Immunotherapy has emerged as a pivotal approach in cancer treatment, leveraging the body’s own immune system to combat the disease. Comprising a diverse range of strategies, immunotherapy targets the mechanisms by which cancer cells evade immune detection and destruction.
One such strategy involves immune checkpoint inhibitors, which disrupt the interaction between checkpoint proteins on T cells and their counterparts on cancer cells. By blocking this interaction, drugs like Ipilimumab and Pembrolizumab unleash T cells to effectively target and kill cancer cells.
Another promising avenue is T-cell transfer therapy, where a patient’s own immune cells are genetically modified to better recognize and attack cancer cells. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) therapy utilizes immune cells from the tumor microenvironment, while CAR T-cell therapy involves engineering T cells to express chimeric antigen receptors targeting specific tumor antigens. FDA-approved therapies like Axicabtagene ciloleucel and Tisagenlecleucel exemplify the success of this approach in treating blood cancers.
Monoclonal antibodies represent a targeted immunotherapy modality, selectively binding to cancer cell surface proteins to mark them for immune recognition and destruction. Rituximab and Blinatumomab are examples of monoclonal antibodies that have demonstrated efficacy in various cancers, including leukemia.
Furthermore, cancer vaccines stimulate the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells bearing specific tumor-associated antigens. Oncolytic virus therapy, exemplified by Tialimogene laherparepvec, employs viruses to infect and selectively destroy cancer cells, triggering an immune response against the tumor.
While traditional cancer treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy remain vital, immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer care by offering novel avenues for treatment. The advent of targeted therapies in the early 2000s laid the groundwork for immunotherapy’s rapid advancement, culminating in its integration as a standard treatment option for many cancers.
In recent years, immunotherapy has shown remarkable efficacy across various cancer types, offering new hope for patients with advanced or refractory disease. As research continues to uncover the complexities of the immune-tumor interaction, further refinements and innovations in immunotherapy hold promise for improving outcomes and transforming the landscape of cancer treatment.
