Lymphoma Cancer Treatments – Interferons
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Interferons for Lymphoma
Your care team at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) may recommend interferons, a form of biotherapy/immunotherapy, as a lymphoma treatment option.
A natural defense against infection and disease, interferons are proteins produced by the body’s immune system to locate and destroy unhealthy or infected cells. The body is able to distinguish foreign, diseased or cancerous cells from normal healthy cells by special marks on the cells’ surfaces. When the body identifies unhealthy cells, the immune response sends fighter cells to destroy invading cells. The fighter cells will begin to produce interferons and other natural substances to combat the foreign cells and prevent their growth and reproduction.
While the body normally produces interferons, pharmaceutical forms of these substances can be made in the laboratory to help the body's immune system fight diseases like lymphoma. The following are three types of manufactured interferons that help fight harmful cells:
- Interferon-alpha – Used in the defense against some types of cancer, including hairy cell leukemia, melanoma, follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma
- Interferon-beta – Used primarily in the treatment of multiple sclerosis
- Interferon-gamma – Used in the treatment of chronic granulomatous disease
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