Definition: Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that targets specific molecules of the body's own immune system in order to disrupt the growth of cancer cells. Examples include antibodies, growth factors, and vaccines. It is frequently contrasted to chemotherapy, which interferes with all rapidly dividing cells, cancerous or not. For this reason, immunotherapy usually has fewer side effects than chemotherapy. The currently approved immunotherapy treatments for melanoma are interleukin-2 and interferon-alfa2b.
Also Known As: biologic therapy, biological therapy, biologics, targeted therapy, biological response modifier (BRM) therapy
Common Misspellings: imunotherapy, immunetherapy, immuno-therapy
