Cancer Immunotherapy – Top 7 Challenges

Cancer immunotherapy is the artificial stimulation of the immune system to treat cancer and improving the immune system's natural ability to fight the disease. It is an application of the fundamental research of cancer immunology and a subspecialty of oncology. Cancer immunotherapy can be categorised as active, passive, or hybrid. Active immunotherapy directs the immune system to attack tumour cells by targeting tumour antigens. Passive immunotherapies enhance existing anti-tumour responses and include the use of monoclonal antibodies, lymphocytes, and cytokines. A wide range of cancers can be treated by various immunotherapy medicines that have been approved in many countries around the world.

Cancer immunotherapy is a humane approach for treating cancer patients. The extensive research and clinical investigation efforts made in the field of cancer immunotherapy focus on resources to accelerate understanding of the complex interactions between cancer and the immune system and the development of improved treatment options for patients with cancer. Cancer immunotherapy works in different ways. Some immunotherapy treatments help the immune system stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. Others help the immune system destroy cancer cells or stop cancer from spreading to other parts of the body.

Important breakthroughs have emerged in the past few years in cancer immunotherapy, reflecting the importance of the interaction between the human immune system and cancer. The successful application of cancer immunotherapy across a broad range of human cancers can increase the survival rate of cancer patients with this therapy. The complex and highly regulated nature of the human immune system needs to be sequentially fulfilled before the successful immunologic elimination of cancer cells. Cancer is a complex product of a myriad of genetic alterations that can disturb the normal function and behaviour of cells. These genetic alterations that are central to the oncogenic process of the immune system provide an opportunity for a cancer specialist to treat them with cancer immunotherapy.

Types of cancer that can be treated with Cancer Immunotherapy

• Bladder cancer
• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Oesophagal cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Leukaemia

The top 7 challenges of Cancer Immunotherapy can be termed as:

1. Determining the dominant drivers of cancer immunity.
2. Development of pre-clinical models that translate to human immunity.
3. Understanding organ-specific tumour immune contexture and the molecular and cellular drivers of primary versus secondary immune escape.
4. Effective and efficient assessment of cancer immunotherapy combinations in early-phase clinical studies.
5. Maximising personalised approaches through composite biomarkers.
6. Developing improved regulatory endpoints for cancer immunotherapy.
7. Optimising long-term survival with multi-agent cancer immunotherapy combination regimens.

The goal of cancer immunotherapy is the complete immunologic eradication of the cancer growth that has evaded an immune response by the successful application of CIT for patients with the terminal as well as earlier-stage cancer. Cancer Immunotherapy has been an effective treatment for patients with certain types of cancer that have been resistant to chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Suppose you are looking for a cancer specialist in Chandigarh. In that case, you can do an extensive online search for a cancer specialist in your area and read the patient reviews and testimonials to check his credibility. You can also take feedback from your friends and relatives who can suggest an experienced cancer specialist near you.