All you Need to Know about Immunotherapy: Fighting Cancer Brave

Scientific advancements have grown by leaps and bounds in recent decades. Technology and medicine have gone hand in hand for many years. Consistent developments in the pharmaceuticals and the medical field have saved millions of lives and improved many others. We have taken the research level of various diseases and found out various types of cures for diseases such as cancer. A team of best pharmaceutical consultants having an experience of more than twenty two years in industry came together in 2015 to initiate a start-up named Indian Pharma Network, New Delhi. The main aim of the start-up was to provide the best level of cures to the Indian patients.
One of these breakthrough treatments is for cancer immunotherapy. Immunotherapy cancer treatment is a type of targeted therapy or biologic therapy that uses the body’s natural immune system to kill cancer cells. Another name for immunotherapy is also called as immune-oncology. Lets’ read more to know more about the immunotherapy for cancer.

How does Immunotherapy Work Against Cancer?

During immunotherapy, the immune system of the body helps to eliminate the diseases and illness caused by either external or internal factors. Though the immune system can prevent or slow cancer growth, but cannot stop them. However, the immune system cannot detect cancer cells because cancer cells have ways three ways to avoid destruction by the immune system.

Here are three ways:

• Cancer cells may transform them genetically that make them less visible to the immune system.
• Cancer cells have proteins on their surface that turn off the functions of immune cells.
• Cancer cells may change the normal cells around the tumour so they interfere with how the immune system responds to the cancer cells.

The immune system may be too weak to destroy cancer cells even if it can identify them. This is where immunotherapy for cancer treatment steps in as it helps the immune system of the body to destroy the tumour cells. Immunotherapy is mostly used on third or fourth stage cancer patients. Now, let’s read more to understand different types of immunotherapy.

Types of Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has proven beneficial in the treatment of most cancer types. There are various types of cancer which can be treated with immunotherapy, which include lung cancer, skin cancer (Melanoma), Kidney cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancers, lymphoma. There are many different kinds of immunotherapy that act in different ways to kick the immune system into action against cancer.

Monoclonal Antibodies
These antibodies are synthetic antibodies made in a laboratory. These antibodies find and target the threat to eliminate it from the body. Monoclonal antibodies can help the immune system to find cancer cells by interfering with the proteins of cancer cells so that they become visible to the immune cells.

Cytokines
Cytokines are a type of proteins that helps the body destroy abnormal or dangerous cells. Cytokines include a protein that helps the body destroy abnormal or dangerous cells. Cytokines include proteins such as Interleukin and Interferon.
These proteins interfere with the division and growth processes of cancer cells, boost the functions and growth of killer T-cells, and make cancer cells more visible to the immune system.

Cancer Vaccines
cancer vaccines are comprised of cells that have been modified in the lab to direct immune response. Cancer vaccines are designed to identify certain protein markers on cancer cells. They can then work to inhibit the growth of abnormal cells, remove abnormal growths that couldn’t be reached with other treatments, and prevent the re-growth of cancer cells.

Radioimmunotherapy
This treatment uses an antibody with a radioactive substance to direct radiation to cancer cells. Ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin) is the only radioimmunotherapy approved by the FDA in the U.S. This type of therapy lets doctors target cancer cells with higher doses of radiation, safely. It is used to treat certain types of lymphomas.

Now, let’s have a look at the side effects or problems when patients go through Immunotherapy.

Side Effects of Immunotherapy for Cancer

Immunotherapy drugs help your immune system fight cancer cells. It’s a treatment that can work well for many types of disease. Still, it can cause side effects. Let us have a look at them.

• Fatigue, mood changes, inflamed eyes, pain in your joints, hair loss, rapid heartbeat, sweating, chest pain, shortness of breath and fever
• Flu-like Symptoms: Some immunotherapy drugs can make you feel like you have the flu. Along with a fever, you could have a headache, nausea, muscle or joint aches, chills, weakness, and dizziness. Some people also get a runny nose, dry cough, or diarrhoea.
• Skin problems: It also causes skin reaction such as redness, itching, swelling, or pain where the needle went in. Or you could notice that skin all over your body turns yellow, red, or very pale. Blisters and mouth sores are also common.

Immunotherapy is a novel approach to cancer treatment and it works in many cases where other treatments like chemotherapy and radiation don’t. While some types of treatment are still being perfected, Immunotherapy has shown a positive glowing ray of hope for patients suffering from cancer.

To know more about the Immunotherapy for Cancer, it is best recommended to consult the best team of doctors or consultants. You can also reach to some of the specialist doctors and also provide you access to the medicine they may suggest. Be it a commonly available or rarely available medicine, Indian Pharma Network will always provide you the medication you need because for US, “LIVES COME FIRST”.

To know more about the Indian Pharma Network and what they can do best for you Visit: https://indianpharmanetwork.co.in/ and/or Call Mr. Neeraj Nagpal on 9811747774.

References:

• https://www.oncolink.org/cancer-treatment/immunotherapy/all-about-immunotherapy
• https://www.cancersupportcommunity.org/immunotherapy-cancer-it-right-you
• https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/types/immunotherapy
• https://cytecare.com/blog/immunotherapy-a-modern-treatment-for-cancer/
• https://www.webmd.com/cancer/treat-immunotherapy-side-effects#2