immunterápiákra

Immunterápia, or immunotherapy, refers to a type of cancer treatment that harnesses the body's own immune system to fight cancer. The immune system is responsible for identifying and destroying abnormal cells, but cancer cells can develop ways to evade this detection. Immunotherapies aim to overcome these evasion mechanisms, either by stimulating the immune system more generally or by making cancer cells more visible to it.

There are several types of immunotherapies. Checkpoint inhibitors are a common class that work by blocking proteins on immune cells that normally act as "brakes," preventing them from attacking healthy cells. By releasing these brakes, checkpoint inhibitors allow immune cells to more effectively target and destroy cancer cells. Another approach involves adoptive cell therapy, where a patient's own immune cells are collected, modified in a lab to enhance their cancer-fighting abilities, and then reinfused into the patient. CAR T-cell therapy is a well-known example of this.

Vaccines can also be considered a form of immunotherapy, although they are typically used preventatively to stimulate immunity against certain viruses that can cause cancer (like HPV) or, in some cases, therapeutically to boost the immune response against existing cancer. Monoclonal antibodies are another type of immunotherapy that can be designed to attach to specific targets on cancer cells, marking them for destruction by the immune system or blocking growth signals.

Immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer treatment for certain types of cancers, offering new hope for patients and demonstrating significant successes in improving survival rates and quality of life. However, they can also have side effects, as stimulating the immune system can sometimes lead to it attacking healthy tissues. Research is ongoing to develop more effective immunotherapies and to better manage their associated side effects.