What are biological response modifiers, and how can they be used to treat cancer?
Some antibodies, cytokines, and other immune system substances can be produced in the laboratory for use in cancer treatment. These substances are often called biological response modifiers (BRMs). They alter the interaction between the body’s immune defenses and cancer cells to boost, direct, or restore the body’s ability to fight the disease. BRMs include interferons, interleukins, colony-stimulating factors, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, gene therapy, and nonspecific immunomodulating agents. Each of these BRMs is described in Questions 4 to 10. Researchers continue to discover new BRMs, to learn more about how they function, and to develop ways to use them in cancer therapy. Biological therapies may be used to: • Stop, control, or suppress processes that permit cancer growth. • Make cancer cells more recognizable and, therefore, more susceptible to destruction by the immune system. • Boost the killing power of immune system cells, such as T cells, NK cells, and macrophages. • Alt
