Radiation Therapy for Lymphoma

Biologic Therapy

Also called immunotherapy, biologic therapy works with your immune system to fight disease. Biologic therapy is like chemotherapy. The difference is that chemotherapy attacks the diseased cells directly, and biologic therapy helps your immune system fight the disease.

• Monoclonal antibodies work by targeting certain molecules in the body and attaching themselves to those molecules. This causes some cells to die and makes others more likely to be destroyed by radiation and chemotherapy.
• Radiolabeled antibodies are monoclonal antibodies with radioactive particles attached. These antibodies are designed to attach themselves directly to the diseased cells and damage them with small amounts of radiation without injuring nearby healthy tissue.