Can Immunotherapy Help Treat Cancer?
Doctors can perform Cancer treatment with the help of Immunotherapy, which boosts the patient’s immune system so that it can beat cancer. It’s different from traditional chemotherapy, in which drugs are used, which eventually kills both healthy cells and cancer.
Every kind of cancer is unique in its way. Immunotherapy can’t work for every type of cancer, and even for all patients who have cancer. Doctors always try their level best to test new treatments.
Immunotherapy cancer and its types are starting to become a standard part of treating various kinds of cancer. Which can be used by doctors:
If other types of treatment fail, such as for cancers that are resistant to treatment.
Before different types of treatment
Alone or with varying types of treatment such as chemotherapy
Cancers That Immunotherapy Can Treat
Immunotherapy treatments are being approved and are tested on more than 20 types of cancers:
Bladder cancer. In this modern era, the FDA has approved six options for bladder cancer. They are:
Targeted antibodies. In such a treatment, it tries to disrupt the cancer cells, and the immune system is being alert so that it can target the cancer cells and kill them.
Cancer vaccines. Vaccines help the body to stop or kill cancer cells and even make sure that t doesn’t come back into the body.
Immune system modulators, which eventually boosts the immune system response. Checkpoint inhibitors are an example of such.
Brain cancer.
Two approved kinds of targeted antibodies of nervous and brain system cancers. Researchers are working on several clinical trials to find whether Immunotherapy will work when treatments are failed.
Breast cancer.
Doctors thought Immunotherapy would be a low option for the treatment of breast cancer. But when they started conducting studies, they got to know that certain women can be benefited from that. It includes women who make many protein receptors, which is called HER2. Various types of targeted antibodies aim at the HER2 pathway. In 2019, the FDA approved the first checkpoint inhibitor for breast cancer.
Cervical cancer.
Doctors usually use three vaccines of cancer for treating cervical cancer. FDA approved one monoclonal antibody and one checkpoint inhibitor, which is a kind of targeted therapy.
Childhood cancer.
There are various approved immunotherapy options available to treat childhood cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and brain cancer. These include:
Adoptive cell therapy such as CAR T- cell therapy, where your T- cells are genetically modified to help the immune system find and destroy cancer cells
Targeted antibodies
Checkpoint inhibitors
Esophageal cancer.
The FDA has approved only one checkpoint inhibitor and two targeted therapies used for this particular type of cancer. Researchers have started looking at the ways which may unleash Immunotherapy against esophageal cancer:
Going for other treatments, one should use it.
One should always combine this with different kinds of therapies.
Always try to keep it from coming back.
Head and neck cancer.
Immunotherapy is beneficial for people suffering from human papillomavirus (HPV)-related to neck and head cancers. It also helps for avoiding such intense side effects of other treatments. FDA has approved only one targeted antibody and two checkpoint inhibitors for these cancers.
Lymphoma.
One can use Immunotherapy for the treatment of this kind of blood cancer in adults and children. Which includes:
Checkpoints inhibitors
Targeted antibodies
Adoptive cell therapy
Cytokines
Prostate cancer.
Cancer vaccine and checkpoint inhibitor are the options available for the treatment of advanced cases of prostate cancer.
Skin cancer.
At the starting stage of skin cancers, it often responds to traditional cancer treatments like surgery. Advanced cases can be benefited with the help of Immunotherapy. FDA has approved various checkpoint inhibitors for skin cancers.