What is immunotherapy? How does it help in fighting cancer?

Cancer is a very painful disease, it gets hold of all the members of the patient’s family. Not only is it physically draining, but also it can destroy a patient’s mental health as well. The process of fighting back cancer is even worse. One has to go through a lot of difficult processes.

The examination of cancer begins with a strict routine of tests and study of medical history. Laboratory tests of blood, urine, and stool can detect abnormalities which might be indicating towards cancer. There are a lot of top cancer treatment centers which offer good medical assistance.

Other tests that the doctor conducts are-

·         X-rays

·         CT

·         MRI

·         Ultrasound

The treatment of cancer depends on the type of cancer one has and how advanced it is. The treatment generally includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and immunotherapy or targeted therapy. Cancer is the second most cause of death. You can also visit the top cancer hospitals in Delhi and get yourself treated.

Immunotherapy, also called biologic therapy, is a type of cancer treatment that boosts the body's natural defenses to fight cancer. It uses substances made by the body or in a laboratory to improve or restore immune system function. Immunotherapy may work by

·         Stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells.

·         Stopping cancer from spreading to other parts of the body

·         Helping the immune system work better at destroying the cancer cells.

There are several type of immunotherapy

·         Monoclonal antibodies

·         Non-specific immunotherapies

·         T-cell therapies

·         Cancer vaccines

·         Oncolytic virus therapy

Immunotherapy drugs help your immune system work harder or make it easier for it to find and get rid of cancer cells.Several immunotherapy drugs have been approved to fight cancer, and hundreds more are being tested in clinical trials.If your doctor suggests immunotherapy to fight your cancer, there’s a lot to talk to them about before you decide if it’s right for you. You can consult the best cancer treatment hospitals.

Immunotherapy may work when other treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy don’t work.

·         It can help other cancer treatments work better- therapies like chemotherapy may work even better once you have done immunotherapy.

·         Fewer side-effects- it’s so because it only targets the immune system and not the entire cells.

·         Chances of relapse are very few- once you have done immunotherapy, there are very slight chances of cancer returning back as our immune system learns how to fight back cancer in case it returns.

Let’s talk about the risks associated with immunotherapy.

·         You might have bad reaction- the target area where the medication goes into your body will hurt, swell, itch, turn red, or get sore.

·         There are side-effects- once you get the immunotherapy done, you might feel like you have a flu, with complete fever, chills and fatigue. Others could cause problems like swelling, weight gain from extra fluids, heart palpitations, a stuffy head, and diarrhea. Most of the time, these ease up after your first treatment.