The Types of Cancer that Immunotherapy Can Help Treat

Immunotherapy is a breakthrough cancer treatment that harnesses your own body’s immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells. When doctors talk about immunotherapy as a cancer treatment, they are actually referring to different kinds treatments that fall under the umbrella of immunotherapy, such as antibodies, vaccines, cytokines, and checkpoint inhibitors. Each immunotherapy treatment affects the immune system differently, and each immunotherapy option is FDA-approved to treat only certain kinds of cancer.

Typically doctors use immunotherapy to treat metastatic cancer, which is when the cancer has already spread to other areas of the body. But doctors and researchers are researching how to use immunotherapy in earlier stages of cancer to help prevent cancer from returning in the first place.

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Written by:

Lauren Smith, MA

Lauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.

Reviewed by:

Sanjai Sinha, MD

Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.

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