What is Immunotherapy?

All individuals have an immune system which helps protect them from infections and other threats to health. These threats include viruses, parasites, toxins, fungi, allergens, and bacteria.  Typically, the immune system is unable to identify cancer cells as a threat to the body. Cancer arises from cells already existing within the body, whereas the pathogens come from outside the body. 

Since cancer cells are merely mutated versions of healthy cells, the immune system won’t recognize them as threats and fails to launch an immune response against them. Additionally, some cancers can interfere with the ability of the immune system to function correctly. Scientists started to realize the potential of the immune system to fight specific diseases, including some cancers, only recently.

Using the body’s own capabilities to identify and kill cancer cells is the method immunotherapy uses in treating cancerous diseases. Immunotherapy treatments can be used to attack cancer cells directly, It can be used to stimulate the immune system to respond to the disease. Additionally, immunotherapy can prevent cancers from returning after treatment. Immunotherapy can also help to fortify or restore the body’s natural immune function, making it easier for the immune system to destroy cancer cells and prevent cancer from spreading to other parts of the body.

Although it’s gained much attention in recent years, use of immunotherapy actually dates back to the 1890s, when bacteria were purposefully injected into a cancerous tumor in an attempt to encourage the immune system to launch an attack against the cancer. However, research into immunotherapy and suitable treatment methods have grown dramatically in the past two decades.