Download Immunotherapy - WordPress.com

Ariel Enchinton
October 22, 2016
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy refers to any treatment that uses the immune system to fight
diseases, including cancer (Grady & Pollack, 2016). Immunotherapy helps cells of the
immune system to help the body fight the cancer. There are different types of
immunotherapy that include inhibitors and cell therapy. Immunotherapy is an alternation
to cancer treatments like chemotherapy. Radiation and chemotherapy have many
detrimental effects on the human body such as malnutrition, which is mainly due to
mechanical alterations, and immunosuppression (Albright, 2016).
Inhibitors are the most commonly used form of immunotherapy for cancer
treatments. They block a mechanism that cancer cells use to shut down the immune system
(Grady & Pollack, 2016). With cell therapy, immune cells are removed from the patient and
genetically altering them to help fight cancer. The cells are then multiplied and put back
into the patient. The cells are essentially being rewired to function differently than they are.
An alternative to cell therapy is bispecific antibodies. The antibodies are proteins that can
attach to both cancer cell and a t-cell, that way bringing them close together, the T0cell can
attack the cancer (Grady & Pollack, 2016).
Advanced melanoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and cancers of the lung, kidney and
bladder are all cancers that have so far been treated by immunotherapy. Cell therapy has
been mostly used for blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma (Grady & Pollack, 2016).
Diseases like leukemia are mainly found in children. Jaylene Acosta, a biology student who
has a cousin suffering from cancer said, “There are different types of treatments for a
reason,” which is the reasoning behind a lot of support behind immunotherapy.
There are side effects to immunotherapy, just as there is to any other type of cancer
treatment. Theses side effects include autoimmune illnesses (in which the immune system
attacks healthy tissue as well as cancer), inflammation, lung and intestinal problems, and
joint and muscle pain. The immune system can also attack vital glands like the thyroid and
pituitary (Grady & Pollack). Cell therapy can also lead to a fatal overstimulation of the
immune system. Some of these side effects can be controlled by the patient with medication
but reactions like the side effects of cell therapy can lead to a patient being kept in an
intensive care un it. The side effects just have to be weighed personally by the patient or
their family if they’re that young (Acosta, 2016).
Inhibitors can cost up to $150,000 a year (Grady & Pollack, 2016). Most insurance
companies will only pay for drugs or treatments that are already approved for the type of
cancer that is being treated. If a drug is still in experiment or the patient is trying to become
part of a clinical trial, most insurance will not cover them. However, in cases of patients
being a part of a trial, sometimes the treatment can be given for free.
Citations
Grady, D., & Pollack, A. (2016, July 30). What Is Immunotherapy? The Basics on These
Cancer Treatments. Retrieved October 22, 2016, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/health/what-is-immunotherapy-cancertreatment.html?rref=collection/seriescollection/immunotherapy&_r=0
Jaylene Acosta, personal communication, October 21, 2016.
Mark Albright, personal communication, October 21, 2016.
Vanneman, M.,.& Dranoff, G. (20.12). Combining immunotherapy and targeted therapies in
cancer treatment. Nature Reviews Cancer, 12(4). 237-251. doi:10.1038/nrc3237