Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy overview

Immunotherapy is a dramatic shift in how we fight cancer. It’s not chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. Instead, it is a therapy that uses the power of your body’s own immune system to find and destroy cancer cells. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center physicians and researchers are leaders in discovering new ways to give your immune system the upper hand against cancer — making immunotherapy the science behind hope.

Following the merger of long-time partners, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the organization was renamed to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. We are an independent, nonprofit organization that also serves as UW Medicine's cancer program. 

Chemotherapy Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It may be given alone or with other treatments. Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Chemotherapy may be given by mouth, injection, infusion or on the skin, depending on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. It may be given alone or with other treatments, such as surgery, radiation therapy or biologic therapy. Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies.

Telehealth consultations are available

At our clinic we have thorough safety measures in place to protect you, your caregivers and our staff. We also understand that sometimes it is not possible to come to an in-person visit. That is why we are pleased to offer telehealth consultations if you are eligible. 

We are committed to easing any anxiety around a telehealth visit if this is new for you. Prior to your appointment we will provide detailed instructions to help you familiarize yourself before you meet with your care team. Ask about telehealth when making an appointment to see if it is an option for you.

What is immunotherapy?

Your immune system’s job is to protect your body against foreign invaders, like bacteria and tumors. Cancer can hide from the immune system and even trick the immune cells into helping — rather than harming — the tumors.

Immunotherapy uses your immune system’s own fighting power to attack cancer cells. The body becomes part of the solution — it helps your immune system fight cancer and put it back in control.

Immunotherapy can be used on its own or along with traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Immunotherapy offers doctors and patients a new and powerful treatment option.

Chemotherapy Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It may be given alone or with other treatments. Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Chemotherapy may be given by mouth, injection, infusion or on the skin, depending on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. It may be given alone or with other treatments, such as surgery, radiation therapy or biologic therapy. Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies.
Frequently asked questions

The term “immunotherapy” covers a wide variety of treatments that use the natural defensive abilities of the human immune system to fight diseases. The following are frequently asked questions on immunotherapy, how our immune system works and how these things combine to provide better outcomes in cancer treatment. 

How does the immune system work?

Our immune system is a complex array of defenses that evolved to protect our bodies from foreign invaders. Infectious organisms such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses all have specific molecular targets called “antigens,” which are recognized by the immune system. But allergens (like pollen) and foreign proteins (from improperly matched transfusions, transplants, or biological medicines) can also serve as antigens that trigger an immune response.

How does cancer fool the immune system?

Cancer is a genetic disease. It occurs when damaged DNA sends out faulty signals along one or more biomolecular pathways, causing tumor cells to grow out of control. Because the invasion of tumor cells is homegrown rather than foreign, an immune response is often not effectively triggered. In some cases, despite antigens present on growing tumors, the immune response is not strong enough to destroy the cancer. In addition, cancers have developed defenses of their own. For example, some cancers can secrete the precise chemicals that signal our bodies to shut down the immune response.

To further complicate matters, the immune system remains vigilant if we attempt to introduce healthy tissue from another person that is intended to help patients fight their cancer. Certain treatments must pay strict attention to tissue compatibility. Otherwise, the body will mount an immune response — in effect, rejecting the cure while protecting the disease.

What is immunotherapy?

The term “immunotherapy” covers a wide variety of treatments that use the natural defensive abilities of our own immune system to fight diseases. The immune system made up of white blood cells, organs and tissues of the lymph system, helps the body fight infections and other diseases. Immunotherapy is a type of biological therapy, which uses substances made from living organisms to treat cancer.

How does immunotherapy work?

Cancer is capable of hiding from the immune system and even using it to support tumor growth. The goal of immunotherapy is to make sure the immune system detects cancer and attacks the disease — just as it does with most bacteria or viruses.

Is immunotherapy new?

Many of the key elements of immunotherapy have been around for decades. In fact, Fred Hutch has known the promise of immunotherapy with our pioneering work that began more than 40 years ago.

However, the last decade has seen an explosion in the number, type and effectiveness of immunotherapies.

Are there different types of immunotherapy?

There are a number of types of immunotherapy currently in use at Fred Hutch: CAR T-cell therapies, antibody therapies, vaccines and cytokines. In many cases, these therapies are used in combination to attack cancer on multiple fronts.

How effective is immunotherapy?

Please keep in mind that immunotherapy therapies are not yet available for all types of cancer and, where available, they are effective only for a percentage of patients. But optimism remains that these options will become more widely available as physicians and researchers find more ways to apply these therapies to treatment plans.

If you are a patient or helping advise a cancer patient, we hope this information will enable you to ask good questions and have a more productive conversation with your provider or care team.

How can I get immunotherapy as part of my treatment?

Immunotherapy is not yet as widely used as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. However, immunotherapies have been approved to treat people with many types of cancer. To learn about immunotherapies that may be used to treat your cancer, ask your provider and care team.

Immunotherapy Long-Term Follow-Up Program

If you received immunotherapy treatment from the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic and have questions related to your treatment that your local doctor can’t answer, our Long-Term Follow-Up (LTFU) program is here to help. Our doctors will work with you and your local team to care for you. We will also gather information from you to help us prevent and treat any long-term effects of immunotherapy.

You may contact us at any time by email or phone. Messages are assigned priority according to the urgency and the order in which they are received. In general, most messages receive a response within three business days. Please be aware that the response time depends on the volume and nature of the messages received. 

Antibody A protein made by immune system cells and released into the blood. Antibodies defend the body against foreign substances, such as bacteria. Chemotherapy Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. It may be given alone or with other treatments. Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Chemotherapy may be given by mouth, injection, infusion or on the skin, depending on the type and stage of the cancer being treated. It may be given alone or with other treatments, such as surgery, radiation therapy or biologic therapy. Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies. Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies. Lymph system The tissues and organs that produce, store and carry white blood cells that fight infections and other diseases. The tissues and organs that produce, store and carry white blood cells that fight infections and other diseases. This system includes the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels (a network of thin tubes that carry lymph and white blood cells). Lymphatic vessels branch, like blood vessels, into all the tissues of the body. Radiation therapy The use of high-energy radiation from X-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, protons and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, protons and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy), or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body near cancer cells (internal radiation therapy or brachytherapy). Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that travels in the blood to tissues throughout the body.

Contact

email imtxltfu@fredhutch.org
Monday to Friday, 8 am–4 pm (Pacific Time)

If you have a medical emergency, call 9-1-1. 
Fred Hutch Executive Vice President Clinical Affairs, Dr. Nancy Davidson discusses the latest in immunotherapy with Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic Medical Director, Dr. David Maloney.

How does it work?

The two leading forms of immunotherapy based on research from Fred Hutch are cellular immunotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. 

Cellular immunotherapy involves taking immune cells from your body and replacing them back into your body in large numbers to help your immune system fight cancer.

CAR T-cell therapy is a form of cellular immunotherapy that uses modified T-cells to attack cancer cells. A sample of T-cells is taken from your body and re-engineered in a lab setting to produce chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). When they are reinfused into your body as CAR T-cells, they’re able to recognize cancer cells and fight them.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors work by teaching immune cells to target and attack the pathways where cancer grows. Tumor cells can hide themselves by sending false signals to immune cell “checkpoints” so that they look harmless. Checkpoint inhibitor drugs block these false signals, so the immune system isn’t tricked into ignoring tumors.

Antigen A foreign substance, such as bacteria, that causes the body’s immune system to respond by making antibodies. Antibodies defend the body against antigens. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy A type of treatment in which a patient's T cells (a type of immune system cell) are changed in the laboratory so they will attack cancer cells. A type of treatment in which a patient's T cells (a type of immune system cell) are changed in the laboratory so they will attack cancer cells. T cells are taken from a patient’s blood. Then, in the laboratory, the gene for a special receptor that binds to a certain protein on the patient’s cancer cells is added to the T cells. This special receptor is called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Large numbers of the CAR T cells are grown in the laboratory and given to the patient by infusion. Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy is used to treat certain blood cancers, and it is being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Also called CAR T-cell therapy. Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies.
“Immunotherapy can range from a drug to boost the immune system to re-engineering immune cells to fight cancer. These therapies show great promise, often in cases where cancer has been very advanced and where other known therapies have failed.”
— David G. Maloney, MD, PhD, Medical Director, Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic

Clinical trials

Many of the key elements of immunotherapy have been around for decades. In fact, Fred Hutch has known the promise of immunotherapy ever since our pioneering team led the way in early forms of immunotherapy over 40 years ago. Our world-class doctors are using immunotherapy research to bring a better reality to our patients, providing the therapies of tomorrow, today. Below is a link of immunotherapy clinical trials that are currently open and accepting patients at Fred Hutch.

    Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies.
    “I was one of the first participants in a lung cancer immunotherapy drug trial at Fred Hutch. Not only did that trial lead to the drug being available for future patients, but it saved my life.”
    — Sunshine Pegues, Lung cancer patient

    Saving lives with exceptional science

    Many of the world’s immunotherapy experts are based at Fred Hutch. We are leaders in turning scientific discovery into exciting new treatments that are changing the way cancer is treated. Our groundbreaking research is the foundation for many of the FDA-approved immunotherapies used across the country today.

    We bring our knowledge from the lab to the bedside, giving Fred Hutch patients faster access to exceptional science.

    Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies. Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies.

    Featured stories

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    Sunshine Pegues, lung cancer patient

    Beverly “Sunshine” Pegues dons her helmet, adjusts her gloves, swings her leg over her saddle and rides into the early dawn sunshine in Seattle. Birdsong punctuates the hushed morning sounds. Her bicycle tires crunch along the sandy road. Riding strong and confident, she picks up speed. She is on the road, training for Obliteride, an annual 25-to-100-mile fundraiser for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch).

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    Sunshine Pegues, lung cancer patient

    Leading experts

    Patients at Fred Hutch are taken care of by doctors, advanced practice providers, and registered nurses who specialize in immunotherapy and are among the best in the nation. Through Fred Hutch, you have access to the latest therapies and treatments. Our team of doctors, advanced practice providers and specialists meets regularly to discuss each patient’s treatment options.

    Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies.

    Request an appointment

    To learn about immunotherapies that may be used to treat your cancer, ask your provider and care team.

    Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies.
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