IN Peters Township December 2016/January 2017 | Page 70

SPECIAL SECTION: HEALTHY LIVING
What is it?

Cancer immunotherapy uses a person’s own immune system to fight
the disease. This treatment has become an important part of treating
certain types of cancers because of how it can benefit the patient.
Immunotherapy can be used by itself or in conjunction with other
types of treatments.

Types of Cancer Immunotherapy

Cancer
Immunotherapy
Using the immune system
to treat cancer.

Cancer immunotherapy can be broken down into two categories,
those that boost the immune response and those that enable the
immune response.
• Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs): These types of man-made
immune system proteins can be made to attack very specific parts
of a cancer cell.
• Immune checkpoint inhibitors: This drug can allow the immune
system to go full force to recognize and attack cancer cells.
• Cancer vaccines: Just as the flu vaccine, cancer vaccines are put
into the body to start an immune response against the disease.
• Other immunotherapies: Non-specific cancer immunotherapies
are not made to specifically target cancer cells, but instead they are
made to stimulate the immune system so that it will respond
better to cancer cells.

Immunotherapy in Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are research studies done to determine whether
certain medications, treatments, or devices are safe and effective for
humans. The studies follow strict scientific standards and require more
testing than typical treatment.
Clinical trials are broken down into three phases:
• Phase I: This phase tests to show whether a certain drug is safe
for human use. Phase I trials typically last several months to a year
and are conducted on individuals who have tried other treatments
without success. The patient base is small due to the uncertainty of
the treatment.
• Phase II: This phase gives more insights on how well a particular
treatment works. A larger sample of people is tested and the trial
will last about two years. Dosages may v