immunotherapy

immunotherapy /im·mu·no·ther·a·py/ (-ther´ah-pe) passive immunization of an individual by administration of preformed antibodies (serum or gamma globulin) actively produced in another individual; by extension, the term has come to include the use of immunopotentiators, replacement of immunocompetent lymphoid tissue (e.g., bone marrow or thymus), etc.

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im·mu·no·ther·a·py (my-n-thr-p, -my-)

n.

Treatment of disease by inducing, enhancing, or suppressing an immune response.

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immu·no·thera·peutic (-pytk) adj.

immu·no·thera·pist n.

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Immunotherapy

A form of treatment that uses biologic agents to enhance or stimulate normal immune function.

Mentioned in: Bladder Cancer, Hairy Cell Leukemia, Kidney Cancer, Leukemias, Chronic, Malignant Melanoma

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immunotherapy

[-ther′əpē]

Etymology: L, immunis + Gk, therapeia, treatment

the application of immunologic knowledge and techniques to prevent and treat disease. Examples include the administration of increasing doses of allergens in the treatment of allergies, the use of immunostimulants and immunosuppressants, the transfer of immunocompetent cells and tissues from one person to another, and the use of interferon for its antiviral and antitumor properties. immunotherapeutic, adj.

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immunotherapy,

n improving the performance of the body's immune system by using immunization and immune factors. See also isopathy.

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immunotherapy

(im´ūnōther´pē),
n a special treatment of allergic responses that administers increasingly large doses of the offending allergens to gradually develop immunity.

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immunotherapy

passive immunization of an animal by administration of preformed antibodies (serum or gamma globulin) actively produced in another individual; by extension, the term has come to include the use of immunopotentiators, replacement of immunocompetent lymphoid tissue (e.g. bone marrow or thymus), etc. Because the immune response is a process of surveillance, recognition and attack of foreign cells, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising mode of treatment for cancer.

Nonspecific immunotherapy relies on general immune stimulants to activate the whole immune system. In the past decade, immunotherapy against cancer has involved the use of the bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine (see bcg vaccine), which is evolved from strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and is used to provide some immunity to tuberculosis. Recently, interferon has been considered as a good prospect for converting inactive immune cells into active 'natural killers' that attack tumor cells directly. See also hyposensitization.

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immunotherapy

Biological response modifier therapy, biological therapy, hyposensitization therapy Allergy medicine 1. A therapy in which an allergen–eg, hymenopteran–bee, wasp venom, is administered in ↑ doses to those with potentially fatal hypersensitivity thereto; IT elicits production of blocking IgG antibodies, interferes with antigen-Fab part of Ig binding, prevents fixation of IgE–which causes anaphylaxis, down-regulates T-cell responses, inhibits inflammatory responses to allergens, and attenuates anaphylactic reactions; IT in Pts with seasonal ragweed-exacerbated asthma and allergic rhinitis evokes improvement of Sx that is not sustained with time. See Active immunotherapy, Adoptive immunotherapy, Allergen immunotherapy, Venom immunotherapy 2. A treatment to stimulate or restore a person's immune system's ability to fight infection and disease, or ameliorate the adverse effects of chemotherapy. See Biological response modifier Oncology A therapy that nonspecifically stimulates the immune system to destroy malignant cells; some success is reported with BCG IT–which may be effective in treating melanoma, AML, solid tumors; others include Coley's toxin and heat-killed formalin-treated Corynebacterium parvum, an immunopotentiator and immunomodulator that evokes reticuloendothelial hyperplasia, stimulation of macrophages and B cells and which may enhance T-cell function. See BCG, Coley's toxin, Malariotherapy. Cf Immunoaugmentive therapy.