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Oncological studies of the lungs found that cancer cells have a very small number of antigens that could be affected by immunodrugs. However, the results of the same experiments prove that immunotherapy for lung cancer can be an effective treatment for the disease.
Methods of immunotherapy in the treatment
There are two types of neoplasm in the lung:
Small cell lung cancer (SCLC);
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC);
Here you can add mesothelioma – a tumor of the pleura.
The greatest effectiveness in the use of immune preparations is observed in the treatment of NSCLC. But science does not stand still, and in medicine, work is underway to create immunotherapy methods to combat SCLC and mesothelioma.
In the treatment of lung neoplasms, several common types of immunotherapy are used:
Use of monoclonal antibodies;
The use of inhibitors of substances that suppress immune responses;
Specially designed vaccines for the activation of B- and T-lymphocytes;
Adaptive movement of T-lymphocytes, i.e. the patient’s immune cells are modified at the gene level.
Scientists working in the field of activation of the immune system face many difficulties, but despite this, immunotherapy still holds great promise in the fight against cancer.