Immunotherapy – Essence, Importance, Researches & Expenses

1. Immunotherapy – Essence, Importance, Researches & Expenses Immunotherapy has opened up a new horizon in cancer treatment. Though researchers have been talking about it for more than a decade, it caught attention of some curious minds from the common folks only in 2015 when Jimmy Carter, the former US president announced that he had been cured of his metastatic melanoma. Currently researchers are exploring different disciplines of immunotherapy to better the outcome of cancer treatment, make cancer treatment less painful and finally, come up with a permanent CURE for the disease in not-so-distant future. What is Immunotherapy? Immunotherapy in cancer treatment is aimed at stimulating the body’s natural immunity to detect and kill the cancer cells. Cancer cells or malignant cells are different from the normal cells. Cancer cells show abnormal and rapid growth, thereby getting out of control of body’s normal mechanism. Our body’s immune system can differentiate between normal cells and foreign cells. In cancer, the abnormal cells mutate rapidly and throw dust on immune system that defends body from foreign elements causing infections and diseases. Immunotherapy is designed to inform the immune system about the malignant and mutated cells so that it can detect and destroy them. Types of Cancer Immunotherapy The objective of immunotherapy is to trigger the body’s own immune system outsmarted by the malignant cells so that it can attack them. There are different types of immunotherapy that work differently though the basic objective remains the same. Each type has its own set of merits and demerits. Which of these the oncology for your cancer treatment in Kolkata will recommend, depends on the type and subtype of cancer you have, its stage and your health. Here is a snippet of how researchers are trying to explore immunotherapy for cancer treatment and an eventual cure: Therapeutic Antibodies: The monoclonal antibodies are grown in a laboratory before being injected into the patient’s body. Some mark malignant cells so that the immune system can recognize and kill them. Others take a direct approach by stopping the pathway of cancer cells or forcing them into self-destruction.

2. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: These are kind of drugs to deactivate the natural blockades in the body, which inhibit the normal functioning of immune system. Cancer cells take advantages of these blockades to hide themselves from the immune system. After the checkpoint inhibitors remove the blockades, the immune system can react more strongly and quickly to the cancer cells. Cancer Vaccines: Cancer vaccines support and strengthen immune system in cancer patients. These vaccines are different from preventive vaccines. They sensitize the immune system to a specific expression on cancer cells and attack them. Vaccines stimulate the immune system to activate the white blood cells against the specific TARGET. CAR-T Cell Therapy: It is currently the most talked-about therapy against cancer. It is also called immune cell therapy or adoptive immunotherapy. The team at the cancer research centre in Indiaharvests white blood cell troops from inside a patient’s malignant tumour and cultures them in a laboratory. These full-grown cells in large batches are injected into the patient’s body to eliminate the cancer. Conclusion Immunotherapy has opened up a new front in the field of cancer treatment. It is giving hope to the cancer patients whose cancer has progressed to an advanced stage. Immunotherapy is also used to prevent cancer recurrence. An astronomical sum is required to carry on the research and make the drugs and treatment available from lab to cancer care centre. Every rupee counts and contributes to development and application of cancer immunotherapy in the most successful way possible.