Therapeutic Approaches to Employ Monoclonal Antibody for Cancer Treatment

Abstract

With the evolution of the tissue system and division of function among differentiated cells/tissues, the property of controlled cell growth also evolved in animals. It is when this very control is lost that cancers develop. The immune system's ability to distinguish between self and non-self is central to impeding cancer progression. However, cancer cells in time can develop multiple ways of escaping immune control. Even today, cancer remains a disease of baffling complexity on account of its diverse origin and pathogenesis. Classical methods like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy have failed to make the cut as idyllic therapy, especially considering the encumbering side-effects and high failure rate. Alternative therapeutic strategies that exploit the immune system itself have proved promising. One of these is monoclonal antibody therapy. In this chapter, the relationship between the immune system and cancer and various forms of immunotherapy are discussed in detail.