Cancer treatment has seen major breakthroughs over the past few decades. One of the most exciting advancements is immunotherapy, a method that boosts the body’s natural defenses to recognize and fight cancer cells.
Unlike traditional treatments like chemotherapy or radiation, immunotherapy strengthens the immune system’s ability to attack cancer directly.
Types of Immunotherapy Treatments
Let’s understand the different types of immunotherapy treatments that are giving hope to millions of patients around the world.
Checkpoint Inhibitors
Checkpoint inhibitors are one of the most widely used forms of immunotherapy today. Normally, immune checkpoints keep the immune system from attacking healthy cells.
However, cancer cells sometimes hide behind these checkpoints to avoid being destroyed.
Checkpoint inhibitors block these proteins, making it easier for immune cells to detect and kill cancer cells.
These drugs are commonly used in treating melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and bladder cancer, among others. They have transformed outcomes for many patients who once had few options.
CAR T-Cell Therapy
CAR T-cell therapy is a more personalized form of immunotherapy. Doctors take a patient’s own T-cells, modify them in a lab to better recognize cancer cells, and infuse them back into the body.
These specially engineered T-cells act like soldiers trained for a specific mission, to find and destroy cancer cells.
CAR T-cell therapy has been particularly successful in treating blood cancers like certain types of leukemia and lymphoma and is being studied for use in solid tumors as well.
Cancer Vaccines
Cancer vaccines either help prevent cancer from developing or treat existing cancer.
Therapeutic cancer vaccines strengthen the immune system to attack cancer cells already present in the body.
Some vaccines are made from the patient’s own tumor cells, while others target viruses known to cause cancer, such as the HPV vaccine, which helps prevent cervical and some throat cancers.
Monoclonal Antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies are lab-made molecules designed to act like immune system proteins.
They bind to specific targets on cancer cells, either marking them for destruction or blocking signals that help them grow.
Some monoclonal antibodies are also combined with toxins, drugs, or radioactive substances to deliver a direct hit to cancer cells.
This targeted approach often means fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
Cytokine Therapy
Cytokine therapy uses man-made versions of natural proteins, like interleukins and interferons, to stimulate the immune system to work harder or smarter.
Although it can come with strong side effects, cytokine therapy has shown success in treating cancers such as metastatic melanoma and kidney cancer, offering another weapon in the fight against tough cancers.
Conclusion
Immunotherapy has completely changed how cancer is treated, offering hope where once there was little.
While not every patient or every cancer type responds the same way, new therapies continue to open doors to longer survival and better quality of life.
Choosing the right immunotherapy depends on careful evaluation, the type of cancer, and your overall health. Dr. Joydeep Ghosh, a leading precision oncology doctor in Kolkata offers personalized care, helping patients find the most effective path forward.
Book a consultation today and discover a smarter, more focused way to fight cancer with the support you can trust.