Final answer:
Cancer vaccines and monoclonal antibodies are the medication categories listed that classify as active immunotherapy. These work by stimulating the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, either through direct targeting by vaccines or the therapeutic effects of monoclonal antibodies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Of the medication categories listed, cancer vaccines and monoclonal antibodies are classified as active immunotherapy. Active immunotherapy aims to stimulate the body's immune system to fight cancer more effectively. Cancer vaccines are designed to enhance the body's immunological response to cancer cells by using targeted tumor antigens to stimulate an immune attack on cancer cells. On the other hand, monoclonal antibodies work by binding to specific targets on cancer cells, which can result in various therapeutic effects, including the activation of the immune system.
While cytokines can play a role in immunotherapy by modulating the immune response, they are typically recognized as a form of non-specific immunotherapy. They help activate different immunological pathways to combat cancer but do not directly stimulate the patient's immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells in the same way that cancer vaccines and monoclonal antibodies do. Antimetabolites, another category listed, are a type of chemotherapy that interferes with DNA and RNA growth and are not a form of immunotherapy.