Why is immunotherapy used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)?
Immunotherapy helps your immune system better recognize and destroy CLL cells. Your body naturally makes antibodies to fight leukemia, but immunotherapy boosts this cancer-killing ability.
Here's how it works:
- Monoclonal antibodies attach to Show Full Answer
Why is immunotherapy used to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)?
Immunotherapy helps your immune system better recognize and destroy CLL cells. Your body naturally makes antibodies to fight leukemia, but immunotherapy boosts this cancer-killing ability.
Here's how it works:
- Monoclonal antibodies attach to specific proteins on CLL cells, marking them for destruction by your immune system
- Some immunotherapy drugs activate T cells (immune cells) to directly kill leukemia cells
- CAR-T therapy modifies your own T cells in a lab, adding special proteins that help them attach to and destroy cancer cells more effectively
Common immunotherapy options for CLL include monoclonal antibodies like rituximab (Rituxan), obinutuzumab (Gazyva), and ofatumumab (Arzerra). These are often combined with other treatments like chemotherapy or targeted therapies.
Immunotherapy can be particularly helpful because it targets cancer cells more precisely than traditional chemotherapy, which may result in fewer side effects while still effectively treating the leukemia.
February 5
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