What is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy boosts the patient’s immune system and uses it to target cancer cells. Some forms of immunotherapy are also known as biotherapy or biologic therapy.
Over the past decade, there has been significant progress using immunotherapy to treat cancer. A continued pledge from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to promote the expansion of treatments, and the completion of well-designed clinical trials, has strengthened the use of immunotherapy in cancer treatment.
What Does Immunotherapy Do?
Immunotherapy stimulates a patient’s immune system to locate and eliminate cancer cells. It can introduce man-made immune system proteins to enhance the body’s ability to fight cancer cells.
Is Immunotherapy Right for Me?
Immunotherapy has become an effective treatment option for certain cancers. Your doctor at Oregon Oncology Specialists will know if immunotherapy will be effective for you. Immunotherapy can be used alone or with other cancer treatments. Immunotherapy is currently available for patients diagnosed with:
- Lung cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Renal cell cancer
- Melanoma
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Head and neck cancer
- Certain types of colon cancer