Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a third type of immunotherapy (for other types search in the news ⬇️)

Immune checkpoints on cell surfaces help control an immune response.

Usually, immune checkpoints keep T cells inactive, that is,

in an off state, until they’re needed.

This keeps the T cells from harming normal cells.

Cancer cells can take advantage of these checkpoints to switch T cells off.

This keeps the cancer cells from being killed.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are drugs that block the checkpoints.

This frees the T cells to attack the cancer.

These three types of immunotherapy are effective ways to treat cancer, but they don’t work

for every patient and can cause serious side effects.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Artwork and animation by Terese Winslow, LLC and Devon Medical Art, LLC

]]> https://headandnecknetwork.com/immune-checkpoint-inhibitors-3rd-type-of-immunotherapy/feed/ 0 https://headandnecknetwork.com/t-cell-transfer-therapy-2nd-type-of-immunotherapy/ https://headandnecknetwork.com/t-cell-transfer-therapy-2nd-type-of-immunotherapy/#respond Thu, 30 Oct 2025 09:20:32 +0000 https://headandnecknetwork.com/?p=1772 T CELL TRANSFER THERAPY – 2ND TYPE OF IMMUNOTHERAPY

T cell transfer therapy is another type of immunotherapy (for the 1st type – Nonspecific immune stimulation – search ⬇️)

T cells are a type of immune cell and are powerful weapons the immune system uses to fight cancer.

For T cell transfer therapy, T cells are taken from a patient and changed in the laboratory to make them better able to target the patient’s cancer cells and kill them.

Millions of copies of these specially changed T cells are then grown in the laboratory and given back to the patient to fight the cancer.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Artwork and animation by Terese Winslow, LLC and Devon Medical Art, LLC

Nonspecific immune stimulation is a type of immunotherapy that stimulates a patient’s immune response in a general way.

In non-specific immune stimulation, drugs or other substances are used

to increase the overall immune response, which can help kill cancer cells.

For example, some patients who have had surgery to remove bladder cancer may also be treated with a substance called BCG.

When BCG is put into the bladder, it can cause a non-specific immune response that kills cancer cells that remain in the bladder after surgery.

This may keep the cancer from getting worse or coming back.

Source: National Cancer Institute

Artwork and animation by Terese Winslow, LLC and Devon Medical Art, LLC

#Immunotherapy is an exciting area of cancer research that is changing the way we think about cancer treatment.

Immunotherapy works by using the body’s immune system to fight cancer.

This video describes how it works

and the three types of immunotherapy that are used

to treat:

1. nonspecific immune stimulation,
2. t cell transfer therapy
3. immune checkpoint inhibitors.

In the next reels we will see how the three types of immunotherapy work

Source: National Cancer Institute

Artwork and animation by Terese Winslow, LLC and Devon Medical Art, LLC

#headandneckcancer #headandnecknetwork #immunesystem #cancerfight