What is the role of immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy (sometimes called biologic therapy) is a form of cancer treatment that is still in its infancy in both humans and animals; however, great strides have been made in the last decade. The assumption is made that the growth of some cancers occurs because of a defect in the animal’s immune system. Had the patient’s immunity been normal, the tumor growth should have been suppressed very early, when only a few abnormal cells were present. For this reason, stimulation of the animal’s immune system may be attempted as a part of cancer therapy, through the use of certain drugs and antibody treatments. For some tumors, monoclonal antibodies have been made that bind to tumor-associated antigens (special proteins) on the surface of the cell, sometimes causing the destruction of the tumor cell directly. These antibodies can also be designed to guide a chemotherapy medication or a radioisotope directly to the tumor, targeting its death. Great strides are being made in immunotherapeutic
