什么是免疫疗法？

免疫疗法是一种新的癌症治疗领域。近年来，这种类型的治疗已被证明是成功增加了某些类型癌症的人的生存率。这包括转移性前列腺癌和转移性肺癌。

Researchers have also been looking at immunotherapy for metastatic breast cancer.

For some time, they didn’t agree on the role of the immune system in breast cancer. More recent research shows that the immune system has an important role. In fact, the first immunotherapy for breast cancer was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in early 2019.

继续阅读以了解有关免疫疗法如何工作和现在正在研究治疗乳腺癌的免疫疗法的类型。

TREATING METASTATIC BREAST CANCER

转移性乳腺癌与一个人不同于另一个人，这取决于癌症的蔓延的位置。治疗可能会有所不同，必须根据您的需求量身定制。它通常专注于预防复发，消除或减少疼痛，并保持您的生活质量。

Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that uses the body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells.

免疫系统通过攻击身体中的物质而作出的作用。这包括病毒，细菌和癌细胞。癌细胞存在巨大挑战，因为它们可能与对免疫系统的正常细胞似乎没有差异。免疫疗法有助于免疫系统更好地对抗癌细胞。

Different types of immunotherapy work in different ways. Some types work by boosting your immune system to help it work better. Others give your immune system more tools, such as antibodies, to attack specific cancer cells.

There are four main types of immunotherapy that researchers are studying to treat metastatic breast cancer:

  • checkpoint inhibitors
  • cancer vaccines
  • adoptive T cell therapy
  • monoclonal antibodies

The immune system has certain checkpoints that help keep it from attacking normal cells in the body. These checkpoints can also weaken the immune system’s attack on cancer cells.

检查点抑制剂是防止某些检查点工作的药物。这使得免疫反应更强。FDA在这类课堂上批准了几种药物，用于黑色素瘤和转移性肺癌。

Clinical trials on checkpoint inhibitors used alone and in combination with other therapies are also underway for people with metastatic or triple-negative breast cancer.

2019年3月，FDA批准了第一次免疫治疗药物组合用于三阴性乳腺癌。

This drug combination includes the checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and thechemotherapy drugnab-paclitaxel (Abraxane).

Tecentriq块PD-L1，一种使免疫系统免于攻击癌细胞的蛋白质。Tecentriq与abraxane一起使用，以最大化撞击。

Cancer vaccines work by stimulating a type of immunity that attacks and kills cancer cells.

第一个FDA批准的癌症疫苗，Sipueucel-T（验证）是针对具有转移性前列腺癌的人类创建的。该疫苗已显示 增加整体生存 in people with metastatic prostate cancer.

Researchers are studying many vaccine strategies in people with breast cancer. Some researchers believe breast cancer vaccines may work best when combined with other therapies. People who haven’t received much breast cancer treatment may also benefit from vaccines.

疫苗可能需要数月才能引起免疫应答，因此单独使用时它们可能不适合非常晚期癌症。当与其他疗法一起使用时，它们仍可能发挥重要作用。在这一领域的研究正在进行中。

In October 2019, Florida based Mayo Clinic researchers宣布他们在第一次临床试验参与者中开发了他们已经开发的疫苗被消除了癌细胞。

临床试验参与者已在原位（DCIS）上称为导管癌的早期乳腺癌的诊断。一位研究人员确实注意到，在参与不同的疫苗临床试验后，患有第4阶段的乳腺癌的人们也看到了有前途的结果。

A T cell is a type of white blood cell that plays an important role in the immune response. Adoptive T cell therapy involves removing your T cells, modifying them to improve their activity, and then injecting them back into your body.

Several research studies are underway to test this approach in people with metastatic or triple-negative breast cancer.

单克隆抗体attack very specific parts of a cancer cell. They can be made in a laboratory. Monoclonal antibodies can be “naked,” meaning they work alone. They can also be “conjugated,” meaning they’re joined to a radioactive particle or a chemotherapy drug.

There are already monoclonal antibodies available for the treatment of breast cancer.

Trastuzumab（Herceptin）是一种裸体单克隆抗体和化疗药物。它靶向HER2阳性蛋白质，该蛋白质在一些乳腺癌细胞上发现。

Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla), a conjugated monoclonal antibody, is attached to a chemotherapy drug. It also targets the HER2 positive protein.

pertuzumab（perjeta）是 FDA approved in 2017 for postsurgery combination treatment of early breast cancer at high risk of recurrence. It’s a conjugated monoclonal antibody, and it can be attached to trastuzumab or other chemotherapy drugs. It targets the HER2 positive protein.

Researchers are currently studying a number of other monoclonal antibodies as treatments for advanced breast cancer.

免疫疗法通常被认为具有比其他类型的癌症治疗更少的副作用。但是，有些人可能仍然体验副作用。

Possible side effects may include:

  • fever
  • chills
  • fatigue
  • headache
  • 恶心
  • vomiting
  • 腹泻
  • weakness
  • low blood pressure
  • rashes

肺部，肝脏，肾脏和其他器官可以发生更严重的效果。

疫苗通常仅引起轻度副作用。您还可以体验注射部位反应，例如瘙痒或发红。这些往往会随着时间的推移而减少。

目前，研究人员主要研究了用于先进转移性乳腺癌的免疫疗法。然而，它看起来很有希望用于乳腺癌的其他阶段。

Many clinical trials are underway. New treatments are expected to become available soon.

Their success will depend on finding the correct approach for the specific type and stage of breast cancer. It’s also likely that the therapies will be most helpful when they’re combined with other treatments.

Talk with your doctor about new treatment options that may be available. Learn about new therapies.

您还可以考虑参加临床研究试验。这些试验中的许多试验适用于具有转移性乳腺癌的人，并且目前已经存在或目前正在接受其他类型的癌症治疗。