We have a remarkable immune system, capable
of detecting rogue cells and foreign invaders, destroying them on impact. Tumor cells, however, have developed ways to
not only evade the immune response, but also to co-opt it for its own advantage
(Hallmarks of Cancer). With a
deeper understanding of these processes, cancer immunotherapy is one of the newest
tricks in our cancer treatment bag. It
is also a major topic at conferences both in Canada (Conferences) and globally. Immunotherapy even pops up in the mainstream
news and on social media frequently. Whether
you’re a patient currently treated using immunotherapy or are just curious
about the latest cancer research news, you’ve come to the right place! This
article is a stepping-stone to a better understanding of cancer
immunotherapy.
More than 100 years ago, William B Coley,
the father of immunotherapy and a New York surgeon, injected bacteria into a
patient with cancer. Such an experiment
was the first to suggest that a bacterial injection could mount an inflammatory
response, bringing immune cells in contact with the tumor and subsequently killing
these tumor cells. 100 years ago, this
practice was rudimentary and not necessarily advantageous to the patient. Now, with our advanced knowledge of the
immune system and tumor biology, we can offer several immunological approaches
to kill cancer cells.
Immunotherapy can refer to any one of
several different types of therapies that use different aspects of immunology. There are four main categories:
