Medical Oncology
Immunotherapy
What is Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy, also called biotherapy or biology therapy, is a treatment that uses the immune system to treat an illness. Immune systems can be developed, directed, or restored with various forms of immunotherapy in Kolkata. Several types of immunotherapy may be used for the treatment of cancer, such as biologics and vaccines.
Biologics
Biologics is a medicine based on natural proteins. These drugs include:
Monoclonal Antibodies
This kind of medicine gets some protein on the surface of other cells and locks it in (as a key to the bag). This causes the immune system to attack and destroy those cells. Monoclonal antibodies are used to treat cancers such as lymphoma, says an experienced cancer doctor at our clinic in Kolkata.
Cytokines
These proteins are made by the immune system to help cells communicate. Examples include interferons and interleukins, which kill cancer cells to reduce the spread of disease or make (stimulate) the immune system to fight the disease.
Vaccines
Vaccines help the immune system detect and attack cancer cells. They can be used to treat people who already have cancer, such as prostate or bladder cancer. They may be used to protect people from having certain types of cancer. Examples include the following:
Gardasil
It is a vaccine that protects girls and women from the four types of human papillomavirus (HPV), is a major cause of cervical cancer.
Bacillus Calmette-Guerin or BCG
According to the best cancer specialist in Kolkata, this vaccine against tuberculosis helps to treat primary prostate cancer. When BCG is injected into the bladder, the immune system responds by invading cancer cells.