How Successful Is Immunotherapy for Cancer?

Dr.Parveen Jain, 2 mins read

Cancer is a global concern as its cases are continuously rising. Thankfully, the advancement in treatment has made cancer no longer a death sentence. 

It has not only improved outcomes but has also given new hope to patients to save themselves from the side effects of traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy. 

What Is Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is a relatively new cancer treatment that empowers the immune system to destroy cancerous cells. The immune system consists of white blood cells and lymphatic organs that fight against infections or intruders.

However, cancer cells somehow dodge the immune system and grow and spread rapidly. Based on that, immunotherapy is engineered to power up the immune system to find and kill cancerous cells. 

What Types of Cancer Can be Treated with Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy can be used in the treatment of a range of cancers. Some of them include: 

• Bladder cancer
• Brain cancer
• Breast cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Colorectal cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Head and neck cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Liver cancer
• Lung cancer
• Lymphoma
• Melanoma 
• Stomach cancer
• Uterine cancer

Common Types of Immunotherapy

• Adoptive cell transfer: This involves retrieving the T-cells (Type of white blood cells) of the patients, modifying them, and infusing them back into the patients. 
• Cytokine therapy: This involves using laboratory-grown cytokines (Small proteins that carry messages between cells) to stimulate the immune system. 
• Immune checkpoint inhibitors: Our T-cells are strong enough to destroy infections and cancerous cells. These cells are controlled by negative and positive checkpoint proteins. A negative protein shuts a T-cell off to prevent damage to healthy cells. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are special drugs that block negative proteins to keep the T-cells turned on to destroy cancerous cells. 

How Is Immunotherapy Administered?

• IV Line: This approach is used to allow the drug to easily and quickly circulate in the body. The immunotherapy drug is directly administered in the vein through a drip.
• Intravesical: This approach is used for bladder cancer treatment. The drugs are administered directly into the bladder using a catheter. 

Success Rate of Immunotherapy

Research shows that 20% to 50% of patients respond well to the treatment depending on several factors:

• Type of cancer
• Type of immunotherapy
• The overall health of the patient 
• Stage of cancer
• Genetic factors
• Other treatment options used

Discuss with a medical oncologist whether immunotherapy would be the right choice for you. And if so, how much success rate should you expect?