| Conventional cancer treatments like radiotherapy and | | | | cancer cells from a mesothelioma patient. This is |
| chemotherapy are more widely used to treat | | | | usually done in a laboratory by using either whole |
| mesothelioma, but alternative treatments such as | | | | cancer cells or antigens removed from cells. The cells |
| immunotherapy are becoming more and popular too. | | | | or antigens are modified in a laboratory so they can |
| Immunotherapy involves the use and manipulation of | | | | be recognized by the patient's immune system and |
| a patient's own immune system to help them fight | | | | are then injected back into the patient. |
| diseases to which the immune system would not | | | | Active immunotherapy treatments for mesothelioma |
| normally respond. | | | | are highly specific treatments made with cells from |
| In the case of mesothelioma and other types of | | | | the patient's own body. Thus, a different vaccine is |
| asbestos cancer, the patient's immune response does | | | | created for each patient who receives active |
| not typically react or destroy cancer cells for one | | | | immunotherapy treatment. |
| very important reason: a normal healthy immune | | | | Passive Immunotherapy Treatment for Mesothelioma |
| system does not recognize cancer cells as foreign | | | | Passive immunotherapy treatments are those which |
| cells so it does not destroy them. | | | | use components that are created outside the body. |
| Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that tricks | | | | These types of treatments differ from active |
| the immune system into believing that cancer cells | | | | immunotherapy in that passive treatments do not |
| are foreign. When this type of treatment is | | | | attempt to force the immune system to actively |
| administered to cancer patients, the immune system | | | | destroy cancer cells. |
| can be made to destroy cancer cells, while leaving | | | | One example of a passive immunotherapy treatment |
| normal healthy cells unharmed. | | | | is monoclonal antibody therapy, which is currently the |
| Treating mesothelioma patients with immunotherapy | | | | most widely used immunotherapy for treating cancer. |
| relies on helping the body's immune system to | | | | Antibodies are molecules the immune system |
| recognize the difference between healthy cells and | | | | produces to help fight infections. In an immune |
| cells that have become cancerous. | | | | system that is functioning normally, antibodies are |
| To understand how immunotherapy works, it is first | | | | produced that recognize and bind to foreign antigens |
| important to understand how the immune system | | | | present on foreign cells, which effectively targets |
| differentiates between normal body cells and foreign | | | | foreign cells for destruction by other parts of the |
| cells. The immune system does this by recognizing | | | | immune system. |
| and reacting to antigens. Antigens are molecules that | | | | Monoclonal antibody therapy involves removing |
| are present on the surface of all cells, whether | | | | cancer cells from a patient, which are then grown |
| human, bacterial, or viral. A normal immune system | | | | together in a laboratory with other cells that produce |
| can react to and destroy cells that produce antigens | | | | antibodies in response to antigens on the cancer cells. |
| that are foreign, but cannot react to cells that | | | | During this process, identical antibodies are produced |
| produce "self" antigen (an antigen produced by the | | | | that recognize the same antigen (hence the termed |
| body). | | | | monoclonal). |
| Immunotherapy, therefore, is geared towards making | | | | The next stage of the treatment involves injecting |
| the immune system recognize antigens on cancer | | | | the patient with the monoclonal antibodies. Once |
| cells as being foreign, allowing the immune system to | | | | inside the body, the antibodies recognize and bind to |
| destroy those cells. There two ways by which | | | | tumor cells, as the tumor cells possess the specific |
| immunotherapy can be used:1]Active immunity and | | | | kind of antigen that the antibodies were created to |
| 2]Passive immunity | | | | identify. If the cancer treatment is successful, the |
| Active Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma | | | | immune system will recognize the monoclonal |
| Active immunotherapy treatments stimulate the | | | | antibodies and destroy the cancer cells. |
| immune system to fight disease. Vaccines, for | | | | Immunotherapy is however still largely in experimental |
| example, are a type of active immunotherapy. | | | | stages of different clinical trials all over the world and |
| Cancer vaccines are slightly different in that they are | | | | most of them are yet to be approved for general |
| designed to fight diseases that already exist in the | | | | use, so if any mesothelioma patient wants to benefit |
| body, whereas most other vaccines are administered | | | | from immunotherapy they must participate in |
| to prevent disease. | | | | relevant clinical trials. |
| Mesothelioma vaccines may be created by removing | | | | |