Cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy treats cancer by harnessing or altering immune-system activity against malignant cells. Its methods include immune checkpoint blockade, engineered immune cells, therapeutic antibodies, and cancer vaccines.

Immune checkpoint blockade: Cancer treatment that blocks inhibitory immune signals, allowing T cells to attack tumor cells. It removes inhibitory signals that tumors exploit to evade T-cell responses.
Melanoma: A cancer arising from melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells of the skin and other tissues. Checkpoint inhibitors produced durable responses in some advanced melanoma cases.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatment using drugs that kill or inhibit rapidly dividing cells. Unlike immunotherapy, it generally acts directly on dividing cells rather than training immune responses.
Immune-related adverse event: Inflammation or organ injury caused by immune activation during immunotherapy. The same immune activity that attacks tumors can damage healthy tissues.
Predictive biomarker: A measurable feature that helps predict response to a particular treatment. Reliable biomarkers could identify which patients are most likely to benefit.
CAR T-cell therapy: A treatment that engineers a patient's T cells with synthetic receptors targeting specific cell-surface antigens. It directly equips T cells to recognize selected cancer antigens.
Non-small-cell lung cancer: A group of lung cancers that includes adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Tumor biomarkers help determine whether checkpoint blockade may be useful.
Radiation therapy: Cancer treatment that uses ionizing radiation to damage tumor-cell DNA. It targets tissue locally, although it can also alter immune responses.
Cytokine release syndrome: A systemic inflammatory reaction caused by rapid release of immune signaling proteins. It can follow CAR T-cell treatment and require urgent clinical management.
Tumor heterogeneity: Differences among cancer cells within one tumor or between tumors in one patient. Distinct tumor subpopulations may carry different immune targets and escape routes.

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