Biological therapy

Biological therapies are treatments that produce its antitumor effect primarily through enhancing the body defense mechanisms against cancer cells. This can be achieved through either the stimulating the body immune system to produce more of these naturally occurring substances or by the administration of already made medications of versions of these natural products from the immune systems.

Biologic therapy acts primarily by:
1- Making tumor cells more antigenic; easily recognized by the body immune system.
2- Enhancing the body immune reactions to tumor cells.
The term Biological Response Modifiers (BRM's) is also used to refer to biologic therapy. Other anonymous are biologic agents or biologics.

Types of biological therapies
There are several types of biological therapy. These include
1- Cytokines:
• Interferon
• Interleukin 2
• Hematopoietic Growth factors
 

2- Monoclonal antibodies (MABs)
 

3- Cancer Immunotherapy and vaccines
• Preventive vaccines
• Therapeutic vaccines

4- Anti-Angiogenesis
 

5- Hormonal therapies: Most commonly used in the treatment of breast and prostate cancer.
• Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists:

LHRH analogues: Goserelin (Zoladex)

Leuprolide (Lupron).

• Adrenal hormones:
- Inhibitors (Aromatase Inhibitors).
- Agnoists: Corticosteroids.

• Estrogen:
- Inhibitors: e.g. Tamoxifen.
- Agonists: Diethylstilbestrol.
 

• Progestin agonist:
- Medroxyprogesterone (Depo-Provera)
- Megesterol acetate (Megace)

• Androgen Inhibitors:
- Steroidal:
Cyproterone acetate (Androcur)
Megesterol acetate (Megace)

- Non steroidal:
Flutamide (Eulexin).
Bicalutamide (Casodex)
Nilutamide (Anandron)

• Somatostatin analogue: Octreotide (Sandostatin)
 

6- Differentiating agents
• Retinoid
• Arsenic
• HDAC
• Vitamin D
• Cytokines

7- Gene therapy drugs
 

8- Molecular therapy.
It is important to note that some of these drugs may be put under more than one type of the mentioned classification. For example, some cancer vaccines and MABs are also gene therapy drugs.

For more information please look on the internet at NCI website.