Immunotherapy is a comparatively new treatment that seeks to harness the body's own immune system to fight cancer and other diseases. It was made possible by the tremendous advances in molecular biology in the 1980's, which for the first time allowed scientists to produce immune system cells and proteins in large quantities in the lab.
Dr. John Hanson of Medical Consultants became interested in immunotherapy as a weapon against cancer in the 1980's, and has been using it to treat patients, when appropriate, since 1987, in conjunction with the Immunotherapy Research & Treatment Institute at St. Luke's Medical Center.
Today immunotherapy is used against cancer and clinical applications continue to evolve as a result of the new research. The current immunotherapy treatments offered by Medical Consultants involve collecting specific types of immune system defender cells from a patient's bloodstream, or surgically removing defender cells that have already attached themselves to a patient's tumor.
These cells are grown in the laboratory in combination with immune system proteins such as interlukin-2 that strengthen the cells, potentially making them better cancer fighters. The cells are then returned to the patient where they circulate in the bloodstream with the purpose of helping destroy tumor cells wherever they find them.
The treatments may be given on an inpatient or outpatient basis. They usually are applied in combination with more common cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplants.
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