Gallbladder Cancer Treatment – Biotherapy/Immunotherapy

Biotherapy/Immunotherapy for Gallbladder Cancer

The immune system pertains to your body's own, natural ability to fight disease and infection, including gallbladder cancer. At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), we believe that your gallbladder cancer treatment can be enhanced first by understanding, and then by utilizing, the natural response of your body's own immune system.

Immunotherapy (sometimes called biological therapy, biotherapy or biological response modifier therapy) uses the power of your body’s immune system, either directly or indirectly, to help fight gallbladder cancer. Immunotherapy can also be used to help lessen the side effects that may be caused by some forms of gallbladder cancer treatment.

Cancer may develop when the immune system breaks down or is not functioning adequately. Biotherapy treatments available at CTCA are designed to repair, stimulate or enhance your body’s own immune responses. Gallbladder cancer treatments such as interferon and colony stimulating factors are used now at CTCA, either alone, or in conjunction with other treatment modalities such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

Biotherapy may be used as a gallbladder cancer treatment to help:

• Stop, control or suppress processes that permit growth of gallbladder cancer cells
• Make gallbladder cancer cells more recognizable, and therefore more vulnerable, to your immune system
• Boost the killing power of your immune system cells, such as T-cells, NK-cells and macrophages
• Alter gallbladder cancer cells' growth patterns to promote behavior like that of healthy cells
• Interfere with the process that changes a normal or precancerous gallbladder cell into a cancerous gallbladder cell
• Enhance your body’s ability to repair or replace normal cells damaged or destroyed by other forms of gallbladder cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation
• Prevent gallbladder cancer cells from spreading, developing metastatic cancer in other parts of the body

Next Topic: Complementary/Alternative Gallbladder Cancer Treatment