Immunotherapy for Cancer

Immunotherapy is an effort to improve the immune system, to defeat the cancer cells by increasing the body's immune response against cancer cells. Immunotherapy is almost always used natural material derived from living things, especially humans. The use of natural materials because it can serve to stimulate anti-tumor response by the body by increasing the number of tumor killer cells, directly serves as a tumor killer agent, reducing the body's normal mechanisms to suppress the immune response, or works to improve the body's tolerance to radiotherapy or chemotherapy.



Interferons are cytokines that form glycoproteins. Under normal circumstances, almost all human cells produce interferon but can also be created by recombinant molecular biology technology. Although the mechanism of action is not entirely clear, interferon plays a role in the treatment of some cancers. Cytokines actually produced by the body, but the amount is very small, in addition to directly attack cancer cells, interferon can stop the growth of cancer or turn it into normal cells. Interferon works by stimulating work NK cells, T cells, and macrophages, which serves as a guardian endurance and reduces the blood supply to cancer cells.

Monoclonal antibodies aimed against a specific antigen. Because each type of cancer secrete different antigens, different antibodies are used. Antibodies can inhibit the growth of cancer cells, so that when combined with radiotherapy or chemotherapy, can directly kill cancer cells that produce the antigen.

The vaccine, as an immunotherapy vaccine is still in the research phase so can not be used generally. Unlike the vaccine given as prevention, in patients with cancer, the vaccine is used as a treatment. Vaccines for cancer treatments work by stimulating the immune system to be able to recognize cancer cells, stopping their growth, prevent recurrence, and clean up residual cancer of surgical therapy, chemotherapy or readioterapi. While vaccines which functioned as a cancer preventive, aimed at fighting disease-causing virus that can lead to cancer, such as a vaccine HPV (cervical cancer).

Colony Stimulating Fcators (CSFs), type of immunotherapy is to stimulate the bone marrow to divide and form white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets, which play a role in the immune system. CSFs important treatment for cancer patients undergoing treatment with damaging side effects of spinal cord so that patients have less blood (anemia), easy bleeding and frequent infections. CSFs can reduce the risk.

Gene therapy, gave great hope to people with cancer. By entering a specific genetic material into the cells pendeirta cancer, the person's body cell behavior can be controlled as needed.