Immunotherapy is leading the charge in the advancement of cancer treatment. In addition to increased life expectancy, it provides many patients with a higher quality of life while undergoing therapy.
Getting a cancer diagnosis drastically disrupts the lives of the patient and their loved ones. Uncertainty, fear, and challenging treatment decisions accompany it. But in recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a glimmer of hope. Unlike chemotherapy, which attacks cancer cells directly and has multiple side effects, immunotherapy helps the body’s natural defences to fight against cancer. When we spoke to Dr Amit Rauthan, HOD & Consultant – Medical Oncology, Haematology & Haemato-Oncology, Manipal Hospital, Old Airport Road, he said that this safer and more natural approach to cancer treatment offers better outcomes, fewer side effects and a better quality of life.Â
Key Advantages of Immunotherapy:Â Â
- Minimal side effects compared to chemotherapy
- Does not cause severe side effects such as vomiting, fatigue, hair fall and decreased blood counts as seen with chemotherapy
- Well tolerated by most patients including the elderly population
- Enhances immune memory, leading to prolonged responses in responding patients
Effective in treating:Â
- Lung cancer
- MelanomaÂ
- Kidney cancerÂ
- Urinary bladder cancerÂ
- Breast cancer (triple negative subtype)
- Head and neck cancerÂ
- Esophageal and stomach cancerÂ
- Gallbladder and liver cancer
- Uterine and cervical cancers
- Hodgkins lymphoma
Immunotherapy in Specific Cancers:Â
- Kidney cancer: A combination of immunotherapy and oral targeted medications is the first-line treatment for stage IV patients, and has significantly improved their survival.
- Lung cancer: Immunotherapy is a standard of care for all stage IV lung cancers which do not have any molecular driver mutations. This is also now being used in early-stage lung cancer before surgery.
- Urinary bladder cancer: Used with chemotherapy to shrink tumours before surgery, improving long-term survival rates.Â
- Triple-negative breast cancer: Pre-surgical treatment with immunotherapy and chemotherapy enhances patient outcomes, and has now become a standard of care in early-stage disease.Â
Potential Side Effects of Immunotherapy:Â
- Immune-related adverse effects are less common. But some of them are as below and need careful monitoring and management.
- Hypothyroidism
- PneumonitisÂ
- ColitisÂ
- HypophysitisÂ
- Hepatitis
A Hopeful FutureÂ
Even if more studies are needed to fully understand its potential, one thing is certain: immunotherapy is changing how cancer is being treated. In the future, cancer will not be a struggle fought alone; rather, the body will be able to fight back, giving families more reasons to be hopeful and more moments to treasure.
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