Immunotherapy

From greek.doctor

Immunotherapy or cancer immunotherapy refers to using drugs which indirectly stimulate the immune system to treat cancer.

  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors
    • Most commonly used immunotherapy
    • These drugs are monoclonal antibodies and therefore also technically biological drugs
    • These drugs inhibit the mechanism by which cancer cells inhibit the immune system
    • Anti-PD-1 – nivolumab, pembrolizumab
    • Anti-CTLA-4 – ipilimumab
  • Vaccines
  • Cytokines

Because of their mechanism, they can cause a variety of severe and potentially life-threatening side effects secondary to overactivation of the immune system. The most notable are hepatitis, myocarditis, myasthenia gravis, and virtually any kind of -itis.