Medical Writing Vaccines and Immunotherapies Immuno-oncology: Harnessing our immune system to fight cancer

Volume 27, Issue 1 - Vaccines and Immunotherapies

Immuno-oncology: Harnessing our immune system to fight cancer

Abstract

The history of immunotherapy to treat cancer began in 1891 when the American surgeon William Coley performed intra-tumoural injections with inactivated bacteria in patients with advanced sarcoma, in an attempt to stimulate anti-tumour immunity. Modern immunotherapy gradually made its way over the last 50 years, as a better understanding of anti-cancer immunity has been gained. Immunotherapeutic agents target three essential steps in the immune response to tumour-associated antigens, namely antigen presentation, effector T-cell response, and inhibition of tumour-driven immunosuppression. Conventional chemotherapy and immunotherapy agents differ in their mode of action, predicted endpoints, and toxicities. The development and approval of immuno therapy drugs has therefore challenged our traditional view of conducting clinical trials. Many challenges with great promises still lie ahead, including combination therapies and individualised therapy based on patients’ predicted responses to treatments.

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Articles

Vaccines and immunotherapies
President's Column
A history of EMWA
EMWA News
An introduction to vaccines and immunotherapies
Immuno-oncology: Harnessing our immune system to fight cancer
Changing methods to assess targeted therapies in oncology
HIV vaccine clinical trials: An overview
Allergen immunotherapy in the European regulatory environment
Pharmacovigilance for vaccines and immunotherapies
Addressing vaccine hesitancy in writing
Results of the 2017 EMWA salary survey
Lay writing: Strategies for improving assent forms
The perils of the unknown: Missing data in clinical studies
Medical writing in China: Trends and opportunities
PhD student: A medical writer in the making!
News from the EMA
Medical Communications
Journal Watch
In the Bookstores
The Webscout
Teaching Medical Writing
Good Writing Practice
Medical Devices
Getting Your Foot in the Door
Entering medical communications as a non-native English speaker
Out on Our Own
Lingua Franca and Beyond

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