Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a progressive treatment option designed to enhance the body's natural defense system, which protects us against a variety of diseases.
For many years, physicians believed that the immune system was effective only in combating infectious diseases caused by such invading agents as bacteria and viruses. More recently, we have learned that the immune system may play a central role in protecting the body against cancer and in combating cancer that has already developed. There is evidence that in many cancer patients the immune system slows down the growth and spread of tumors.
One immediate goal of research in cancer immunology is the development of methods to harness and enhance the body's natural tendency to defend itself against malignant tumors. Immunotherapy represents a new and powerful weapon in the arsenal of anticancer treatments.
Significant data and experience indicate that mesothelioma may be successfully treated with manipulation of the immune system. Reports in medical literature reveal success using immunotoxins and interferon. Learn about PHLBI’s research plans to aggressively pursue the use of immune stimulating factors in the treatment of mesothelioma: