Which therapy specifically enhances the immune system's ability to fight cancer?

Immunotherapy is a form of cancer treatment that specifically enhances the immune system's ability to fight cancer. This approach utilizes the body's immune system, which includes a complex network of cells that can recognize and destroy cancer cells. Various types of immunotherapy exist, including checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell transfer, all of which work to boost the immune response against tumors.

The effectiveness of immunotherapy comes from its ability to target the immune system directly and improve its capacity to detect and eliminate malignant cells. By doing so, it can result in more durable responses and a potentially longer-lasting effect compared to traditional therapies, which primarily focus on killing cancer cells directly or disrupting their ability to grow and divide.

In contrast, hormone therapy works by blocking the body’s natural hormone signals that can promote cancer growth, radiation therapy uses high-energy particles to damage or kill cancer cells, and targeted therapy involves specific drugs that target cancer cell mechanisms but do not enhance immune function. Thus, immunotherapy stands out as the treatment that focuses uniquely on empowering the immune system to combat cancer more effectively.