Immunotherapy has emerged as a revolutionary approach in the field of cancer treatment.
Immunotherapy harness the power of the body’s immune system to recognize, attack, and destroy cancer cells.
Unlike traditional cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, which directly target cancer cells, immunotherapy works by enhancing the immune system’s ability to identify and eradicate cancer.
This innovative therapeutic strategy has shown remarkable success in treating various types of cancer and has significantly improved outcomes for patients.
1. HOW IMMUNOTHERAPY WORKS
– Immune Checkpoint Inhibition: Cancer cells can exploit certain molecular pathways, known as immune checkpoints, to evade detection by the immune system. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are drugs that block these pathways, enabling the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
Notable checkpoint inhibitors, such as PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors, have demonstrated efficacy in treating a wide range of cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, Breast and kidney cancer.Drugs like Nivolumab, Pembrolizumab, Atezolizumab and Durvalumab are examples and are available in India . Some of these companies have patient assistance programs for better access of these innovative therapeutic strategy.
– CAR-T Cell Therapy: Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T therapy) involves genetically modifying a patient’s own T cells to express chimeric antigen receptors, which enable the T cells to recognize and target specific proteins on cancer cells. This personalized approach has shown impressive results in treating certain blood cancers, such as leukemia lymphoma and multiple Myeloma . Some of these CART therapy had been engineered in India like #immunoact #immuneel . These innovative approaches has made CART – cell therapy more affordable for treatment of select cancers in our country.
– Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs): TIL therapy involves isolating immune cells from a patient’s tumor, expanding them in the laboratory, and then reinfusing them back into the patient. These activated immune cells can then target and attack the cancer cells from the inside.
2. Types of Cancer Treated:
Immunotherapy has demonstrated efficacy across a broad spectrum of cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin Lymphoma, Breast cancer, Rectal cancer and more.
3. Combination Therapy:
In some cases, immunotherapy is used in combination with other treatments, such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or radiation therapy, to enhance the overall anti-cancer response. This approach has shown synergistic benefits, with the potential to improve response rates and prolong survival in certain patient populations.
4. Personalized Medicine:
The advent of immunotherapy has ushered in an era of personalized medicine, where treatment decisions are based not only on the type and stage of cancer but also on the specific molecular and genetic characteristics of an individual’s tumor. Biomarker testing, such as PD-L1 expression levels and tumor mutational burden, helps identify patients who are most likely to benefit from certain immunotherapy
Long-Term Responses:
A significant advantage of immunotherapy is the potential for durable responses, with some patients experiencing long-term remissions and extended survival. This contrasts with conventional treatments where relapse rates can be higher. The ability of immunotherapy to generate sustainable anti-cancer immune responses has provided renewed hope for patients with advanced or metastatic cancers.
Conclusion
Immunotherapy represents a groundbreaking paradigm shift in cancer treatment
The diverse mechanisms of action, broad applicability across cancer types, and potential for durable responses make immunotherapy a transformative approach in the fight against cancer.
Many of these Immunotherapy drugs are available in Chennai and you can discuss with our team at I care cancer clinic to know more about Immunotherapy treatment
