Imunotherapy

Immunotherapy uses the body's immune system, either directly or indirectly, to fight cancer. Our body has a natural ability to protect itself from diseases, including malignant. The immune system can recognize the difference between healthy and malignant cells and eliminate the latter from the body. Cancer, therefore, can occur when the immune system fails. 

Immunotherapy or biological therapy regenerates, stimulates or enhances the natural anti-tumor immune function. One of the better known forms of cancer immunotherapy applications called. cytokines, proteins of low molecular weight, the anti-tumor effect by direct - inhibiting the growth of tumor cells, and indirectly - by stimulating the patient's immune cells. The second is the use of so-called forms of immunotherapy. Monoclonal antibodies that bind to specific antigens of the tumor cells. Blocking these receptors on tumor cells stops transmitting signals from the cell surface to the nucleus and thus inhibits the growth of tumors. 

Treatment of active vaccine or immunotherapy is a promising new approach to stimulating immune cells to recognize the cancer cells. Unlike conventional vaccines, the goal of this therapy is not vaccine preventable disease than to treat existing disease. Therapy vaccine based on an attempt to tumor cells more 'visible' immune system and that they recognize as the same side. 

· The vaccine is prepared from tumor cells of the patient. To obtain enough cells, it is necessary to obtain tumor biopsies. "Personally," vaccine containing tumor-specific protein, is processed in the laboratory. It usually takes a few months to produce a vaccine, but it is currently investigating the methods by which this process could be accelerated. 

· The second approach does not require a biopsy. Prepared vaccine carries antigens that are common to a particular type of malignancy, and may be used in any patient suffering from this type of malignancy. In this approach, the vaccine is not personalized. The vaccine is typically injected. Often with a vaccine, a patient, and a substance for enhancing immunity, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF is effective in stimulating dendritic cells. 

Most of the patients who received the vaccine therapy, they felt the redness and swelling of the skin at the injection site; and also fever, pain in bones and joints and flu-like symptoms. All these symptoms have appeared to a few days after the injection. They also possible allergic reactions. 

The first monoclonal antibodies (monoclonal antibodies) 

Monoclonal antibodies are proteins that are produced in laboratories for therapeutic purposes. They are designed to detect and destroy cells by recognizing the specific structures of tags on the cell surface, ie. Antigen. Each monoclonal antibody recognizes a specific antigen on carcinogenic cells. 

· Goals, to which it is not bound by any drug or radioactive substance, 

· Radiolabeled, ie. Monoclonal antibodies that bind to the radioactive substance which destroys the cancerous cell, 

· Monoclonal authorities related to radioactive chemicals or toxins. 

Therapy of monoclonal antibodies is known as passive immunotherapy. This is contrary to active immunotherapy in which own immune system reacts to foreign cells producing antigen. Therapy monoclonal antibody administered intravenously in a hospital. It can take up to several hours, and patients are supervised by professional staff because of possible side effects. 

Some side effects that can occur when using monoclonal antibodies therapies are: fever, fever, fatigue, headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, a fall in blood pressure, hypersensitivity reactions, irregular heartbeat or chest pain. 

The infusion of donor lymphocytes is a form of immunotherapy that is used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and in younger patients with myeloma after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, often as a therapeutic option for relapse. The success of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation partly depends on intensive chemoradiotherapy preceding transplantation. The purpose of this kemoradioteraije to treat cancer and to prevent the immune system to reject the donor cells. You success depends on the performance of the donated cells to attack the cancer cells of blood. Infusion of donor cells, the immune system of the patient is being reconstructed. The donor and patient are very similar but not the same tissue, and donor cells can recognize small differences in histocompatibility antigens on cancer cells and define them as a target for attack. With the infusion of donor lymphocytes lymphocytes from healthy donor cells are collected, then the infusion administered to the patient immediately or stored at very low temperature program. Skupljnje lymphocyte infusion administered to the patient in the hospital. 

There is a potential risk with the infusion of donor cells, and it is of GVHD (graft versus host disease). GVHD occurs as a result of the attack of donor lymphocytes (graft) cells of the patient (host). In GVHD and usually falls on the skin, liver and gastrointestinal tract. The reaction may be minimal or severe, and is partly caused by the incompatibility of the donor and patient. 

For non-myeloablative transplantation, it seems that the greatest effect of the treatment is that the donor cells attack the patient's cancer cells, which leads to remission. This effect is called GVM (graft-versus malignancy effect). He does not appear in autologous transplantation (which use their own stem cells) and syngeneic transplantation (which uses cells from an identical twin). In these cases, the donor immune system does not recognize cancer cells and destroy them. When a non-myeloablative transplant patients are given chemotherapy mild or moderate intensity before allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Immunosuppressive drugs are given in high doses to prevent rejection of the donor cells. The donor cells maintain and gradually, over months, dominate the patient's blood and immune system. If it does not, apply to the infusion of donor lymphocytes to effect a change of stem cells from the patient to the donor. The strongest effect of GVM's when non-myeloablative transplant is achieved in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Patients with other malignancies also respond well, but not so much. Results of non-myeloablative transplants showed that it could be a good therapeutic option for elderly patients and those with a weak heart. 

However, the good and bad effects of these therapies have not yet been established. One of the main risks is GVHD (graft versus host disease). 

Therapy vaccine, also known as active immunotherapy is a promising new approach to stimulating immune cells to recognize the cancer cells. Unlike conventional vaccines, the goal of this therapy is not vaccine preventable disease than to treat existing disease. Currently being tested several vaccine therapy, but have not yet been approved for treatment of malignant blood diseases. Therapy vaccine based on an attempt to tumor cells more 'visible' immune system and that they recognize as the same side. There are two approaches to developing therapies vaccine. The first, which is used to treat lymphoma, the vaccine is produced by tumor cells of the patient. To obtain enough cells, it is necessary to obtain tumor biopsies. "Personally," vaccine containing tumor-specific protein, is processed in the laboratory. It usually takes a few months to produce a vaccine, but it is currently investigating the methods by which this process could be accelerated. The second approach does not require a biopsy. Prepared vaccine carries antigens that are common to a particular type of malignancy, and may be used in any patient suffering from this type of malignancy. For example. Vaccine made ​​against chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), may use any patient suffering from CML. In this approach, the vaccine is not personalized. The vaccine is typically injected. Often with a vaccine, a patient, and a substance for enhancing immunity, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF is effective in stimulating dendritic cells. Most of the patients who received the vaccine therapy, they felt the redness and swelling of the skin at the injection site; also fever, pain in bones and joints and flu-like symptoms. All these symptoms have appeared to a few days after the injection. Another possible allergic reactions. 

5th stimulation of immune cell cytokines (Immune cell-stimulating cytokines) 

Cytokines are naturally produced biological substances that regulate the intensity and duration of immune response. Cytokines also coordinate communication between cells. There are many types of cytokines, including the stimulation of growth factors and interleukins, some of them can be prepared in the laboratory. They are used for the treatment of certain malignancies. 

Cytokines used for immunotherapy are: 

· Inferferoni (interferons), such as interferon? 

· Interleukins (interleukins), such as IL-2 

· Colony-stimulating factors, such as GM-CSF or sargramostim (leucine, torn,) for the production of white cells. 

Interferon is a protein produced by lymphocytes and other immune cells. It slows down the dividing cancer cells. Large doses of interferon and act as a chemotherapeutic agent in blocking the growth of cancer cells. Have been approved for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and hairy cell leukemia. It is also applied in the treatment of myeloma and non-Hodkinovog lymphoma. Side effects may include fever, muscle aches, the symptoms similar to the flu, weight loss, fatigue, also hair loss, depression, heart attack ... These symptoms are uncommon, but if they do, then the treatment is interrupted. Intereleukinisu proteins produced by leukocytes and other cells that activate other lymphocytes such as cytotoxic T cells and NK cells. One of the interleukins, IL-2 is being investigated in the treatment of patients with lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma. Colony stimulating factor, also known as a growth factor, stimulates the growth and maturation of young blood cells. 

Like other cancer treatments, immunotherapy and may cause some side effects, which differ from the types of immunotherapy that is applied and from patient to patient. 

Some side effects that can occur when using monoclonal antibodies therapies are: fever, fever, fatigue, headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, a fall in blood pressure, hypersensitivity reactions, irregular heartbeat or chest pain. 

There is a potential risk with the infusion of donor cells, and it is of GVHD (graft versus host disease). GVHD occurs as a result of the attack of donor lymphocytes (graft) cells of the patient (host). In GVHD and usually falls on the skin, liver and gastrointestinal tract. The reaction may be minimal or severe, and is partly caused by the incompatibility of the donor and patient. 

Most of the patients who received the vaccine therapy, they felt the redness and swelling of the skin at the injection site; also fever, pain in bones and joints and flu-like symptoms. All these symptoms have appeared to a few days after the injection. Another possible allergic reactions. 

These symptoms are uncommon, but if they do, then the treatment is interrupted.