Immunotherapy

"Immunotherapy" is not a specific molecule, receptor, or molecular target, but instead describes a medical treatment strategy that leverages the immune system to prevent, control, or eliminate diseases, most notably cancer[1][3][5][7][9]. It comprises a broad class of therapeutics (including immune checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, cell therapies, cytokines, and vaccines) that target a variety of specific molecular and cellular targets within the immune system or tumor microenvironment[1][3][4][7][9]. "Immunotherapy" is a treatment modality, not a discrete molecule, protein, or receptor. It refers to methods of treating disease by stimulating or suppressing the immune system. In oncology, immunotherapy includes diverse strategies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., PD-1, PD-L1, CTLA-4 inhibitors), monoclonal antibodies, adoptive cell therapies (e.g., CAR T cell therapies, TILs), cytokines (e.g., interleukins, interferons), therapeutic cancer vaccines, and oncolytic viruses. These approaches target various immunological or tumor-associated molecules, not a single canonical entity[1][3][4][5][7][9].

Other names

Immuno-oncologybiological therapyimmune-based therapy