• Emergency
    • Apollo Lifeline

    Emergency

      Home Health A-Z The Role of Immunotherapy in Cancer Treatment

      The Role of Immunotherapy in Cancer Treatment

      Cardiology Image 1 Verified By Apollo General Physician November 20, 2024

      197
      The Role of Immunotherapy in Cancer Treatment

      Cancer is a deadly disease that takes thousands of lives every year; it has been with us for centuries. Despite the modernisation of technology, it remains the biggest health issue of our time. Traditional treatments like chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation have helped a lot of people recover from this disease, but these treatments can have some adverse effects, too, like aftereffects and recurrence of cancer. This is where the most famous treatment of cancer, “Immunotherapy”, comes into the picture; this revolutionising treatment has helped thousands of cancer patients and counting to return to their normal lives. In this blog, we will explore this magical treatment in depth.

      What is Immunotherapy?

      Immunotherapy is a branch of cancer treatment that trains the patient’s immune system to fight against cancer cells without disrupting the other healthier cells of the body. The immune system is the defence mechanism of our body that fights against infection, bacterial and viral diseases, etc. Normally, cancer cells are also capable of hunting down cancer-causing cells but cancer cells can be a bit tricky to deal with, they can find ways to hide from our immune system or can actively bypass its response.
      Immunotherapy helps the immune system deal with cancer cells by boosting it. It’s like this therapy gives a pathway or map to find these cells and destroy them that would otherwise go unnoticed.

      How does Immunotherapy Work?

      Immunotherapies are of different kinds, but all of them have the same goal: to stimulate and enhance the work of the immune system naturally. Here are some of the most common immunotherapies:

      • 1.Checkpoint Inhibitors: some drugs block certain proteins in immune cells that act as “brakes.” These brakes prevent the immune system from responding to healthy tissues. But sometimes, the immune system can be tricked into doing nothing by exploiting these breaks in the cancer cells. The checkpoint inhibitors effectively remove the “brakes” so that immune cells can attack cancer cells more aggressively. A few rugs represent checkpoint inhibitors – drugs that are already approved for a wide range of treatments of cancers, including lung cancer, melanoma, and others.
      • 2.Monoclonal Antibodies: These are produced molecules that can be engineered to target only toxic cancer cells. They resemble the natural antibodies our immune systems generate but are designed to be more targeted to get attached to cancer cells. Once bound, they can kill cancer cells directly or mark them for destruction by other components of the immune system. Some monoclonal antibodies, such as trastuzumab (Herceptin) for breast cancer, have been groundbreaking in the treatment of cancer.
      • 3. CAR-T Cell Therapy The most advanced development in the area of immunotherapy is CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy. In this technique, doctors take a blood sample from a patient and isolate T-cells, which are one type of immune cell. They then treat the extracted T-cells in the laboratory so that they can identify the cancerous cells. Once these T-cells are genetically modified to become equipped to attack cancerous cells, they are infused back into the body. These strengthened T-cells then specifically seek out and destroy the cancerous cells. CAR-T has been highly assuring, particularly for the treatment of blood cancers like leukaemia or lymphoma.
      • 4.Cancer Vaccines: These vaccines are different from the kinds of vaccines that people use to prevent disease. Rather, they are a form of treatment for cancer that exists already within the body. They stimulate the immune system to attack the cancer by giving the body antigens linked with cancerous tissues-proteins found upon cancer cells. For example, the vaccine for human papillomavirus helps prevent particular forms of cancers resulting from the infection, such as cervical cancer. Scientists are also developing therapeutic vaccines for cancer with the intent to treat particular cancers, such as melanoma or prostate cancer.

      Conclusion

      Immunotherapy is transforming cancer treatment. This idea is offered to those desperate patients who have reached a dead end with traditional therapies. It utilises the immune system to unlock its potential, which seems to be working out as a powerful tool in the fight against cancer. There is no use denying the fact that there are many challenges ahead, but the direction in which these breakthroughs have taken the future of cancer care is exciting. Perhaps one day, we will look back and appreciate how dramatically immunotherapy is going to change our approach to managing cancer and the astounding ability of our human body to fight diseases.

      – Dr Aditya M

      https://www.askapollo.com/physical-appointment/general-physician

      Our expert general medicine specialists verify the clinical accuracy of the content to deliver the most trusted source of information, making the management of health an empowering experience.

      Cardiology Image 1

      Related Articles

      More Articles

      Most Popular Articles

      More Articles
      © Copyright 2025. Apollo Hospitals Group. All Rights Reserved.
      Book ProHealth Book Appointment
      Request A Call Back X