Immunotherapy (biological therapy) is a promising and evolving cancer treatment that works by stimulating the immune system. Immunotherapy comprises checkpoint inhibitors and (CAR) T cell therapy. Treatment can promote the body’s production of anti-cancer cells or help healthy cells recognize and attack cancer cells.
What is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that activates your immune system to fight disease. This treatment is sometimes referred to as biological treatment. You need to understand how your immune system works to understand the effectiveness of Immunotherapy. Your immune system comprises multiple organs, antibodies (proteins), and immune cells that work together to fight diseases and infections. Immune cells include:
- B cell lymphocytes: These white blood cells produce antibodies against infection.
- T cell lymphocytes: These white blood cells attack and destroy diseased cells. T cells also signal other cells about the presence of foreign or diseased cells.
- Dendritic cells: These immune cells interact with T cells to stimulate the immune system’s response.
- Granulocytes: These white blood cells (neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils) can fight infection.
How does Immunotherapy work?
Even though men and women are 99.9% genetically identical, there are still up to a million differences between people, making it unlikely that any of us will face the diseases and treatments of the disease the same way. As a result of Topalian and others’ work, a class of drugs called immune checkpoint blockers has been developed to reduce cancerous cells’ immune response. It is where Immunotherapy comes in to help retrain a person’s cells to attack the cancer cells.
So who responds best to Immunotherapy?
It is one of the first problems facing researchers in this field today. The fact that some patients treated with Immunotherapy have a long-lasting response to cancer indicates the potential of this therapy. However, although the response rate of some groups is between 20% and 50%, scientists still do not know why most cancer patients do not respond to immunotherapy drugs. Immune cells lead to the release of protein molecules and cytokines that act on other cells, and Immunotherapy releases huge quantities of these proteins into the body.
Treatment: Strengthen the immune system and create more immune cells against diseases. It makes it easier for the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
What does Immunotherapy treat?
Immunotherapy treats different types of cancer, including but not limited to bladder cancer.
- Prostate cancer,
- Skin cancer,
- Lymphoma
- Cervical cancer and ovarian cancer,
- Colorectal (colon) cancer,
- Head and neck cancer,
- Brain cancer (brain tumor),
- Breast cancer,
- Kidney cancer,
- Liver cancer,
- Lung cancer,
- Leukemia,
The main types of immunotherapies used by healthcare providers to treat cancer include:
- Adoptive cell therapy: The healthcare provider removes, changes, and then reintroduces the person’s modified immune cells into the body. The transformed cells will find and destroy cancer cells. (CAR) T cell therapy modifies anti-cancer chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Other therapies include natural killer (NK) cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL).
- Cancer Vaccine: The vaccine stimulates the immune response to protect the body from certain diseases. The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine can prevent infectious diseases that cause cervical cancer, anal cancer, throat cancer, and penile cancer. There is also a vaccine against hepatitis B, which can cause liver cancer.
- Immunomodulators: These substances change the biological response of the body. They stimulate the immune system’s ability to find and destroy cancer cells. Treatment includes checkpoint inhibitors, cytokines, interferons, and interleukins.
- Monoclonal antibodies: These laboratory-made proteins attack specific parts of cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies can also directly deliver drugs, toxins, or radioactive materials to tumors.
- Oncolytic viruses: Laboratory-modified viruses can infect and kill cancer cells. Immunotherapy is done by infusion. You receive intravenous fluids in a medical institution.
How long can you receive Immunotherapy?
You can receive daily, weekly, monthly, or periodic Immunotherapy. With cyclic Immunotherapy, you need to rest for a while after treatment. Rest gives your body time to make healthy cells. The length of treatment depends on:
- Type and stage of cancer,
- Types of immunotherapy drugs,
- Your body’s response to treatment.
What should I expect after Immunotherapy?
Unlike chemotherapy, Immunotherapy may not always shrink tumors. Even if the patient feels well in rare cases, the tumor will temporarily swell or expand as immune cells attack cancer. This phenomenon is called pseudo progress, and the term means that the tumor will only worsen, and the patient can still benefit from it. Your healthcare provider should monitor your treatment response frequently, and you may have frequent blood tests, imaging scans, and physical exams.
What are the possible risks or complications of Immunotherapy?
The side effects of Immunotherapy vary depending on the drug and the type of cancer. You may experience:
- Infusion-related reactions,
- Diarrhea or colitis,
- Bone or muscle pain,
- Fatigue
- Flu-like signs such as chills and fever,
- Headache,
- Loss of appetite,
- Sores in the mouth,
- Skin rash
- Difficulty breathing or pneumonia.
How effective is Immunotherapy?
The rate of success in any specific cancer treatment (including Immunotherapy) depends on individual factors involving stages and types of cancer. In general, Immunotherapy is effective for various cancers. Although some cancers are more immunogenic than others, in general, Immunotherapy is effective against many cancers. Immunotherapy can produce long-lasting responses, unlike chemotherapy or radiotherapy, but these responses only occur in about 25% of patients. Some studies have shown that after Immunotherapy, the immune system can remember cancer cells.
When should you call the doctor?
It is necessary to call your healthcare provider if you’re experiencing the conditions stated below:-
- Palpitations or chest pain,
- Infection’s symptoms, like chills and fever,
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing,
- Diarrhea or colitis,
- Change of mental state,
- Skin rash Immunotherapy
Thus, the effectiveness of Immunotherapy in treating cancer depends on several factors that may differ from individual to individual. It is essential to consult your physician and learn about the effects of Immunotherapy before making any decision.