What has been described as a method to enhance the immune system's response to cancer?

Immunotherapy is recognized as a method to enhance the immune system's response to cancer because it specifically focuses on boosting the body’s natural defenses to fight the disease. This type of therapy involves the use of substances that can stimulate or restore the immune system’s ability to recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively.

There are various forms of immunotherapy, including checkpoint inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell transfer. By essentially teaching the immune system to better identify cancer cells as threats, immunotherapy can lead to more effective and targeted destruction of tumors, improving patient outcomes.

Chemotherapy, while a mainstay in cancer treatment, primarily works by directly attacking rapidly dividing cancer cells, rather than leveraging or enhancing the immune response. Likewise, radiation therapy aims to destroy cancer cells through targeted radiation but does not inherently modify the immune response. Hormonal therapy seeks to block hormones that fuel certain cancers, but it does not directly enhance immune function.