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biotherapy (immunotherapy)

Use of the immune system directly or indirectly to treat disease, especially cancer. May include administration of biologic agents such as: 1) adoptive immunotherapy a) lymphokine-activated killer [LAK] cells b) tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes [TILs]) 2) hematopoietic growth factors a) epoetin alfa (Epogen, Procrit) b) G-CSF (filgrastim, Neupogen) c) GM-CSF (sargramostim) d) M-CSF e) Interleukin 11 (oprelvekin, Neumega) 3) interferons a) interferon alfa-2a (Roferon-A) b) interferon alfa-2b (Intron-A) c) pegylated interferon (Pegasys) d) interferon alfa-n3 (Alferon N) e) interferon alfacon-1 (Infergen) f) interferon beta-1a (Avonex) g) interferon beta-1b (Betaseron) h) interferon gamma-1b (Actimmune) 4) interleukins a) interleukin 1-alpha b) interleukin 1-beta c) interleukin-2 (aldesleukin, Proleukin) d) interleukin-3 e) interleukin-4 f) interleukin-6 g) interleukin-12 5) monoclonal antibodies - checkpoint inhibitors 6) levamisole (Ergamisol) 7) fusion proteins - denileukin diftitox (Ontak) 8) tumor necrosis factor 9) vaccines or procedures such as 1) gene therapy 2) donor-derived T cells that simultaneously target different opportunistic viruses Notes: - dubbed 'breakthrough of the year' in 2013 [3] - investigational - viral vectors carrying genes for normal prostate tissue infused into mice resulted in regression of subcutaneous prostate tumors without effect on the normal mouse prostate - there was no activity against melanoma - viral vectors carrying genes for normal skin had no effect on the subcutaneous prostate tumors [2] - lymphocytes were extracted from lung metastases in a patient with cholangiocarcinoma - lymphocytes that showed activity against mutations found only in the tumor were harvested, cloned, & reinfused - the patient's tumors allegedly began 'melting away' [4] - donor-derived T cells that simultaneously target 5 different opportunistic viruses reported - Epstein-Barr virus - adenovirus - cytomegalovirus - BK virus - herpesvirus 6

Related

biological response modifier; immune factor; immunomodulator; biomodulator

Specific

cancer immunotherapy gene therapy intratumoral immunotherapy

General

pharmacologic therapy

References

  1. Biological Therapies: Using the Immune System To Treat Cancer http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/7_2.htm
  2. Kottke T et al. Broad antigenic coverage induced by vaccination with virus-based cDNA libraries cures established tumors. Nat Med 2011 Jul; 17:854. PMID: 21685898 - Alvarez-Breckenridge C and Chiocca EA. A viral strategy to ambush tumors. Nat Med 2011 Jul; 17:784 PMID: 21738155
  3. Couzin-Frankel J Cancer Immunotherapy Science 2013: Vol. 342 no. 6165 pp. 1432-1433 PMID: 24357284 http://www.sciencemag.org/content/342/6165/1432.full
  4. Elia J Treatment Approach Expands Population of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes. Physician's First Watch, May 12, 2014 David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief Massachusetts Medical Society http://www.jwatch.org - Tran E et al Cancer Immunotherapy Based on Mutation-Specific CD4+ T Cells in a Patient with Epithelial Cancer. Science 9 May 2014: Vol. 344 no. 6184 pp. 641-645 PMID: 24812403 http://www.sciencemag.org/content/344/6184/641.abstract
  5. Komaroff AL Immunotherapy Against Multiple Opportunistic Viruses in Immunocompromised Patients NEJM Journal Watch. July 10, 2014 Massachusetts Medical Society (subscription needed) http://www.jwatch.org - Papadopoulou A at al. Activity of broad-spectrum T cells as treatment for AdV, EBV, CMV, BKV, and HHV6 infections after HSCT. Sci Transl Med 2014 Jun 25; 6:242ra83 PMID: 24964991 http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/6/242/242ra83
  6. Komaroff AL Immunotherapy to Fight Cancer Begins to Work. NEJM Journal Watch. June 16, 2015 Massachusetts Medical Society (subscription needed) http://www.jwatch.org - Rosenberg SA and Restifo NP. Adoptive cell transfer as personalized immunotherapy for human cancer. Science 2015 Apr 3; 348:62 PMID: 25838374 - June CH et al. Adoptive cellular therapy: A race to the finish line. Sci Transl Med 2015 Mar 25; 7:280ps7. PMID: 25810311 - Sharma P and Allison JP. The future of immune checkpoint therapy. Science 2015 Apr 3; 348:56. PMID: 25838373 - Schumacher TN and Schreiber RD. Neoantigens in cancer immunotherapy. Science 2015 Apr 3; 348:69. PMID: 25838375 - Mueller KL. Cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Realizing the promise. Science 2015 Apr 3; 348:54. PMID: 25838372 - Joyce JA and Fearon DT. T cell exclusion, immune privilege, and the tumor microenvironment. Science 2015 Apr 3; 348:74 PMID: 25838376 - Wolchok JD and Chan TA. Cancer: Antitumour immunity gets a boost. Nature 2014 Nov 27; 515:496. PMID: 25428495 - Brahmer J et al. Nivolumab versus docetaxel in advanced squamous-cell non-small-cell lung cancer. N Engl J Med 2015 May 31 PMID: 26028407 - Larkin J et al. Combined nivolumab and ipilimumab or monotherapy in untreated melanoma. N Engl J Med 2015 May 31; PMID: 26027431 - Le DT et al. PD-1 blockade in tumors with mismatch-repair deficiency. N Engl J Med 2015 May 30 PMID: 26028255 - Lonial S et al. Elotuzumab therapy for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. N Engl J Med 2015 Jun 2; PMID: 26035255
  7. Grady D Harnessing the Immnune System to Fight Cancer. New York Times. July 30, 2016 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/31/health/harnessing-the-immune-system-to-fight-cancer.html