What is meant by Immunology?

Immunology is the science that deals with the immune system of our body. This branch of biomedical science studies how the immune system identifies and fights against foreign invaders and pathogens such as virus, bacteria, and other parasites. It also sheds light on how malfunctions in the immune system lead to allergies, immune deficiencies, and autoimmune diseases.

Science behind Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a novel medical breakthrough in the field of cancer treatment which makes use of the body’s natural defense system i.e. immune system, by enhancing and fortifying it. Immune system comprises of the white blood cells (WBCs) and tissues and organs of the lymphatic system. Specifically speaking, immunology for cancer treatment is being defined in the following areas of research:

•  Immune regulation
•  Changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME)
•  Translational immunotherapy

Types of Immunotherapy used in Cancer Treatment

There are different types of immunotherapy treatments that are used to treat cancer these days. These are briefly described below:

• Immune checkpoint inhibitors: These are drugs made up of proteins that block immune checkpoints which are a normal part of the immune system. By blocking them, these drugs aid the immune cells and allow them to respond more strongly against cancer cells.

• CAR T-cell therapy: It stands for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy which makes use of genetically engineered T-cells (a type of WBC). It boosts the natural ability of your T-cells to fight cancer.

• Monoclonal antibodies: This therapy utilizes lab-made antibodies to fight against cancer cells. These work either by blocking certain proteins that cancer cells need to grow, or by flagging cancer cells for destruction, or by injecting toxic or radioactive substances into cancer cells in order to destroy them.

• Cancer vaccines: Cancer vaccines are different from vaccines used to prevent infections. Such vaccines used in immunotherapy don’t prevent cancer but fight against cancer that you already have. Cancer vaccines stimulate the immune system to recognize antigens that are specifically related to cancers.

• Immune system modulators: These work by boosting the body’s immune response, either by affecting some parts or the entire immune system in a more general way. Certain cytokines and immunomodulatory drugs are used as immune system modulators. While cytokines send signals to attack cancer cells, immunomodulatory drugs work by preventing cancerous tumors from developing new blood vessels, starving cancer cells.

Which cancers can be treated by Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is most commonly used as an adjuvant therapy for treating cancer. Although not effective for treating every cancer, below is a list of cancer types that can be treated through immunotherapy:

• Melanoma
• Non-small cell lung cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Breast cancer
• Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Certain types of colorectal cancer

Cancer treatment has achieved great strides with the advances in immunology, offering new hope through immunotherapy. While the main focus remains to empower the immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells, there are certain challenges involved in immunotherapy. These include side effects, treatment resistance, and varying degrees of patient responses to immunotherapy. As researchers gain deeper insight into the immune system and its interaction with cancer, still a lot is left to unfold. For the time being, immunotherapy can be considered as the driving force that will shape improved patient outcomes in future.