Manipulation of the host’s immune system in treatment of disease. It includes both active and passive immunization as well as immunosuppressive therapy to prevent graft rejection.
Treatment technique using the body’s immune system to combat a particular disease, e.g., cancer.
Treatment with antibodies to enhance the response of the body to harmful substances. Treatment with very low doses of antigens to stimulate the body’s production of antibodies to that antigen. The latter treatment is the basis for immunization against communicable diseases.
Treatment for some malfunctions or over-reaction of the immune system.
The manipulation of immunity by immunological means to reduce harmful reactions or to boost beneficial responses. Severe allergy to wasp or bee stings is often treated by a course of injections with allergen purified from insect venom. There are current attempts to treat autoimmune diseases with monoclonal antibodies to the T-cell populations or cytokines implicated in the immunopathogenesis of the disorder.
The use of natural and synthetic substances to stimulate or suppress the immune response, to treat deficits, or to interfere with the growth of malignant neoplasms. Therapeutic agents are either antigen-specific or non-antigen-specific. Immunological therapies include cytokines (e.g., alpha interferon and interleukin-2), monoclonal antibodies, intravenous immune globulin, heat shock proteins, and cancer vaccines.
The use of drugs that stimulate the body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells.
Powerful cancer treatment that stimulates the body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells.
A form of therapy that triggers, augments, or dampens the immune response of the body, encompassing products such as monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, and growth factors.
Immunotherapy refers to the activation of the immune system as a method of treating cancer. This term can also describe the process of hyposensitization treatment used for allergies.
A type of immunotherapy used in treating cancer involves the use of immunostimulant drugs. For instance, bladder cancer treatment may include introducing BCG into the bladder. In more recent times, genetic engineering has been employed to produce monoclonal antibodies that target tumors. These antibodies can be linked to interferon or chemical toxins to enhance their capacity to kill tumor cells without harming normal cells.