What is the potential of immunotherapy?

Cancer, as a disease caused by genetic mutations, is highly variable from individual to individual and even case to case within the same individual. However, the majority of treatment options and regimens in place today are not tailored to the specific conditions and parameters of individual patients, let alone individual cancers. Immunotherapy research seeks to broaden the depth of our understanding of the immune system-cancer cell relationship, so that specific immune dysfunctions could be identified for each individual, and an appropriate treatment regimen implemented. Immunotherapy is a step towards the utilization of personalized medicine in the treatment of cancer.1

Reference:
1. A. Marabelle and C. Caux. “Combined targeted and immunotherapy: the future of personalized medicine,” Blood 120:4454-4455, 2012.