Immunotherapy Treatments for Cancer - Benefits and Side Effects

Immunotherapy treatments utilize the body's immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. They can help to boost the immune response and target specific cancer cells.

Immunotherapy Treatments FAQ

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Does immunotherapy work for cancer?

New immunotherapy treatments are being tested and approved, and new ways of working with the immune system are being discovered at a very fast pace. Immunotherapy works better for some types of cancer than for others. It’s used by itself for some of these cancers, but for others it seems to work better when used with other types of treatment.

What are the different types of immunotherapy for cancer?

Immunotherapy is a standard treatment for some types of cancer. And it is in trials for other types of cancer. There are different types of immunotherapy. These include monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint inhibitors, and vaccines. Some types of immunotherapy are also called targeted treatments or biological therapies.

Is immunotherapy a type of biological therapy?

Immunotherapy is a type of biological therapy. Biological therapy is a type of treatment that uses substances made from living organisms to treat cancer. How does immunotherapy work against cancer? What are the types of immunotherapy? Which cancers are treated with immunotherapy? What are the side effects of immunotherapy?

Is immunotherapy a first-line treatment for cancer?

Immunotherapy has been approved in the U.S. and elsewhere as a first-line of treatment for several cancers, and may also be an effective treatment for patients with certain cancers that are resistant to prior treatment. Immunotherapy may be given alone or in combination with other cancer treatments.

What is immunotherapy for cancer?

Immunotherapy is a relatively new type of biological therapy which is becoming more widely used in cancer patients. There are a large number of treatments that are called immunotherapies. You might also hear names such as targeted therapies, monoclonal antibodies or checkpoint inhibitors.

Are checkpoint inhibitors a type of immunotherapy?

So as well as being a targeted cancer drug, they are also a type of immunotherapy. Checkpoint inhibitors are a type of immunotherapy that block different checkpoint proteins. Examples include pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and ipilimumab (Yervoy). Cytokines are a group of proteins that are found naturally in the body.