Cancer immunotherapy
Cancer Immunotherapy
Cancer immunotherapy (pronunciation: /ˈkænsər ˌɪm.juː.nəʊˈθɛrəpi/) is a type of cancer treatment that uses the body's immune system to fight cancer. The term is derived from the Greek words "karkinos" (cancer), "immuno" (immune), and "therapy" (treatment).
Types of Cancer Immunotherapy
There are several types of cancer immunotherapy, including:
- Monoclonal antibodies: These are man-made versions of immune system proteins. They can be designed to attack a specific part of a cancer cell.
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors: These drugs basically take the 'brakes' off the immune system, which helps it recognize and attack cancer cells.
- Cancer vaccines: Vaccines that either treat existing cancer or prevent development of a cancer.
- Non-specific immunotherapies: These treatments boost the immune system in a general way, but this can still help the immune system attack cancer cells.
History
The concept of cancer immunotherapy dates back to the late 19th century, but it wasn't until the late 20th and early 21st centuries that significant progress was made in this field. The first FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy treatment was the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccine (BCG), used for bladder cancer, in 1990.
Future Directions
Research is ongoing to develop new types of cancer immunotherapy. These include CAR-T cell therapy, oncolytic virus therapy, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) therapy.
See Also
References
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Cancer immunotherapy
- Wikipedia's article - Cancer immunotherapy
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