IMMUNOLOGIC THERAPIES

Immunologic therapy is defined as the use of medicines that act to enhance the body's immune response as a means of treating disease. The drugs can also aid in the recovery of the body from the harmful effects of immune-compromising treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.

Both microorganism-related infections and other maladies that are due to immune deficiency or cell growth defects are targets of immunologic therapy.

The emphasis in immunologic therapy is the application of synthetic compounds that mimic immune substances that are naturally produced in the body. For example, a compound called aldesleukin is an artificial form of interkeukin-2, a natural compound that assists white blood cells in recognizing and dealing with foreign material. Other examples are filgrastim and sargramostim, which are synthetic version of colony stimulating factors, which stimulate bone marrow to make the white blood cells, and epoetin, an artificial version of erythropoietin, which stimulates the marrow to produce red blood cells. Thrombopoietin encourages the manufacture of platelets, which are plate-shaped components of the blood that are vital in the clotting of blood. As a final example, synthetic forms of interferon are available and can be administered to aid the natural forms of interferon in battling infections and even cancer.

Research has provided evidence that the infusion of specific enzymes can produce positive results with respect to some neurological disorders. While not strictly an immunologic therapy, the supplementation of the body's natural components is consistent with the aim of the immune approach.

The use of immunologic therapy is not without risk. Paradoxically, given their longer-term enhancement of the immune defenses, some of the administered drugs reduce the body's ability to fight off infection because of a short-term damping-down of some aspects of the immune system. As well, certain therapies carry a risk of reduced clotting of the blood and of seizures.

As with other therapies, the use of immunologic therapies is assessed in terms of the risks of the therapy versus the health outcome if therapy is not used. Typically, the immediate health threat to a patient outweighs the possible side effects from therapy. Immunologic therapies are always administered under a physician's care, almost always in a hospital setting. As well, frequent monitoring of the patients is done, both for the abatement of the malady and the development of adverse effects.

Immunologic therapy can provide continued treatment following chemotherapy or the use of radiation. The latter two treatments cannot be carried on indefinitely, due to toxic reactions in the body. Immunologic therapy provides another avenue of treatment. For example, some tumors that are resistant to chemical therapy are susceptible to immune attack. By enhancing the immune response, such tumors may be productively treated. Moreover, despite their side effects, immunologic therapies usually are less toxic than either chemotherapy or the use of radiation.