How Immunotherapy Empowers the Immune System to Defeat Cancer?

Your body fights an invisible war all the time. On one side, your immune system is an army of cells that protects you from illnesses and infections, such as bacteria, viruses, and even malignant (mutated) cells. However, the immune system is not always successful in combating cancer. With the introduction of an advanced technique like Immunotherapy, a revolutionary therapy that enables your immune system to identify and eliminate cancer cells effectively.

What Is Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is an advanced cancer therapy that targets and eliminates cancer cells by using your body’s immune system. Cancerous cells are invaders that your immune system identifies and eliminates. Immunotherapy enhances your immune system, increasing its capacity to detect and destroy cancerous cells.

Immunotherapy uses different strategies to:

• Educate the immune system to recognize cancer.
  
• Boost immune responses.
  
• Target cancer cells while sparing healthy ones.

How Does the Immune System Fight Cancer?

Abnormal cells are identified and eliminated by your immune system. However, cancer cells can evade detection by disguising themselves or by inhibiting immune responses.

Immunotherapy helps by:

• Reprogramming T-cells to identify hidden cancer cells.
  
• Preventing cancer from evading immune surveillance.
  
• Strengthening immune cell responses for long-term protection.

Types of Immunotherapy for Cancer

1. Checkpoint Inhibitors

Checkpoint inhibitors work by breaking the link between checkpoint proteins and other proteins. Protein cells cannot tell T cells to stop if the connection is damaged. Proteins like PD-1 or CTLA-4 tell T-cells to “switch off” after doing their job.

Cancers treated:

• Bladder cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Hepatocellular cancer
• Risky triple-negative breast cancer cells.
• Kidney cancer
• Melanoma
• Mesothelioma
• Non-small cell lung cancer cells.

2. Adoptive Cell Therapy (T-Cell Transfer Therapy)

Adoptive cell therapy involves collecting your T-cells, modifying or expanding them in a lab, and infusing them back to fight cancer.

Types:

• CAR T-cell Therapy: In CAR T-cell therapy, T-cells are modified to recognize specific proteins on cancer cells.
  
• Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs): Naturally occurring immune cells from tumors are enhanced and returned to the patient.

Still under trial, the U.S. FDA (FDA) hasn’t authorized TIL treatment as a typical cancer therapy. Clinical researchers are studying TIL treatment as a way to deal with melanoma, cervical squamous cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer).

3. Monoclonal Antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies are lab-engineered proteins made to identify and attach to particular cancer cell markers. They can stop abnormal proteins that aid in the growth or survival of cancerous cells. 

In certain instances, these antibodies serve as delivery systems, delivering toxins, radioactive materials, or chemotherapy medications straight to the cancer cells while causing the least amount of damage to healthy tissue.

Physicians often classify monoclonal antibody therapy as a type of targeted therapy, which targets particular genes, proteins, or cellular environments that promote the growth of cancer.

FDA-approved for cancers like:

• Breast cancer (including triple-negative)
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
• Leukemia
• Colorectal cancer 
• Bladder cancer
• Multiple myeloma
• Non-small cell lung cancer

4. Cancer Vaccines

Cancer vaccines help the immune system identify and combat cancer cells. Certain vaccines are made to treat cancer by strengthening the body’s immune system, while others prevent infections that can cause the disease. Types include:

Preventive Vaccines: These guard against viruses that can cause cancer. For instance, by preventing HPV infection before it begins, the HPV vaccine helps prevent cancers of the cervical, throat, and anal regions.

Therapeutic vaccines: Administered after cancer has spread. They train your immune system to attack cancer cells and identify antigens unique to cancer.

Sipuleucel-T, a therapeutic vaccine for prostate cancer that employs the patient’s immune cells to combat the disease, is one FDA-approved example.

5. Immunomodulators

Immunomodulators are substances that improve the immune system’s capacity to identify and combat cancerous cells. These substances are essential components of immunotherapy and aid in strengthening your body’s defences. BCG (Bacillus Calmette–Guérin), immunomodulatory medications, and cytokines are common immune system modulators.

What Are Cytokines?

Cytokines regulate the way the immune system reacts to cancer, inflammation, and infections. They facilitate the development, activation, and communication of immune cells, enabling a coordinated attack on harmful invaders, such as cancer cells.

A cytokine can:

• Tell immune cells to seek out and eliminate cancerous cells.
• Encourage the survival of healthy cells.
• Cause cancerous cells to die.

When treating cancer, medical professionals employ two primary cytokine types:

Interferons: Interferons improve the immune system’s response and slow the growth of cancer cells. Lab-produced interferons are used to treat a variety of cancers, such as melanoma, leukemia, and some types of lymphomas.

Interleukins: Interleukins stimulate immune cells such as T-cells and natural killer (NK) cells. They are essential in stopping tumors from developing or spreading because they can directly target cancer cells.

Immunomodulatory drugs

Immunomodulatory drugs, also known as biologic response modifiers, improve the immune system’s ability to combat cancer. They stimulate immune cells, disrupt tumor growth, and, in certain situations, stop the development of new blood vessels that supply cancerous tumors (angiogenesis inhibition).

 Commonly used in the treatment of advanced-stage cancer, especially multiple myeloma and some forms of lymphoma, to slow down disease progression.

Who Is a Candidate for Immunotherapy?

You may be a candidate for immunotherapy if

• Advanced or metastatic cancer that has not improved with conventional therapies like radiation or chemotherapy.
• Positive tumor test for certain biomarkers, like PD-L1 expression, MSI-H (microsatellite instability-high), or high tumor mutational burden (TMB).
• Having Melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancers, or certain blood cancers like lymphoma or leukemia.
• Eligible for Clinical trials testing new combination immunotherapies.
• Generally in good health with a healthy immune system.

Is Immunotherapy Right for You?

Immunotherapy enhances your immune system’s ability to identify and destroy cancerous cells. It has shown effectiveness in treating a variety of cancer types and is often recommended for advanced or treatment-resistant cancers. It’s crucial to remember that not all patients are good candidates for immunotherapy, and not all cancers respond to it.

Nevertheless, new research continues to expand its potential, making it a viable choice for an increasing number of patients each year.

If you are looking for advanced treatment options for cancer, you must choose the best immunotherapy centre around you with an experienced immunotherapist who provides personalised treatment. Immunotherapy offers a promising path, especially for cases where traditional treatments have failed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why can’t the immune system always kill cancer on its own?
Cancer cells often evade the immune system by hiding their abnormal markers, suppressing immune activity, or mimicking healthy cells. Allowing them to grow unchecked.

How does the immune system recognize cancer cells?
The immune system identifies cancer cells by spotting abnormal proteins (antigens) on their surface. Nevertheless, some cancer cells hide or suppress these signals, making it more difficult to identify them.

 Is immunotherapy better than chemotherapy?
Immunotherapy has fewer side effects and targets cancer more precisely. But it’s not suitable for all cancer types.

How long does immunotherapy last?
Treatment cycles vary from weeks to months, based on response and cancer type.

Are there side effects of immunotherapy?
Yes, including fatigue, skin rashes, and inflammation, but generally milder than chemotherapy.

What are the latest advancements in immunotherapy?
CAR T-cell therapy, bispecific antibodies, and neoantigen-based vaccines are among the most promising.

Is Immunotherapy Effective for All Cancers?
Not all the time. Some cancers respond well to immunotherapy, but not all patients do. Research is still being done to increase the effectiveness and minimize the effects.