A Beginner’s Guide To Immunotherapy Cancer

Immunotherapy is a broad category of cancer therapy that triggers the body's immune system to fight cancer cells. Cancer cells are different from normal cells, in that they do not die normally. They rapidly divide like an out-of-control copy machine that won't stop creating images. These abnormal cells frequently change, or mutate, helping them evade the immune system, which protects the body from disease and infections. Immunotherapy cancer drugs are designed to alert the immune system about these mutated cells so it can locate and destroy them. This guide will help answer your questions about immunotherapy and when it may be used as part of a cancer treatment regimen.

How does immunotherapy spark the immune system to help fight cancer?

Immunotherapies use different methods to attack tumor cells. Immunotherapy types fall into three general categories:

•    Checkpoint inhibitors, where cancer cell signals that trick the immune system into thinking they’re healthy cells are disrupted, exposing them to attack by the immune system.

•    Protein molecules called cytokines that help regulate and direct the immune system are synthesized in a laboratory and then injected into the body in much larger doses than are produced naturally.

•    Cancer vaccines, may reduce the risk of cancer by attacking viruses that cause cancer, or may treat cancer by stimulating the immune system to attack cancer cells in a specific part of the body.

Immunotherapy may be used alone or in combination with other cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapy.

What are immunotherapy's side effects?

Immunotherapy may cause a variety of side effects—many are flu-like symptoms—including:

•    Fatigue

•    Nausea or vomiting

•    Mouth sores

•    Diarrhea

•    High blood pressure

•    Fluid buildup, usually in the legs

•    Fever or chills

•    Pain or weakness

•    Headaches

•    Rashes or itching

The side effects of immunotherapy generally become less severe after the first treatment. Throughout your treatment, your care team will provide integrative care services, including nutritional support, naturopathic support, pain management, oncology rehabilitation, behavioral health, and spiritual support. These therapies may help reduce side effects and improve your overall quality of life during immunotherapy.

Benefits and Risks of immunotherapy cancer

Overall, immunotherapies are still less common than surgery or chemotherapy to treat cancer. But for some types of cancer, these therapies are now an important treatment option. Many other immunotherapies are still in clinical trials. Immunotherapies have the potential to be more comprehensive and less toxic than other types of treatments for cancer because they harness the power of the body itself to attack the tumor instead of introducing chemicals into the body.

Generally, there are side effects when you ramp up the immune system to function on high. Like when you get a vaccine, you may experience flu-like symptoms—including fever, chills, weakness, dizziness, nausea, muscle aches, fatigue, or headache—because the immune system is doing its job. These treatments may cause high levels of inflammation in healthy cells and tissues and side effects from that response, such as a skin rash.

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