DONATEIMMUNOTHERAPY CANCER TREATMENT
Overview
How Does Immunotherapy Work ?
This type of therapy seeks to harness different types of immune cells circulating in your body and has the potential to provide lasting benefits. Simply put, immunotherapy treats your body, and your body treats the cancer. In recent years, there have been major advances in the field of cancer immunotherapy. FDA-approved immunotherapies exist for several cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, and lymphoma, and many more are in development.
Immunotherapy In Head & Neck Cancers
A study from tertiary cancer hospital from India (TMH) has found that an ultra-low dose of the immunotherapy drug nivolumab in combination with metronomic therapy can more than double the number of patients still alive 1 year later. It is potentially more affordable because the dose used here is 6 % of what is typically use as per guidelines which decreases the cost of therapy to 5% to 9% of the cost of full-dose immunotherapy regimens.
The results have larger implications: the potential to put the expensive immunotherapy drug within reach of many more people with different kind of cancer.
Immunotherapy In Melanoma
Immunotherapy is a method of treating cancer that uses drugs to empower the immune system to recognize and fight cancer. RGCIRC has been a pioneer in developing immunotherapy. The approach has proven very effective in treating advanced melanoma.
There are several forms of immunotherapy. The immunotherapy drugs most commonly used to treat melanoma are called checkpoint inhibitors. Checkpoint inhibitors work by unleashing T cells (immune cells that seek out and destroy tumors). This therapy is sometimes called immune checkpoint blockade because the molecule that acts as a natural brake on T cells — the checkpoint — is blocked by the drug, thereby releasing the brake.
Three checkpoint inhibitor drugs are currently available to treat advanced melanoma. These are ipilimumab (Yervoy®), nivolumab (Opdivo®), and pembrolizumab (Keytruda®).
Ipilimumab for Advanced Melanoma
Ipilimumab (Yervoy®) can be effective for people with metastatic melanoma and stage III melanoma that cannot be removed completely with surgery. Ipilimumab works by blocking an immune molecule called CTLA-4.
Anti-PD-1 Therapy for Advanced Melanoma
Nivolumab (Opdivo®) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) belong to a class of drugs called PD-1 blockers. Both of these medications work by inhibiting the molecule PD-1. These drugs have proven very effective against metastatic melanoma and stage III melanoma that cannot be removed completely with surgery. Even people with stage III melanoma that can be removed with surgery may potentially benefit from treatment with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.
Side Effects of Immunotherapy for Melanoma
Side effects are an important consideration when making decisions about immunotherapy treatment for melanoma. The combination therapy of ipilimumab plus nivolumab, for example, comes with more-severe side effects than when either drug is given alone. For some people, it may be better to take nivolumab or pembrolizumab alone rather than cope with the additional side effects of combination therapy. The side effects from immunotherapy treatment may be different from chemotherapy.
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea and immune-related (IR) Colitis
- Mucositis
- Neuropathy (numbness or tingling in your hands and feet)
- Skin Changes
- Immune-related (IR) side effects
