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Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system.Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as activation immunotherapies, while immunotherapies that reduce or suppress are classified as suppression immunotherapies.
Vaccine therapy is a type of treatment that uses a substance or group of substances to stimulate the immune system to destroy a tumor or infectious microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses. Cancer vaccines
Cancer immunotherapy (immuno-oncotherapy) is the stimulation of the immune system to treat cancer, improving the immune system's natural ability to fight the disease. [1] It is an application of the fundamental research of cancer immunology (immuno-oncology) and a growing subspecialty of oncology.
Vaccines against microorganisms that cause diseases can prepare the body's immune system, thus helping to fight or prevent an infection. The fact that mutations can cause cancer cells to produce proteins or other molecules that are known to the body forms the theoretical basis for therapeutic cancer vaccines.
Vaccines are complex mixtures of biological compounds, and unlike the case for prescription drugs, there are no true generic vaccines. The vaccine produced by a new facility must undergo complete clinical testing for safety and efficacy by the manufacturer. For most vaccines, specific processes in technology are patented.
A cancer vaccine, or oncovaccine, is a vaccine that either treats existing cancer or prevents development of cancer. [1] Vaccines that treat existing cancer are known as therapeutic cancer vaccines or tumor antigen vaccines. Some of the vaccines are "autologous", being prepared from samples taken from the patient, and are specific to that patient.
The dendritic cell-based cancer vaccine is an innovation in therapeutic strategy for cancer patients. Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen presenting cells for the induction of antigen specific T cell response. [1] DC-based immunotherapy is safe and can promote antitumor immune responses and prolonged survival of cancer patients. [2]
Tumor antigens have been a main target in specific active immunotherapy by way of vaccination. Tumor antigens are antigens produced by tumor cells and can be common among patients with the same cancer-type, or unique to a particular patient. Their specificity to malignant tumor cells makes tumor antigens ideal candidates for vaccination. [2]