Cancer treatment has changed dramatically over the past few decades. For many years, the main treatments available were surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. While these approaches remain essential in cancer care today, the introduction of immunotherapy has transformed treatment for many patients and is widely regarded as one of the most significant advances in modern oncology.
Unlike traditional treatments, which aim to remove or destroy cancer cells directly, immunotherapy works by helping the body’s own immune system recognise and fight cancer. This innovative approach has improved outcomes for many patients and has changed the way doctors think about treating cancer.
What is immunotherapy?
The immune system is the body’s natural defence against infection and disease. It constantly monitors the body for anything abnormal, including cells that may become cancerous. In many cases, the immune system can identify and destroy these cells before they cause harm.
However, cancer cells are particularly skilled at avoiding detection. They can develop ways of hiding from the immune system or suppressing immune responses, allowing them to grow and spread unchecked.
Immunotherapy is designed to overcome these challenges. By strengthening or reactivating the immune system, it helps the body recognise cancer cells as a threat and attack them more effectively.
How has immunotherapy changed cancer treatment?
The impact of immunotherapy has been remarkable. In the past, some advanced cancers had very limited treatment options and poor long-term survival rates. Today, immunotherapy has helped improve outcomes for patients with cancers such as melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, and certain blood cancers.
Perhaps one of the most exciting developments is that some patients experience long-lasting responses to treatment. In certain cases, cancer can remain under control for years after therapy has ended. While this does not happen for everyone, it has demonstrated that the immune system can sometimes provide durable protection against cancer.
Immunotherapy has also expanded the range of treatment options available. It is increasingly being used alongside surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapies, allowing doctors to create more personalised treatment plans based on an individual’s cancer type and circumstances.
How does it work?
The success of immunotherapy lies in its ability to help the immune system recognise and attack cancer more effectively. There are several different types of immunotherapy, but they all share the same goal which is to enable the body’s natural defences to identify and target cancer cells.
One of the most common forms is known as a checkpoint inhibitor. These drugs block signals that cancer cells use to switch off immune cells. By removing these “brakes”, the immune system can mount a stronger response against the cancer.
Other forms of immunotherapy include monoclonal antibodies, which are specially designed proteins that attach to cancer cells and help the immune system identify them. More advanced treatments, such as CAR T-cell therapy, involve modifying a patient’s own immune cells in a laboratory before returning them to the body to seek out and destroy cancer.
Looking to the future
Research into immunotherapy is progressing rapidly. Scientists are exploring new ways to combine immunotherapy with other treatments, improve response rates, and extend its benefits to a wider range of cancers. The success of immunotherapy has already changed expectations within cancer care, shifting the focus from simply destroying cancer cells to empowering the body’s own immune system to fight disease.
While immunotherapy may not be suitable for every patient, and like all cancer treatments it can be associated with side effects, its impact on cancer care has been profound. For many people, it has improved disease control, extended survival, and offered the possibility of long-term remission where treatment options were previously limited. As our understanding of cancer and the immune system continues to grow, immunotherapy is expected to play an increasingly important role in oncology, offering more personalised and effective treatments for patients in the years ahead.
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About the author
MBBS BSC (hons) MRCGP DFSRH
“General practice is a privilege—an opportunity to support people through every stage of life, to unravel diagnostic puzzles, and to learn something new every day. I find it deeply fulfilling to build lasting relationships with patients and to help guide them through both illness and health”.
My training and early career encompassed a broad range of specialties, including general medicine, accident and emergency (including paediatric A&E), care of the elderly, ENT, cancer care, ophthalmology, cardiology, and sexual health.
Over the past 12 years, I have worked in private practice in Chelsea alongside roles within the NHS, including work with the Chelsea Pensioners and within the local community. I value the continuity, time and holistic approach that private practice allows, as well as the opportunity to work closely with leading specialists across London.
I enjoy all aspects of general practice, with particular interests in preventative health, complex elderly care, mental health, and child and women’s health. I see a wide range of patients and take pride in supporting whole families — from newborns to grandparents — building long-term, trusted relationships. Alongside my clinical work, I have taught private antenatal classes and remain passionate about patient education and empowerment.
