The job of our immune system is to intercept any invading pathogens or abnormal cells within the body, including cancer cells. The immune system has evolved numerous mechanisms to recognize such threats, all the while limiting the risk of autoimmunity or attack on normal cells and tissues.
But many cancer cells aren’t recognized as dangerous, and bypass the body’s natural defense system, proliferate destructively, and eventually challenge the body’s ability to function. In many cancers, malignant progression is accompanied by profound immunosuppression that interferes with effective antitumor response and tumor elimination.
Physicians and researchers in both human and veterinary medicine have developed ways to reverse this immunosuppression, or otherwise make the immune system recognize and attack the previously undetected cells. These treatments—immunotherapy and immuno-oncology—offer new ways of treating certain cancers.
Immunotherapy treatments can:
- Boost the body’s immune system in a general way, encouraging a more aggressive environment towards fighting cancer cells.
- Train the immune system to attack cancer cells specifically through the use of tumor vaccines or immune cell bioengineering.
- Block the immunosuppressive properties of tumors and the associated tumor microenvironment allowing for the immune system to function properly and mount an anti-tumor response.