Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a Cancer treatment modality that involves the use of a patient’s immune response for destroying malignant cells. The immune system is the body’s major self-defense mechanism that identifies and destroys any foreign body. Immunotherapy alters the patient's immune system to make it strong enough for destroying the cancerous cells. Immunotherapy can be of various types and is used for treating different types of cancers. 

What is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a highly specialized treatment option for patients with certain types of cancer, that uses the patient’s natural immune system or artificially created antigens for fighting cancer. Different types of immunotherapies work in different ways. Some may help to stop the growth of cancer cells or slow down the pace of their division, while others can be used to kill the cancer cells and prevent their metastasis. 

What are the different types of Immunotherapy?
There are several different types of immunotherapy, depending upon the way in which these work. 

• Monoclonal Antibodies - This uses artificially created antibodies that are administered into the patient’s body to boost his/her immune system. These can help to block abnormal protein activities that may be responsible for causing uncontrolled cell division. Some monoclonal antibodies may also help your immune system to overcome the immune checkpoints
• Non-Specific Immunotherapies - This involves the use of non-specific immunomodulating agents i.e., proteins that help to activate the patient’s immune response. 
• Oncolytic Therapy - It is also referred to as virus therapy. The procedure uses altered viruses for targeting and destroying malignant cells. Doctors directly inject a genetically altered version of the virus into the cancerous growth, which causes the cancerous cells to die
• T-Cell Therapy - The procedure involves the use of T-cells, i.e., a type of immune cells that help to fight infections. The cells are first collected from the patient’s body and then introduced back after treating them with certain proteins, known as receptors. 
• Vaccines - Just like a vaccine helps your body to fight infections, a cancer vaccine helps to fight cancer cells. This involves the administration of foreign proteins into the body of the patient to trigger the immune response.