immunotherapy
C1Academic/Medical/Technical
Definition
Meaning
The treatment of disease, especially cancer, by activating or suppressing the body's own immune system.
A type of biological therapy that uses substances made by the body or in a laboratory to boost or restore immune system function to fight diseases such as cancer, allergies, and autoimmune disorders.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
In common usage, the term is strongly associated with oncology (cancer treatment). However, it also has applications in treating autoimmune diseases and allergies. The term implies a targeted, biological approach as opposed to more general treatments like chemotherapy.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical differences. UK English may retain the hyphen (immune-therapy) slightly more often in informal writing, but 'immunotherapy' is the standard in both.
Connotations
Identical; a highly technical, modern medical term in both varieties.
Frequency
Similar frequency in medical/health contexts. Slightly more public awareness in the US due to higher profile media coverage of new cancer treatments.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[PATIENT] underwent immunotherapy for [DISEASE].[IMMUNOTHERAPY] targets [CELL/PATHWAY].The [DOCTOR] prescribed [IMMUNOTHERAPY].Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “To harness the immune system”
- “To turn the body's defences against”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
In biotech/pharma business reports: 'The company's immunotherapy pipeline shows strong growth potential.'
Academic
In medical journals: 'Recent advances in monoclonal antibody-based immunotherapy have improved survival rates.'
Everyday
In personal health discussions: 'After chemotherapy didn't work, she started immunotherapy.'
Technical
In clinical settings: 'We will initiate anti-PD-1 immunotherapy alongside the first cycle.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The oncologist decided to immunotherapy the tumour.
- We are immunotherapising the patient.
American English
- To immunotherapy the cancer.
- They are considering immunotherapying the melanoma.
adverb
British English
- The patient was treated immunotherapy.
American English
- He responded well, immunotherapy.
adjective
British English
- The immunotherapy approach was novel.
- An immunotherapy clinical trial is underway.
American English
- The immunotherapy treatment was effective.
- She is on an immunotherapy drug regimen.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Immunotherapy is a new medicine for cancer.
- Some patients receive immunotherapy to help their bodies fight the disease.
- Doctors are using immunotherapy more often now.
- The main advantage of immunotherapy over chemotherapy is that it has fewer severe side effects.
- Not all types of cancer are currently responsive to immunotherapy.
- Despite promising results in metastatic melanoma, immunotherapy can induce severe immune-related adverse events.
- The study investigated the efficacy of combining checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy with traditional radiotherapy.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: IMMUNE (body's defence system) + THERAPY (treatment) = treatment using the body's own defence system.
Conceptual Metaphor
TRAINING THE BODY'S SOLDIERS (the immune system is an army that is trained or directed to fight a specific enemy).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct calques like *иммунотерапия* being misconstrued as therapy *for* the immune system (e.g., to boost it generically). The standard Russian equivalent is correct but the conceptual focus is on therapy *using* the immune system.
- Do not confuse with 'immunostimulation' or 'immunosuppression', which are specific types of immunotherapy.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling: 'immunotheraphy' (incorrect), 'immuno-therapy' (less common).
- Misuse: Using 'immunotherapy' to refer to any immune-boosting supplement or vitamin.
- Pronunciation: Stress on the wrong syllable, e.g., /ɪˈmjuːnəʊθerəpi/ instead of /ˌɪm.jə.nəʊˈθer.ə.pi/.
Practice
Quiz
Immunotherapy is primarily used to treat which of the following?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Chemotherapy uses drugs to directly kill fast-growing cells (including cancer cells), often affecting the whole body. Immunotherapy helps your own immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more specifically.
Side effects differ from chemotherapy and are often related to an overactive immune system, such as fatigue, skin rashes, colitis, or inflammation in various organs (like pneumonitis or hepatitis).
It is not a universal cure. For some patients with certain cancers, it can lead to long-term remission or effective control of the disease. For others, it may not be effective. It is a powerful tool in the oncologist's arsenal.
It is most commonly given intravenously (IV infusion), but some forms are oral pills, topical creams, or injections under the skin or directly into a tumour.