immunotherapy

noun

im·mu·no·ther·a·py | \ ˌi-myə-nō-ˈther-ə-pē,

i-ˌmyü-nō-\

Definition of immunotherapy

: treatment or prevention of disease (such as an autoimmune disorder, allergy, or cancer) that involves the stimulation, enhancement, suppression, or desensitization of the immune system — see adoptive immunotherapy

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On Saturday night, the controversy around the experimental cancer immunotherapy drug NKTR-214 ratcheted higher following a new data presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, "A controversial ASCO presentation underscores risk Bristol, Nektar carry with experimental cancer drug," 3 June 2018 Now, drugs based on immunotherapy, such as Keytruda, Yervoy, Opdivo, and Tecentriq, have prolonged the lives of hundreds of people with cancers that would be otherwise incurable. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "The Cancer Breakthrough That Just Won the Nobel Prize, Explained," 1 Oct. 2018 New prostate cancer drug Keytruda showed promising results in the first major clinical trial to test immunotherapy in some men with advanced prostate cancer. — Ashley May, USA TODAY, "Prostate cancer drug Keytruda shows positive results in a few men during first clinical trial," 4 June 2018 And targeted immunotherapies, which help the body’s own immune system scour for and destroy cancer cells, have had remarkable results in some people. — NBC News, "Cancer drug spending doubles in 5 years," 24 May 2018 One reader even suggested a homegrown immunotherapy: enjoying a teaspoon of honey every day. — Angela Fritz, Washington Post, "The allergy poll results are in — here’s how Washingtonians beat the pollen," 3 May 2018 The immunotherapy involved pumping billions of cancer-killing cells into Perkins, reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. — Joel Shannon, USA TODAY, "Terminal breast cancer patient now cancer-free, thanks to experimental therapy," 6 June 2018 Privacy - Terms After seven more months of infusions, Versluis has stopped the immunotherapy and has been clear of tumors since the end of 2017. — Cindy Goodman, miamiherald, "Immunotherapy is giving some cancer patients a new life when they had all but given up," 25 May 2018 The immunotherapy didn’t eradicate my disease, but my response to subsequent chemotherapy has been beyond expectations. — Marie Mccullough, Philly.com, "Yardley man has terminal illness, but can't support GOP 'right to try'," 24 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'immunotherapy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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22 Dec 2018

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The first known use of immunotherapy was in 1910

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More Definitions for immunotherapy

immunotherapy

noun

im·mu·no·ther·a·py | \ -ˈther-ə-pē

plural immunotherapies

Medical Definition of immunotherapy

: treatment or prevention of disease (such as a cancer, autoimmune disorder, or allergy) that involves the stimulation, enhancement, suppression, or desensitization of the immune system Demonstrating promise is immunotherapy, in which special medications are used to beef up the body's own cancer-fighting cells. — Harvard Health Letter, August 1997 If environmental control and pharmacotherapy fail to control symptoms, then allergen immunotherapy—also called hyposensitization or desensitization—may be considered. — Discover, March 1998

— called also immune therapy

— see adoptive immunotherapy

Other Words from immunotherapy

immunotherapeutic \ -ˌther-ə-ˈpyüt-ik

\ adjective

immunotherapeutic activity immunotherapeutic methods