5 Ways Cellular Immunotherapy Offers New Hope Against Cancer

Cellular immunotherapy is a revolutionary advance in cancer treatment.

For many cancer patients, hearing the word “immunotherapy” brings a mix of hope and curiosity. Imagine knowing that your own immune system — the very thing designed to protect you — could be retrained to fight back against aggressive cancer cells. This concept, once confined to the realm of science fiction, is now becoming a reality thanks to cellular immunotherapy. It’s not just treatment — it’s a personal battle fought at the cellular level, using your own biology as a weapon. Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses certain parts of a person’s immune system to fight diseases like cancer. Certainly, this type of treatment works better for some types of cancer than others.

T-cell administration is to help a patient fight diseases like cancer. So, during cancer treatment, T cells are removed from the patient’s blood or tumor tissue. Large numbers of copies of these cells are then produced in the laboratory and returned to the patient to help the immune system fight the cancer.

Types of therapy:

There are two main types of T-cell transfer therapy: tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (or TIL) therapy and CAR T-cell therapy.

TIL therapy uses T cells called tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes that are found in the tumor. In fact, the main goal of this procedure is that lymphocytes that are inside or near the tumor are able to recognize tumor cells. Consequently, administering large numbers of lymphocytes that react better to the tumor can help overcome these obstacles.
CAR T-cell therapy, first the T cells are modified in the laboratory. In this way, a type of protein known as CAR is produced and delivered back to the body.

These CAR receptors allow T cells to bind to specific proteins on the surface of cancer cells. In this way, they allow them to improve their ability to attack them.

Types of cancer treated:

The cancers treated with these procedures would be the following:

Treatment of metastatic melanoma, because they cause a strong immune response and usually have many TILs. That is why the use of TIL therapy has been effective for some people with melanoma and produced promising results in other cancers.

Also, there were favorable results in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix and cholangiocarcinoma. However, this treatment is still experimental.

Treatment for breast cancer and brain cancer is in the experimental phase.

Symptoms of T-cell therapy:

CAR T-cells: Fever, nausea, rapid heartbeat, headache, rash, low blood pressure, and shortness of breath.
LIT therapy can cause capillary leak syndrome, which consists of multi-organ failure and cardiocirculatory shock.

Benefits of cellular immunotherapy:

It directly attacks cancer cells: thus, it minimizes damage to healthy tissues.
It can generate a long-term immune response.
It is tailored to each patient.
It has fewer serious side effects.

In general, cellular immunotherapy, despite its great advances, still faces some challenges such as high cost, some side effects. In addition, not all patients respond equally to treatment. However, this therapy has generated great expectations by offering new therapeutic options for patients with advanced cancers or cancers resistant to other treatments.

Prevention Matters: Reducing Risk While Advancing Treatment

While cellular immunotherapy represents a breakthrough in cancer treatment, prevention remains a powerful tool in reducing cancer incidence. Lifestyle factors play a critical role in cancer development, with smoking being one of the most preventable causes of lung, throat, and other forms of cancer. Quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy diet, staying physically active, and avoiding excessive alcohol intake can significantly lower the risk of developing cancer.

By combining cutting-edge treatments like T-cell therapies with proactive prevention strategies, we can build a more comprehensive and effective approach to fighting cancer — one that doesn’t rely solely on treatment, but also empowers individuals to take control of their health.