Q. How do immunotherapy treatments work?
Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.
Immunotherapy is a type of medical treatment that uses the body's own immune system to fight diseases, such as cancer. It works by stimulating and enhancing the body’s natural defenses against the disease.
Immunotherapy treatments involve either boosting or manipulating the body’s immune system in order to attack specific parts or cells of a disease. Depending on what type you receive, there are several ways your doctor might go about this process:
1) Monoclonal Antibodies: These are tailored antibodies created from specific healthy white blood cells which can be used to identify particular toxic substances within diseased cells and destroy them without affecting other areas of the body.
2) Checkpoint Inhibitors: This form of immunotherapy blocks proteins known as “checkpoints” which keep T-cells from attacking tumors directly. By blocking these checkpoints, it allows T-cells to attack and eliminate cancer cells more accurately..
3) Cancer Vaccines: While not widely available yet, cancer vaccines are designed specifically for each individual patient based on their genetic makeup. By leading T-cells towards tumors, they can create immunity against certain types of cancers inline with one's own genomic informationso reduce risk factors later in life when battling cancer again..
Overall, immunotherapies have revolutionized how we approach treating diseases like cancer - improving long term outcomes dramatically while minimizing side effects due to their ability to target only certain locations or cell types within an affected area while leaving healthy ones alone!
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