Cancer has become a disease that has been resistant and has us in its grip leading to several people around the globe suffering from it. Good news is that advancements of medical immunology has launched a more progressive way of dealing with this problem. Besides, cancer treatment has heavily relied on immunotherapy which can be personalized for any given patient with regards to his or her genetic makeup and tumor characteristics.
Understanding Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy makes it possible for the body to fight cancer cells using immune system. It is different from other traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapies which can damage healthy cells. Therefore, immunotherapy has been known to aim at boosting immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy tumor cells.
The Personalized Approach
Personalized immunotherapy is aimed at understanding specific genetic mutations in the patient’s tumor. When the DNA of a tumor is examined then specific antigens that are proteins on the surface of the cancerous cells that the immune system can recognize are found. This information is then used to create individual treatments which activates the immune system to destroy those specific antigens. Thus, the personalized immunotherapy is categorized into three namely: checkpoint inhibitors, Adoptive Cell Therapy and cancer vaccines.
Benefits of Personalized Immunotherapy
- Long-Term Benefits: Personalized immunotherapy can result in long-term remission or cure unlike the traditional therapies.
- Potential for Curing Cancer: Immunotherapy may bring a specific cure for some types of cancer from the advancement in research.
Challenges Faced and Future Directions
There are issues that must be addressed in personalized immunotherapy. It is ineffective at times and not all patients benefit from immunotherapy, which can be very costly. Currently there are efforts to make immunotherapy more effective for different forms of cancer. Therefore, it can be concluded that the future of cancer treatment looks bright with the continued development of personalized immunotherapy.
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WRITTEN BY: AMEDICC.COM