Conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy have reached their therapeutic potential, leaving a gap for developing more effective cancer therapeutics. Cancer cells evade the immune system using various mechanisms of immune tolerance, underlying the potential impact of immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer. Immunotherapy includes several approaches such as activating the immune system in a cytokine-dependent manner, manipulating the feedback mechanisms involved in the immune response, enhancing the immune response via lymphocyte expansion and using cancer vaccines to elicit long-lasting, robust responses. These techniques can be used as monotherapies or combination therapies. The present review describes the immune-based mechanisms involved in tumor cell proliferation and maintenance and the rationale underlying various treatment methods. In addition, the present review provides insight into the potential of immunotherapy used alone or in combination with various types of therapeutics.
Keywords: adoptive cell transfer; cytokines; immune checkpoint inhibitors; monoclonal antibodies; vaccines.
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