London, March 16 -- Immunotherapy, or antibody treatment that activates the patient's own immune system against cancer, is increasingly being studied as an alternative to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This is because it directly targets cancer cells, reducing the negative effects associated with more conventional treatments.

Tumours, such as some breast and ovarian cancers, can express the marker HER2. HER2 is responsible for cancer growth and is the target of existing therapies, such as the most commonly used type of antibodies, IgG. However, this treatment is not always effective in some patients.

Now, scientists have investigated a different antibody type, IgE, which activates the patient's immune system in different ways than IgG. ...