|
Immunotherapy is a comparatively new type of therapy in the fight against
colorectal cancer. Much of this therapy is still in its clinical stages. The
idea behind immunotherapy is to boost a patient’s immune reaction to cancer
cells, thus enabling them to fight colorectal cancer more effectively. There are
two types of immunotherapy, active and passive.
For patients being given active immunotherapy, a vaccine is given that causes
the immune system to recognize the abnormal chemicals in cancer cells and to
then kill the cells. A variation of this form of therapy is to take cells from
the tumor itself and then produce a vaccine with the intent of preventing a
recurrence.
For treating patients with passive immunotherapy, antibodies are created in a
laboratory and then injected into the patient. These antibodies then seek out
colorectal cancer cells. Once found, cell-killing chemicals or radiation can be
attached to these antibodies, which then carry them exclusively to the cancer
cells, sparing the body’s healthy cells.
So far, immunotherapy techniques have been successful in helping battle kidney
problems and several other types of cancer. Immunotherapy is considered very
safe, with minimal discomfort and no long-term side effects.
|
