The immune system protects us against deadly germs, bacteria, and illness-causing viruses. It is made up of various organs, antibodies, and immune cells that help us ward off infections and ailments. Despite the effectiveness of our immune system, our body may sometimes fall prey to diseases like cancer.

The traditional cancer treatments include chemotherapy and radiation. However, an advanced treatment method called immunotherapy provides a useful aid in the fight against cancer.

Immunotherapy cancer treatment focuses on utilizing the powers of our body’s immune system in fighting deadly diseases. Let us learn more about immunotherapy and how it can help in cancer treatment.

Immunotherapy cancer treatment

Immunotherapy involves collecting the healthy immune cells of an individual and storing them for future use in medical treatment. An infusion of these processed cells can provide a significant boost to your immune system.

Immunotherapy helps in preventing, controlling, and eradicating cancer cells by stimulating the immune system. Many immunotherapy drugs have been approved to fight cancer and have shown significant success rates. However, there is potential for more. Various clinical trials are aimed at checking the effectiveness of other drugs in fighting deadly diseases.

Immunotherapy can treat different types of cancer. Some of them are mentioned below:

•  Leukemia

•  Breast cancer

•  Brain cancer

•  Prostate cancer

•  Head and neck cancer

•  Skin cancer lymphoma

• Cervical cancer

• Colon cancer

• Bladder cancer etc.

The different types of immunotherapies used to treat cancer are:

1.  Adoptive cells therapy

In this method, the immune cells are collected, processed, and altered. These cells are reintroduced in the body, where they attack and destroy the cancer cells. CAR-T cell therapy is adoptive cell therapy that modifies T- cells with chimeric antigen receptors to fight cancer cells.

2.  Cancer vaccines

Just like any other vaccine, cancer vaccines prepare our immune system to prevent the disease. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can provide protection against cervical, anal, throat, and penile cancers.

3.  Immunomodulators

Immunomodulators stimulate your immune cells to improve their ability to find and destroy cancer cells. Some of these immunomodulators include checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, interferon, and interleukins.

4.  Oncolytic viruses

These viruses are altered in a laboratory by the scientist and introduced into the body to kill the cancerous cells.

5.  Monoclonal antibodies

These antibodies are proteins that are synthesized in a laboratory. They can attach to specific parts of the cancer cells. It helps in delivering medicines and radioactive substances directly to the tumors.

The benefits of immunotherapy cancer treatment

The benefit of immunotherapy cancer treatment differs from person to person. It is dependent on factors like the type of cancer, the stage it is detected and treated. Hence, it is advisable to have a thorough discussion with your doctor before choosing the immunotherapy.

Some of its benefits are mentioned below:

1.  It may work when other treatments don’t.

Chemotherapy and radiation may not work for cancers like melanoma. In such cases, immunotherapy can be very beneficial.

2.  It can be used in conjunction with other cancer treatments.

Using immunotherapy with other treatment methods provides a higher success rate compared to using them alone.

3.  It has fewer side effects compared to other treatments.

Immunotherapy focuses on stimulating only your immune system. It does not target other cells and has lesser side effects as compared to other treatment methods.

4.  It can help in long-lasting remissions.

Immunotherapy works by strengthening your immune system and helping it find and destroy cancer cells. After the treatment, the cells learn to identify the cancer cells, which reduces the chances of reoccurrence.

Immunotherapy is helpful in treating cancer patients. However, it may not always shrink the tumors. In some cases, there could be temporary swelling in the tumors commonly known as pseudo progression.

However, this does not mean that the immunotherapy cancer treatment is not working. Regular screening and tests with your healthcare provider are essential to assess the benefits of the procedure.