Vaginal Cancer Treatments – Biotherapy / Immunotherapy

Biotherapy / Immunotherapy for Vaginal Cancer

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), we have long understood that the immune system can play an important role in vaginal cancer treatment. The immune system is the body's own natural power of protection. Immunotherapy (also called biotherapy, biological therapy, or biological response modifier therapy) uses innovative ways to further engage the immune system to fight cancers like vaginal cancer.

Immunotherapy can be used directly as a form of vaginal cancer treatment, or indirectly to help reduce common side effects associated with other forms of treatment.

When the immune system breaks down or is weakened, your body becomes more vulnerable to all forms of sickness and disease, including vaginal cancer. Biotherapy aids in vaginal cancer treatment by helping to repair, stimulate, or enhance the body’s natural immune responses. Biotherapy can be used alone as a primary vaginal cancer treatment, or in conjunction with other treatment modalities, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Biotherapy /Immunotherapy may be used to:

• Stop, control, or interfere with processes that permit vaginal cancer cells to grow
• Make vaginal cancer cells more recognizable, and therefore more susceptible, to destruction by your immune system
• Boost the killing power of your immune system cells, such as T-cells, NK-cells, and macrophages
• Alter vaginal cancer cells' growth patterns to promote behavior like that of healthy cells
• Block or reverse the process that changes a normal cell or a pre-cancerous cell into a cancerous cell
• Enhance your body’s ability to repair or replace normal cells damaged or destroyed by other forms of vaginal cancer treatment (e.g., chemotherapy, radiation)
• Prevent vaginal cancer cells from spreading to other parts of your body

Next Topic: Complementary & Alternative Medicines for Vaginal Cancer