Immunotherapy for Treatment of Cancer: A Review

Abstract

Cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and has put heavy burden on public resources. The incidence of cancer and cancer related deaths are both increasing in trend. The conventional treatment for cancer includes surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. However, the use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, though effective, can be limited for their toxicities. Better understanding of human immunological system has enabled researchers to develop novel immune-based therapeutic agents for cancer. The effectiveness of immunotherapy, either as a single or combination therapy with conventional treatment has been proven through numerous studies. Immunotherapy also has the advantages over radio-chemotherapy for being less toxic, and more target-specific. There are many types of immunotherapies established for treatment of cancer. These include monoclonal antibodies, prophylactic vaccines, immune adjuvants, and cytokines. Beside the existing therapy, various investigational immunotherapy candidates are currently undergoing active development, such as therapeutic cancer vaccines and CAR-T cell therapy, providing better option for treatment of cancer in the near future.

Keywords: cancer, immunotherapy, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, cytokines, chimeric antigen receptors