Immunotherapy Explained: Comprehensive Guide on Its Mechanism, Classifications, Success Rates, and More
Immunotherapy, a revolutionary approach to medicine, leverages the body's own immune system to fight various diseases, particularly cancer. This form of treatment comes in numerous forms, each designed to boost or suppress the immune response as needed.
Types of Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy can be categorised into several major types:
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors: These drugs block proteins that inhibit immune cells, allowing the immune system to better attack cancer cells.
- T-cell transfer therapy (including CAR T-cell therapy and Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte [TIL] therapy): These treatments involve removing immune cells from a patient, modifying them in a lab to improve their cancer-fighting ability, and then reintroducing them.
- Monoclonal antibodies: These are lab-made antibodies designed to bind specific targets on cancer cells, marking them for destruction.
- Cancer vaccines: These therapeutic vaccines help the immune system recognise and attack existing cancer cells.
- Oncolytic virus therapy: This method uses genetically modified viruses that infect and destroy cancer cells, stimulating an immune response.
- Immune system modulators (cytokines, interleukins): These agents boost the immune system's cancer response.
- Other delivery forms: Immunotherapy can be administered subcutaneously, intralesionally (directly into tumors), orally, or topically depending on the cancer type and treatment.
These types can be broadly classified as activation immunotherapies (boost immune response against cancer) or suppression immunotherapies (suppress immune responses, useful in autoimmune diseases but less so in cancer).
Conditions Treated by Immunotherapy
Primarily, immunotherapy is used for various cancers, with certain types approved and effective in treating:
- Melanoma
- Lung cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Thyroid tumours
- Breast (mammary) cancer
- Stomach, liver, pancreatic tumors
- Colon and rectal cancer
- Ovarian, uterine, prostate cancer
- Osteosarcoma and soft tissue sarcoma
- Glioblastoma
- Bladder cancer
- Lymphoma
- Leukemia
Researchers are continuously expanding immunotherapy applications, including dendritic cell therapy, which is promising across multiple cancer types and stages. Immunotherapy is mostly focused on cancer treatment but is also under preliminary research for other diseases.
Immunotherapy Beyond Cancer
While cancer treatment is the primary focus of immunotherapy, it also holds promise for other applications. For instance, allergy shots help desensitize the immune system to certain substances, potentially offering relief for those suffering from allergies. Additionally, immunotherapy can help prevent organ rejection in people who have received an organ transplant.
In conclusion, immunotherapy offers a promising and versatile approach to treating various diseases, particularly cancer. By harnessing the power of the immune system, it opens up new avenues for effective and targeted treatments. As research continues, the potential applications of immunotherapy are likely to expand, offering hope for countless individuals battling a wide range of health conditions.
Immunotherapy, beyond its primary focus on cancer treatment, is anticipated to have a broad impact on health and wellness, as it shows promise in other applications. For example, allergy shots, a form of immunotherapy, can desensitize the immune system to certain substances, potentially providing relief for those suffering from allergies. Furthermore, immunotherapy can play a crucial role in preventing organ rejection in people who have undergone organ transplants. The science of immunotherapy is not only revolutionizing medical-conditions related to cancer but is also being explored for various other medical-conditions, presenting a future where its potential applications could greatly benefit individuals battling diverse health-and-wellness issues.
