Breast Cancer Awareness: Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy: how can it help fight breast cancer?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Check Yourself, Protect Yourself.

Immunotherapy, a cutting-edge cancer treatment, harnesses the body’s immune system to combat cancer cells. Immunotherapy is a promising approach in breast cancer cases, as it stimulates the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively.

Checkpoint inhibitors

Innovative drugs called checkpoint inhibitors specifically target the immune system’s checkpoints. These points are like molecular “brakes,” preventing the immune system from attacking the body’s cells. However, cancer cells often exploit these checkpoints to evade immune detection. Checkpoint inhibitors, such as Pembrolizumab and Atezolizumab, function by disabling these brakes to enhance the immune system’s ability to recognize and obliterate cancer cells.

Adoptive cell therapy

Adoptive cell therapy involves extracting immune cells from the patient, which are then genetically modified or cultured in a lab to enhance their cancer-fighting abilities. After being reintroduced into the patient’s body, these supercharged immune cells are better equipped to identify and eliminate cancer cells. One of the most notable forms of ACT is CAR-T cell therapy, where T cells are engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that specifically target cancer cells.

Immunotherapy offers several advantages over traditional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. For example, it tends to have fewer side effects and can provide long-lasting responses, potentially leading to better outcomes for patients with breast cancer.