What is cancer immunotherapy?

Our natural defense against disease is called the “immune system”. It works silently in our bodies, around the clock, to protect us and keep us healthy.

The immune system works by detecting and destroying a wide range of germs and viruses that try to invade our bodies every day. It recognizes these germs because they do not come from the body - they are “foreign”. It then kills them and stops the disease. Our natural immune system can also detect cancer, because cancer cells are not exactly like normal cells.

Cancer immunotherapy is a potential new form of treatment that improves the way our immune system fights cancer.

Use the menu on the left to find out more about cancer immunotherapy.