The hot new buzz word in cancer treatment is "immunotherapy." Researchers are looking at tumors as virus-based and are trying to come up with drugs or other targeted interventions that can kill the cancer cells and keep them from spreading. Much like viruses, tumors can spread from one part of the body to another. The goal of immunotherapy is to try and replicate the natural immune response the body has to shut down this growth.
Tumors will often develop a defense against the body's disease fighting cells and this allows them to grow and spread. It becomes a battle of the cells, some trying to shut down tumor growth and others trying to shut down the immune response. Check out this video for an explanation of this process and how researchers are working to develop therapies that can boost the body's response to cancer.