Immunotherapy Is Different
Unlike chemotherapy and targeted therapy, which act directly against cancer cells, immunotherapy works by helping the immune system recognize and fight cancer. Some types of immunotherapy give the immune system an overall boost. These include immunomodulating drugs and manufactured versions of messenger proteins that immune cells use to communicate with one another. Other immunotherapies are more specific, restoring immune responses that a tumor has turned off or helping T cells recognize cancer cells. Cancer vaccines, for example, are designed to train immune cells to recognize markers on tumors called neoantigens.
