Best Immunotherapy in Mumbai

Best Immunotherapy in Mumbai

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Is It Right for You? How It Works, Benefits and Side Effects

Your immune system defends your body against infectious agents, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and even abnormal cells. However, cancer cells can evade your immune system’s defenses by using genetic changes to hide their abnormality. Immunotherapy is an innovative approach that helps the immune system identify and attack invading cancer cells. If you’ve been diagnosed with a cancer that may respond well to this promising treatment, doctors at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, are here to help. Our experts will work with you to decide a personalized immunotherapy plan so that you get the best possible outcome.

In this blog, let us discuss what immunotherapy is, how it works, how it is making a difference in cancer care, which cancers it can treat, who can have it, potential benefits and risks of this treatment.

What is Immunotherapy and How Does It Work?

Immunotherapy, sometimes called biotherapy or biological therapy, is a treatment that uses your own immune system to fight cancer. It works by helping your immune system find and attack cancer cells more aggressively. Immunotherapy may be used alone or in combination with other treatments.

There are different types of immunotherapies, each helping the immune system in a different way to better act against cancer. 

Types of cancer immunotherapy

Here are some types of immunotherapy drugs used to treat cancer:

• Checkpoint inhibitors – these drugs help the immune cells called T cells recognize and attack cancer longer by removing the immune system’s brake.
• Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs or MoAbs) – this type uses lab-made proteins designed to either target specific parts of cancer cells or boost the immune cells’ ability to fight cancer.
• Adoptive cellular therapy, such as CAR T-cell therapy – your doctor removes T cells from your body and modifies them in a lab so they can better target cancer cells.

Other types of immunotherapies include tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), cytokines, and cancer vaccines.

How is Immunotherapy Given?

Immunotherapy can be given in different methods, based on the specific drug recommended: 

• Oral (for capsules or pills)
• Intravenous (infused directly into the vein)
• Intravesical (administered directly into the patient’s bladder)
• Topical (drugs applied to the skin as a cream or lotion)

Which Cancers Does Immunotherapy Treat?

While immunotherapy is not yet as widely used as surgery or other treatments, it has demonstrated promising results in treating a variety of cancers, including:

• Bladder cancer
• Brain cancer
• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Head and neck cancers
• Kidney cancer
• Leukemia
• Liver cancer
• Lung cancer
• Lymphoma
• Sarcoma
• Skin cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Pancreatic cancer
• Prostate cancer

Research is ongoing to see if immunotherapy can be used for other cancers and some autoimmune diseases. 

Is Immunotherapy Right for You?

Immunotherapy is usually used to treat advanced cancers, especially when other treatments are no longer effective. Yet, whether or not you can have immunotherapy will depend on many factors, such as the type of cancer, how far the tumor has spread, your previous treatments and overall health. Your doctor may run some tests to check if your cancer may respond well to immunotherapy, and whether your immune system can handle this type of treatment. The specific type of immunotherapy you may receive depends on the type of cancer and other factors.

What are the Potential Benefits and Risks of Immunotherapy?

While immunotherapy may not work for everyone receiving it, this treatment offers some benefits. 

Potential benefits of immunotherapy include:

• It can help some cancer patients feel better and live longer, even when a cure is not possible. 
• Unlike other cancer treatments, it is considered less toxic since it harnesses the body’s own immune system to fight the tumor without harming healthy cells.

Common side effects of immunotherapy include:

• Flu-like symptoms, like fever, chills, and muscle aches
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Skin rash or itching
• Low blood counts

In rare cases, immunotherapy can cause severe side effects, such as:

• Organ inflammation
• Severe allergic reactions
• Autoimmune reactions (when the immune system attacks healthy cells)

The side effects may differ for everyone, depending on the type and dose of immunotherapy, the type and stage of cancer, the patient’s overall health, etc.

Patients receiving the same treatment may not have the same side effects, because everyone’s body responds differently. Talk to your doctor or care team about possible side effects and how to prevent or relieve them.