Immunotherapy is the treatment of cancer by activating the immune system. In this type of treatment, the goal is to have the immune system cells identify tumor cells, recognizing them as foreign elements and destroying them.
Immunotherapy was initially used in the treatment of melanoma, through the administration of medications such as interferon and/or interleukin-2, drugs capable of stimulating the immune system, as well as exhibiting direct anti-tumor effects, up to the present day with medications called checkpoint inhibitors (anti-CTLA4, anti-PD-1).
In cases of early-stage bladder cancer, the intravesical instillation of attenuated live bacteria has long been shown to be beneficial as an immunotherapy, as it helps reduce the risk of recurrence of lesions removed by endoscopic surgery, probably due to the activation of patients’ immune response.
Other tumors that can be treated with immunotherapy include kidney cancer, lung cancer, and some cases of skin cancer.
