Cancer Immunotherapy

Discover how immunotherapy works, its benefits and its role in today's treatment of patients with cancer.

Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that utilizes the body's own immune system to target cancer cells in your body. Unlike traditional treatments like chemotherapy, which target cancer cells but may also affect healthy cells, immunotherapy works by boosting the immune system's ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Immunotherapy drugs work in various ways to enhance the immune system's response against cancer. Some drugs help immune cells identify cancer cells more effectively, while others boost the activity of immune cells to attack tumors. Immunotherapy can also help prevent cancer cells from evading detection by the immune system, allowing for a more robust anti-cancer response.

Immunotherapy is used to treat a wide range of cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, certain blood cancers and more. It may be used as a first-line treatment, as maintenance therapy to prevent cancer recurrence, or in combination with other treatments to maximize its effectiveness.

By understanding the different types of cancer immunotherapies available, you can with your doctor explore personalized treatment options that harness the power of your immune system to target and destroy cancer cells in your body effectively. The different types of immunotherapy include:

• Checkpoint Inhibitors: Checkpoint inhibitors are drugs that release the brakes on the immune system, allowing it to recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively. These drugs target proteins on immune cells or cancer cells, such as PD-1 or PD-L1, to unleash the body's natural defenses against cancer.
• CAR T-Cell Therapy: CAR T-cell therapy is a personalized treatment that involves genetically modifying a patient's own immune cells to better recognize and destroy cancer cells. These modified immune cells, called CAR-T cells, are then infused back into the patient's body to seek out and eliminate cancer cells.
• Cytokine Therapy: Cytokines are proteins that help regulate the immune response. Cytokine therapy involves administering synthetic cytokines, such as interleukins or interferons, to boost the activity of immune cells and enhance their ability to attack cancer cells.
• Monoclonal Antibodies: Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that can target specific proteins on cancer cells, marking them for destruction by the immune system. These antibodies can be used alone or in combination with other treatments to enhance their effectiveness.
• Cancer Vaccines: Cancer vaccines work by stimulating the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. These vaccines can be made from cancer cells, proteins found on cancer cells, or genetic material from cancer cells, and are designed to train the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

• Targeted Treatment: Immunotherapy can specifically target cancer cells, sparing healthy tissue and reducing side effects.
• Long-term Response: In some cases, immunotherapy can lead to long-lasting remissions, providing durable control of the disease.
• Combination Therapy: Immunotherapy can be used in combination with other treatments, such as chemotherapy or targeted therapy, to enhance their effectiveness.
• Improved Quality of Life: By harnessing the body's own defenses, immunotherapy can improve quality of life for patients with advanced or metastatic cancer.

As leaders in cancer research, we are committed to advancing the field of immunotherapy through clinical trials and research. Your medical oncologist may recommend immunotherapy as part of your standard cancer care or as part of a clinical trial that helps us evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment in different situations. In all cases, we work to provide the treatment that will be the safest and most effective for you. By participating in clinical trials, you may have access to the latest immunotherapy treatments and help contribute to scientific advancements in cancer care.

Our medical oncology clinics and ambulatory infusion services are available at the following convenient locations in the metro Atlanta area:

• Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University (Clifton campus)
• Winship Cancer Institute at Emory Midtown
• Winship at Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital
• Winship at Emory Johns Creek Hospital
• Winship at Emory Decatur Hospital
• Winship at Emory at Buford Clinic