Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses your body’s immune system to defend against cancer cells. Depending on the type of immunotherapy, it can destroy cancer cells (like chemotherapy or radiation therapy) or indirectly by activating the immune system.

Cancer immunotherapy boosts your immune system so it’s better able to spot and destroy cancerous cell. Health care providers use different types of immunotherapy, like checkpoint inhibitors and cellular therapy, to treat cancer.

How does immunotherapy work?

Your immune system is designed to protect your body from infections and abnormal cells, including cancer. White blood cells like T cells help to get rid of harmful cells. Cancer cells often create proteins on their surface so they can hide from your immune system or weaken its ability to do its job.

Cancer immunotherapy:

• Boosts white blood cells: It helps T cells defend against cancer better.
• Targets specific proteins: It makes hidden cancer cells easier for the immune system to find.
• Trains the immune system: It teaches the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer more effectively.

Because of these benefits, immunotherapy is used to treat cancer in many people, either alone or in combination with other treatments. Immunotherapy is commonly used to treat both nonmetastatic and metastatic cancer (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body).

Types of immunotherapy

Different types of immunotherapy help the immune system in various ways:

• Checkpoint inhibitors: These block signals that stop the immune system from destroying cancer cells. This allows T cells to defend against the cancer.
• Monoclonal antibody therapy: Lab-made proteins attach to specific parts of a cancerous cell to make it easier for the immune system to find and destroy them.
• CAR T-cell therapy: Health care providers modify your T cells in a lab so they can recognize and defend against cancer better. CAR stands for "chimeric antigen receptor," which is a special protein added to T cells to help them find cancer. CAR T-cell therapy is often used for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.
• Cancer vaccines: Unlike vaccines for diseases like the flu, cancer vaccines train your immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Some vaccines help prevent certain virus-related cancers, such as the HPV vaccine for cervical cancer.
• Immune system modulators: Substances like cytokines (proteins that boost the immune system) are used to help the immune system get rid of cancer better.
• CAR natural killer (NK) cell therapy: This newer approach uses cells from umbilical cord blood. It modifies them so they are better at recognizing and destroying cancer cells.
• Endogenous T cell (ETC) therapy: Specific T cells are taken from your blood, grown in a lab and returned to your body to strengthen its ability to overcome the cancer.
• Tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy: Special immune cells called TILs are taken from your tumor, grown in a lab to make them stronger and returned to your body to get rid of the cancer. TIL therapy has been FDA approved to treat advanced melanoma (a type of skin cancer. It is also being studied in clinical trials  for the treatment of other types of cancer, including lung cancer and cervical cancer.

Some immunotherapy treatments are given through an IV (a needle in a vein), while others are injected directly into the tumor. It depends on the treatment and the type of cancer.

Side effects and considerations of immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy can cause side effects because the increased immune activity may affect healthy cells.

Common side effects include:

• Fatigue
• Fever or chills
• Skin rash or irritation
• Nausea

Immune reactions can sometimes harm healthy tissues, causing inflammation in organs like the lungs or liver. Your health care provider will monitor you closely to manage these side effects.

How side effects compare to other cancer treatments:

• Compared to chemotherapy: Immunotherapy typically does not cause hair loss or severe nausea.
• Compared to radiation therapy: Radiation therapy often affects a smaller part of your body. Immunotherapy may affect different organs.

Choosing immunotherapy: Who is a good candidate?

Not everyone can benefit from cancer immunotherapy. Health care providers consider factors like:

• Type of cancer: Some cancers, like melanoma and lung cancer, respond better to certain types of immunotherapy.
• Overall health: The immune system needs to be strong for this treatment to work well.
• Treatment history: Immunotherapy can be used after treatments like chemotherapy or radiation.

Your health care provider will create a personalized cancer treatment plan for you based on these factors.

Clinical trials and advancements in cancer immunotherapy

Clinical trials help researchers test new immunotherapies to see how well they work and if they cause fewer side effects. People who join these studies often get access to new treatments before they are widely available.

Recent advancements include better cancer vaccines and improvements in CAR T-cell therapy for blood cancers. Scientists are also combining checkpoint inhibitors with other treatments for better results.

Researchers are also looking at special biological signals called biomarkers that predict which treatments will work best for each person.

The future of immunotherapy in cancer treatment

Scientists are working to:

• Make cancer immunotherapy more effective for different cancers
• Develop new types of cancer vaccines and more advanced CAR T-cell therapy
• Combine immunotherapy treatments like checkpoint inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies with other approaches, like targeted therapy or radiation, to help successfully treat cancer in more people

Why choose Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center for immunotherapy?

At Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, you can benefit from:

• Experts in cancer immunotherapy: Our team includes oncologists, researchers and specialists in TIL therapy, CAR T-cell therapy and checkpoint inhibitors.
• Access to clinical trials: You may be able to benefit from some of the latest advancements in cancer treatment.
• Comprehensive cancer care: From diagnosis to post-treatment support, our care team provides personalized plans to help you manage treatment and any side effects.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer, we can help you explore immunotherapy as a treatment option. Contact us today for a consultation.