Immunotherapy: Transforming Oncology

Abstract

Immunotherapy is a form of treatment seen primarily in oncology that uses natural killer (NK) cells, B, and T lymphocytes from the immune and lymphatic systems to combat cancerous cells within a patient’s body. Throughout the years many clinical trials have tested the use of immunotherapy on different types of cancers. Some of the leading trials dealt with patients who are affected by leukemia, lymphoma, and lung cancer. Great successes have been seen and it has pushed researchers to dive deeper into continuing to perfect the treatment and to explore outlets of improvement. There are cases where immunotherapy has been coupled with other already existing treatments options, like radiotherapy, and this has paved the way for increased success rates. There is still many obstacles for researchers and providers to overcome with immunotherapy, but this treatment option is truly paving the way for the betterment of the oncology field as a whole.