Immunotherapy to Treat Cancer

What is immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is an innovative type of cancer treatment that helps the body's own immune system recognize, target, and destroy cancer cells. Normally, the immune system protects the body from infections and diseases by identifying and attacking harmful invaders. However, cancer cells can sometimes hide from the immune system or develop ways to avoid being detected. Immunotherapy works by strengthening or restoring the immune system's ability to find and fight cancer. Unlike chemotherapy, which directly attacks rapidly dividing cells, immunotherapy works by empowering the body's natural defenses to recognize cancer as a threat and respond more effectively.

Over the past decade, immunotherapy has transformed cancer treatment and created new options for patients with many different types of cancer. Today, it is used to treat a growing number of cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancers, lymphoma, leukemia, and others. For some patients, immunotherapy has produced long-lasting responses and improved survival, even in cases of advanced cancer.

Why is immunotherapy used?

Cancer cells can develop ways to evade or suppress the immune system, allowing tumors to grow and spread. Immunotherapy helps overcome these challenges by stimulating the immune system, removing barriers that prevent immune cells from attacking cancer, or providing enhanced immune cells specifically designed to target tumors.

Depending on the type of cancer and the patient's individual situation, immunotherapy may be used:

As a primary treatment
In combination with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, or surgery
After surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence
For advanced or metastatic cancers
When other treatments have stopped working or are no longer effective

How does immunotherapy help fight cancer?

The immune system naturally monitors the body for abnormal cells. Cancer can develop when malignant cells find ways to hide from immune surveillance or suppress immune responses. Immunotherapy helps reverse this process by making cancer cells easier for the immune system to recognize and attack.

Different immunotherapies work in different ways. Some stimulate immune cells to work harder against cancer, while others block signals cancer cells use to avoid detection. Certain therapies involve modifying a patient's own immune cells in a laboratory and then returning those enhanced cells to the body to target cancer more effectively.

Common Types of Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a broad category of treatments. The most commonly used approaches include:

Immune checkpoint inhibitors: Immune checkpoint inhibitors are among the most widely used forms of immunotherapy. These medications remove the "brakes" that normally regulate immune responses, allowing immune cells, particularly T cells, to recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively. They are used to treat many cancers, including melanoma, lung, bladder, kidney, and certain gastrointestinal cancers.

Monoclonal antibodies: Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-created proteins designed to attach to specific targets on cancer cells. Some block cancer cell growth, while others help the immune system identify and destroy cancer cells more effectively.

CAR T-cell therapy: Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a highly specialized treatment in which a patient's T cells are collected and genetically modified in a laboratory to better recognize cancer cells. The enhanced cells are then infused back into the patient to attack the cancer. CAR T-cell therapy at Virginia Cancer Specialists has shown remarkable success in certain blood cancers, including some leukemias and lymphomas.

Cancer vaccines: Unlike preventive vaccines, cancer treatment vaccines are designed to stimulate the immune system to attack existing cancer cells. Researchers continue to develop and study new vaccine approaches for various cancers.

T-cell and cellular therapies: Additional forms of cell-based immunotherapy, such as tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, involve collecting immune cells that have already recognized the tumor, expanding them in the laboratory, and returning them to the patient to strengthen the immune response.

How effective is immunotherapy?

The effectiveness of immunotherapy varies significantly depending on the type of cancer, tumor characteristics, and individual patient factors. While not every patient responds, those who do may experience durable responses that can last for years. In some cancers, immunotherapy has changed treatment expectations by providing long-term disease control and significantly improving survival rates.

Researchers continue to identify biomarkers and genetic features that help predict which patients are most likely to benefit from immunotherapy. As scientific understanding grows, treatment continues to become more personalized and precise.

How to Best Prepare for Immunotherapy

Before starting immunotherapy, we recommend you discuss several important topics with your Virginia Cancer Specialists care team:

The specific type of immunotherapy being recommended
Expected benefits and treatment goals
Possible side effects and how they will be managed
How treatment will be administered
How long treatment is expected to continue
Whether immunotherapy will be combined with other treatments
How the therapy will be delivered (by IV in the infusion center, by injection, pill, topical application, or specialized cellular therapy procedure)

Treatment schedules vary depending on the medication and cancer type.

Side Effects and Safety Considerations of Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy side effects differ from those associated with chemotherapy because they result from increased immune system activity. Common side effects may include:

Fatigue
Fever and chills
Skin rash or itching
Joint or muscle aches
Nausea or diarrhea
Flu-like symptoms

In some cases, immunotherapy can cause the immune system to attack normal organs and tissues, resulting in inflammation of the lungs, liver, intestines, thyroid gland, skin, or other organs. While many side effects can be managed successfully, early recognition and prompt communication with the care team are important. We recommend you report any new or worsening symptoms promptly to your Virginia Cancer Specialists care team.

The Future of Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy remains one of the fastest-growing areas of cancer medicine. Ongoing research continues to expand the number of cancers that can be treated with immune-based therapies and develop new approaches that improve effectiveness and reduce side effects. Clinical trials are exploring novel cellular therapies, cancer vaccines, combination treatments, and personalized immunotherapy strategies that may further improve outcomes for patients.

At practices such as Virginia Cancer Specialists, immunotherapy is delivered as part of a multidisciplinary cancer treatment approach that combines leading-edge therapies, clinical research, and personalized care to help each patient achieve the best possible outcome. Virginia Cancer Specialists offers immunotherapy and CAR T-cell therapy as part of its comprehensive cancer treatment services.

Related Treatment Areas & Resources

Ready to Make an Appointment?

If you have questions about whether this treatment or service may be right for you, make an appointment with the Virginia Cancer Specialists team.