The world of cancer treatment is in the middle of a profound and hopeful revolution. For decades, the primary weapons against cancer were surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. But a powerful “fourth pillar” of care has emerged, and it is completely changing the odds for patients with many different types of cancer: immunotherapy.

But with this new hope can come a great deal of confusion. As with any major medical breakthrough, a host of myths and misconceptions can spring up, making it difficult for patients and their families to understand their options. The truth is, immunotherapy for cancer is a science-backed, revolutionary approach that works by empowering your own body’s natural defenses to fight the disease. To truly understand its potential, it’s important to separate the facts from the fiction.

Nurse tending to a patient iv laying in a bed.

Let’s debunk three of the most common misconceptions about this groundbreaking treatment.

Misconception #1: It’s an “Alternative” or “Natural” Therapy

This is the most common and most dangerous misunderstanding. Because immunotherapy works by engaging your own immune system, it is sometimes confused with unproven, “natural” remedies that claim to “boost” your immunity.

The Reality: Immunotherapy is a highly advanced, rigorously tested, and FDA-approved pillar of mainstream, conventional cancer treatment. It is not an “alternative” therapy. It is a sophisticated science that uses powerful drugs or a patient’s own genetically engineered cells to give the immune system a very specific and targeted set of instructions. It’s not about generically “boosting” your immunity; it’s about “re-educating” your immune cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells.

Misconception #2: “It Has No Side Effects”

Because immunotherapy doesn’t typically cause the well-known side effects of chemotherapy, like hair loss and nausea, some people mistakenly believe that it is a treatment without any side effects at all.

The Reality: Immunotherapy has its own unique and potentially serious set of side effects. Because these treatments work by “taking the brakes off” your immune system, they can sometimes cause the newly super-charged immune system to attack healthy tissues and organs in the body, in addition to the cancer. This can cause inflammation in the lungs (pneumonitis), the colon (colitis), or the skin (dermatitis), among other areas. These side effects are very different from chemotherapy, but they require careful monitoring and management by an experienced oncology team that specializes in immunotherapy.

Misconception #3: “It Only Works for a Few, Rare Cancers”

When immunotherapy first burst onto the scene, its most dramatic successes were in a few specific cancers, like melanoma and lung cancer. This has led to the lingering, but now outdated, belief that it is only an option for a small number of patients.

The Reality: The field of immunotherapy has exploded in the past decade. It is now an FDA-approved, standard-of-care treatment for a long and rapidly growing list of cancers. This includes lung cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, head and neck cancers, lymphoma, and many more. The list of cancers that can be treated with immunotherapy is expanding every single year, making it one of the most versatile and widely applicable new tools in oncology.

The reason you should consider immunotherapy is simple: for the right patient, it can be a life-changing and life-saving treatment. It is a highly targeted approach that can be effective even when other treatments have failed, and it has the unique potential to create a durable, long-lasting remission by teaching your own body how to keep the cancer at bay.

Immunotherapy represents a true paradigm shift in the fight against cancer. By understanding the reality of what it is—a powerful, science-backed, and versatile medical treatment—you can have a more informed and hopeful conversation with your doctor about all of your available options.