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Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a relatively new form of cancer treatment which has seen promising results in recent years. Immunotherapy boosts the body’s natural immune system, allowing it to find and destroy cancer cells. 


There are many forms of immunotherapy, which include monoclonal antibodies, oncolytic virus therapy, and cancer vaccines. These forms of treatment treat cancers including colorectal cancer, cervical cancer and many others. 


Monoclonal antibodies are man-made proteins that act like human antibodies in the immune system. The monoclonal antibodies generally bind to the target antigens, which prevents the cancer cells from replicating and spreading. In some cases, these antibodies are also combined with a chemotherapy drug to enhance the effectiveness. 


An oncolytic virus is a virus that infects and kills cancer cells. Upon destroying the cancer cells, new virions are released to help destroy the remaining tumour. 


Cancer vaccines are also commonly used to prevent and treat cancers. In Singapore, the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is commonly available and is used to lower a woman’s risk of getting cervical cancer. As cervical cancer is one of the commonest cancers that women suffer from in Singapore, this readily available form of immunotherapy has proven to be vital in the campaign to lower the cervical cancer rates in Singapore in recent years. 


Treatment of cancers has come a long way and with an increasing number of discoveries of different forms of immunotherapy, there may be a cure for cancer in the not so distant future. 

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