Biological Therapy

Most methods of treating cancer and other disease processes involve attacking the offending cells in an effort to kill them. Two examples of this are chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Biological therapy, however, utilizes the body's own immune system to fight against the offending cells. The human body's immune system is made up of cells whose function is to attack anything that is foreign.

The body's immune system, as a rule, recognizes foreign cells as not belonging there and attacks them. When it comes to cancer, however, the body often doesn't recognize these cells as being foreign. Researchers continue to search for the reasons why the body reacts this way. Biological therapy stimulates the immune system to fight these disease processes.

When treating a disease such as cancer, doctors often use a combination of biological therapy to stimulate the immune system to fight, along with medications that kill the cancerous cells. This gives the body added aid in the form of agents that work to destroy the cells and also provides a boost to the immune system so that it can fight the cancer.

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always ask your medical professional when you have questions regarding this or any therapy.

Scientists around the world continue to work to find new biological therapies to diagnose, prevent and treat cancer and other diseases. Scientists are also trying to find the part stress plays in causing the human body's immune system to fail.