2 Types of Immunotherapy

Cancer is people’s worst nightmare as a human being and this is one of the top ten for people to die from each year. A method called immunotherapy may help cancer patients to fight off the cancer. Immunotherapy uses the body’s own immune system to help fight cancer. There are at least 2 types of this which is active and passive.

The body’s own immune system is used to stimulate by fighting the disease which is active immunotherapies. The immune system components (like the antibodies) are made in the lab which is used to start the attack on the disease which is the passive immunotherapies.

The immunotherapies that are used for today target only one kind of cell but some of the immune system is stimulated in general which there are no specific immunotherapies. The immunotherapies are sometimes used with other treatments to help increase the attack on the cancer. They are called adjuvants since these treatments are only used along with other treatments.

Targeted therapies are another type of treatment that target one type of cell and don’t damage other cells.

The immunotherapies and adjuvants in the immune system that stimulates and can be given as treatments. The immunotherapies and adjuvants are Cytokines, Interleukins, Interferons, Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, Adjuvants other than cytokines, Bacille Calmette-Guérin, Keyhole limpet hemocyanin, Incomplete Freund’s adjuvant, and QS-21.

Cytokines are cells in the immune system that created these chemicals in the body. For now, Cytokines is often used in cancer treatment for the side effects to be low from other treatments. One good example is chemotherapy. There are even synthetic Cytokines to create more white and red blood cells or platelets by helping the bone marrow when the levels are too low in the body.

Tumor vaccines may be given by adjuvants while the synthetic Cytokines is in the immune system to boost up the immunity in the body. It is given in a muscle, a vein or under the skin by injecting it.