A Podcast about cancer immunotherapy: from T cell basic science to clinical practice

Facing the Cancer Revolution

Immunotherapy for cancer is the artificial activation of your body's immune system to battle cancer, enhancing the body's natural capacity to fight off the disease. It's a medical application of an emerging field of oncology and the basic research of cancer immunology. Immunotherapy may involve the administration of drugs directly to the site of cell activity or it may work by encouraging your own body's immune cells to attack the cancerous cells. This may be undertaken in conjunction with traditional therapy

Of the two methods, chemotherapy seems to be the more popular choice for patients suffering from solid cancers, particularly those with breast, cervical, or lung cancers. Although chemotherapy is successful in removing all traces of cancer cells, it also leaves many patients with some long-term side effects, such as hair loss, nausea, vomiting, and nausea. These can lead to the temptation to try alternative therapies, such as immunotherapy for cancer. But although this therapy is relatively new, and relatively new technology has brought it to us, it can be very risky and even deadly, for certain patients. So why would anyone want to consider this route?

The major benefit of immunotherapy for cancer involves boosting the immune checkpoints, which are protein complexes that serve as gateways between the body's defense systems and cancer cells. When these checkpoints are compromised, the immune defense systems can no longer protect the body from invading viruses and bacteria. As a result, the cancer cells can easily take over. By boosting their defenses, antibodies can then attack these invading agents, and the invasion of these alien cells can be stopped.

Unlike chemotherapy, immunotherapy has very few long-term side effects, although there may be some minor ones associated with the administration of immune checkpoint inhibitors. On the other hand, conventional therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation, come with a huge price tag, and many people simply cannot afford them. Also, chemotherapy is not a cure, it is only a treatment. Once you stop the treatment, the cancer will continue to grow. And in the case of advanced cancers, it can also kill healthy cells, which leads to further infections, and ultimately, a fatal disease.

Links from the show

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/immunotherapy

https://lungcancer.tistory.com/

https://pbase.com/dradams/stem_cells_for_cancer/

http://mikan.la.coocan.jp/cgi/m-k-n/calendar/schedule.cgi?year=2021&mon=04&day=27

https://www.webmd.com/cancer/immunotherapy-risks-benefits