Cancer Immunotherapy

Visit our website to learn more about using Nucleus content for patient engagement and content marketing: http://www.nucleushealth.com/ #CancerImmunotherapy #Immunotherapy #CancerTreatment MEDICAL ANIMATION TRANSCRIPT: This video will show you what cancer immunotherapy is and how it works. Immuno-oncology is the study and development of certain treatments called immunotherapies for cancer. These treatments fight cancer by strengthening your immune system. Normally, the white blood cells of your immune system help fight infections and disease. They recognize substances on the surface of cells called antigens. Healthy cells have different antigens than damaged body cells or foreign invaders. Your immune cells usually ignore the antigens on healthy cells, but they do respond to antigens on damaged cells and foreign invaders. Some immune cells mark these antigens for destruction with a substance called an antibody. Then, other immune cells attack the cells that have these antibodies. Since cancer is made up of damaged cells, they may have antigens that your immune cells recognize and attack. But, some cancer cells have ways to avoid destruction by your immune cells. For example, cancer cells may reduce the number of cancer antigens, allowing them to hide from your immune cells. A second way cancer cells avoid destruction is through checkpoint proteins. Both cancer and immune cells may have these proteins. When they attach, other immune cells won't attack the cancer cell. A third way cancer cells avoid destruction happens when the cancer cells are under attack from the immune system. During the attack, the cancer cells release certain substances that call in other types of immune cells, which slow down or stop the immune response. Immunotherapies have several ways they work to help your immune system fight cancer. One way is through special antibodies made in the lab. Some of these antibodies attach to cancer cells. They can kill the cancer cell directly. Others mark the cancer cells so that your immune cells destroy it. Another group of antibodies blocks the checkpoint proteins. This keeps them from attaching to each other. As a result, the immune cell can attack and kill the cancer cell. Still other antibodies prevent the growth of cancer cells. Some of them block the signals that cause new blood vessels to grow and feed the cancer. In another type of immunotherapy, some of the immune cells that best fight cancer are removed from the body. The cells are taken to a lab where many more of them are grown. Then, they're returned to the body to attack the cancer. To find out more about the ways immuno-oncology can help fight cancer, talk to your healthcare provider. ANH18211