Types of immunotherapy

Immunotherapies are a type of cancer treatment that uses the immune system to find and attack cancer cells.

There are different types of immunotherapy. You might hear this type of treatment described in different ways. Your cancer team might use the name of the drug. Or they might use a general term that describes how the drug works.

For example, your cancer team might call the drug nivolumab by its brand name, Opdivo®. Or they may also describe it as:

• immunotherapy
• targeted therapy
• a checkpoint inhibitor
• a monoclonal antibody.

The following terms are often used to describe immunotherapy. We have more information about having immunotherapy treatment.

Checkpoint inhibitors are a type of monoclonal antibody that affects lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell. They are an important part of the immune system.

When they are active, lymphocytes can attack another cell, such as a cancer cell. But if they receive a certain signal from the other cell, they switch off (become inactive) and do not attack it.

Checkpoint inhibitors block the signals that switch off lymphocytes. They do this by attaching to either the cancer cell or the lymphocyte. This means the lymphocyte stays active and can attack the cancer cell.

This treatment can cause immune system side effects. We have more information about immune system side effects.

Vaccines train the immune system to find and attack certain types of abnormal cells. They are commonly used to protect us from infections such as the flu, mumps or measles. Sometimes vaccines can be used to train the immune system to find and attack cancer cells.

Scientists and doctors are researching ways to make new vaccines that target cancer cells. They may be used to treat several types of cancer. They are usually only available as part of a clinical trial (research trial).

The BCG vaccine is used to prevent the infection tuberculosis (TB). It is also used as a treatment for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. It is given directly into the bladder to stimulate the immune system to attack cancer cells. This is called intravesical immunotherapy.

Virus therapy uses a virus that has been made or changed in a laboratory. The virus finds and infects the cancer cells. This treatment also trains the immune system to find and attack cancer cells.

A virus therapy called T-VEC (Imlygic®) is sometimes used to treat melanoma that has come back in the same area. Other types of cancer may be treated with virus therapies as part of a clinical trial (research trial).