Immunotherapy has transformed the treatment landscape for several types of cancer. It is a modern form of cancer treatment that helps the body’s immune system recognize and respond to cancer cells..
Normally, the immune system protects the body from infections and abnormal cells. However, cancer cells can sometimes develop mechanisms that allow them to escape or suppress the immune response. Certain immunotherapy medicines can interfere with these mechanisms and help the immune system respond more effectively against cancer.
How Does Cancer Immunotherapy Work?
One important group of immunotherapy medicines is known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. Cancer cells can sometimes use immune checkpoint pathways to avoid being attacked by the body’s immune system.
Checkpoint inhibitor medicines can block certain pathways and allow immune cells to recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively.
However, immunotherapy does not work for every cancer or every patient. The decision to use immunotherapy depends on the cancer type, stage, pathology, molecular or biomarker information, previous treatment, and overall health.
Which Cancers Can Be Treated With Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy has an established role in the treatment of selected patients with several cancers. Depending on the specific clinical situation, it may be considered for cancers such as:
- Lung cancer
- Melanoma
- Kidney cancer
- Bladder and urinary tract cancers
- Head and neck cancers
- Certain gastrointestinal cancers
- Certain breast cancers
- Hodgkin lymphoma
- Other selected malignancies
The suitability of immunotherapy must be assessed individually by a qualified oncologist.
Personalized Immunotherapy
Modern immuno-oncology increasingly involves identifying patients who are most likely to benefit from immunotherapy. Depending on the cancer, doctors may consider biomarkers and other pathology or molecular information before making treatment decisions.
The treatment may be used alone or combined with chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, or other treatments, depending on the disease.
Monitoring During Immunotherapy
Although immunotherapy can be highly beneficial for selected patients, it can also cause immune-related side effects because the immune system becomes more active.
These side effects can potentially affect organs such as the skin, thyroid, lungs, liver, intestines, or other organs. Early recognition and appropriate management are therefore important.
Patients receiving immunotherapy should report unusual or persistent symptoms to their oncology team rather than ignoring them.
Comprehensive Immuno-Oncology Care
Dr. Siddharth Rao provides personalized medical oncology care with an emphasis on selecting appropriate treatment based on the patient’s diagnosis and available clinical evidence.
Before recommending immunotherapy, the patient’s medical history, pathology, stage, previous treatments, biomarkers where relevant, and overall condition are carefully considered.