighting capabilities and may be referred to as gene therapies. Many immunotherapy treatments for preventing, managing, or treating different cancers can also be used in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or targeted therapies to improve their effectiveness.
Why Immunotherapy
Immunotherapies have been approved in the United States and elsewhere to treat a variety of cancers and are prescribed to patients by oncologists. These approvals are the result of years of research and testing designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of these treatments. Immunotherapies are also available through clinical trials, which are carefully controlled and monitored studies involving patient volunteers.
Immunotherapy doesn’t always work for every patient, and certain types of immunotherapy are associated with potentially severe but manageable side effects. Scientists are developing ways to determine which patients are likely to respond to treatment and which aren’t. This research is leading to new strategies to expand the number of patients who may potentially benefit from treatment with immunotherapy.
Although scientists haven’t yet mastered all the immune system’s cancer-fighting capabilities, immunotherapy is already helping to extend and save the lives of many cancer patients. Immunotherapy holds the potential to become more precise, more personalized, and more effective than current cancer treatments—and potentially with fewer side effects. Learn more about how you can support new breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy research.
Many cancer patients and caregivers may be familiar with traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation. Several important features of immunotherapy, a form of cancer treatment that uses the power of the body’s immune system to prevent, control and eliminate cancer, make for a more specific answer to cancer.
Although scientists haven’t yet mastered all the immune system’s cancer-fighting capabilities, immunotherapy is already helping to extend and save the lives of many cancer patients. Immunotherapy holds the potential to become more precise, more personalized, and more effective than current cancer treatments—and potentially with fewer side effects. Learn more about how you can support new breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapy research.
Many cancer patients and caregivers may be familiar with traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation. Several important features of immunotherapy, a form of cancer treatment that uses the power of the body’s immune system to prevent, control and eliminate cancer, make for a more specific answer to cancer.
Lorem ipsum viverra feugiat. Pellen tesque libero ut justo, ultrices in ligula. Semper at. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet elit. Non quae, fugiat nihil ad. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. Lorem ipsum init dolor sit, amet elit. Dolor ipsum non velit, culpa! elit ut et.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet elit. Velit beatae rem ullam dolore nisi esse quasi, sit amet. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet elit.
