Breast Cancer
Tough Times don't last but Tough People do
IMMUNOTHERAPY
What is Immunotherapy?
Types of Immunotherapy
Side Effects of Immunotherapy
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Side Effects include fatigue, nausea, mouth sores, high blood pressure, diarrhea, fever, chills, weakness, pain, vomiting, headaches, and rashes. The side effects decrease after the first treatment. [Citation 22]
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Monoclonal Antibodies: Man-made version of immune system proteins. Antibodies can be used to treat cancer because they are designed to attack a specific part of a cancer cell.
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Cancer Vaccines: Trigger an immune response in the body against disease.
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Non-specific immunotherapies: Stimulate the immune system to increase activity against cancer cells. [Citation 22]
Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that uses body's immune system to fight many diseases such as cancer. It can be used with other treatments for cancer or by itself. Immunotherapy stimulates immune system to work harder and slow the growth of tumors. [Citation 21]
Cancer can be caused by the breakdown of the immune system. Immunotherapy either stimulates the immune system to attack cancer cells or provides the immune system with antibodies to fight cancer. [Citation 22]
Basics:
The human immune system is made up of cells that fight infection. White blood cells circulate in the body and eliminate foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses that do not belong, this happens when the immune system is working properly. However, when cancer develops, the immune system does not work right. Cancer causes the immune system to be weaker and disrupts the functions of the immune system. Even though the immune system gets disrupted, it could possibly be used to defeat cancer. [Citation 38]
Why is Immunotherapy Important?
Immunotherapy offers new ways in viewing the destruction of cancer. Unlike chemotherapy and radiation, immunotherapy does not require possibly harmful drugs and also does not increase the chance to get another type of cancer unlike chemotherapy or radiation. Immunotherapy is using the body itself to destroy the malignant cancers. This can lead to new possibilities, from curing a simple cold, the body can now possibly kill cancer itself.