Immunotherapy
Uses medicine to help your immune system fight cancer.
What is immunotherapy?
Similar to chemotherapy, immunotherapy, also called biological therapy, is a treatment that uses specific medicines. These medicines enhance your immune system’s ability to fight cancer. Some of these medicines can also alleviate side effects caused by other types of cancer treatments.
How does it work?
There are several forms of immunotherapy for various types of cancer. Some methods use medicines, such as Interferon, to stimulate your body’s natural ability to recognize cancerous cells and better defend itself against cancer. Other methods use laboratory-made vaccines or antibodies, such as Avastin or Herceptin, to fight the cancer.
Immunotherapy is also used to boost the immune system after other treatments to help prevent cancer from coming back.
Immunotherapy may be delivered with a pill, intravenously (IV) or through an injection.