Former US President Jimmy Carter celebrated his 100th birthday thanks to immunotherapy.
This was reported by the director of the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical Center, Jedd Wolchok.
He told People magazine that immunotherapy is a standard mainstay of cancer treatment, along with surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and targeted therapy.
The special type of immunotherapy that Jimmy Carter received is called checkpoint blockade.
This method helps the immune system fight cancer cells more effectively.
It took Carter six months to stop treatment.
Nine years later, he no longer requires cancer medication.
Volchok explained that immunotherapy actually activated immune cells and recognized cancer in a more powerful way.
