Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has arguably made the largest contribution to the recent improvements in cancer survival rates. The main modalities include:

Monoclonal antibodies:
- synthetic antibodies that target specific antigens.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors:
- these block surface proteins primarily expressed on immune cells that partially restore anticancer immune mechanisms.
Adoptive T-cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy):
- genetically trained host T cells against cancer cells.
Immune system modulators:
- these destroy cancer cells by increasing circulating cytokines or minimise the effects of cancer treatment.

References