Immunotherapy

What is Immunotherapy?

About

Immunotherapy is a treatment which boosts the body's natural defences to fight cancer. It uses substances made by the body or in the laboratory to improve immune system function. The immune system helps the body fight off infections and diseases.

When is immunotherapy recommended?
Immunotherapy drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors are approved for the use in lung cancer. Patients with lung cancer that has spread to other parts of the body beyond the lung, use of pembrolizumab (Keytruda), nivolumab (Opdivo), and atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ) are approved. In February 2018, durvalumab (IMFINZI) was approved for patients with stage-III non-small cell lung cancer. Immunotherapy is recommended to treat certain kinds of cancer, including some types of lymphoma, leukaemia, breast cancer, and lung cancer.

Preparing for Immunotherapy
During immunotherapy, the patient might need to take steps to keep their immune system strong as treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation are known to lower immune response. The following steps can help in keeping the immune system strong.

Sleep well
Not enough sleep can strain the system, and it will end in the patient more likely to get sick from cold, flu, and infections. Try to get 7 hours of sleep a night.

Eat healthy food
Get different nutrients which will support the immune system.

Exercise
Exercise helps in achieving a healthy immune system. Talk to the doctor before following any exercise routine.

Understanding Immunotherapy results
It is necessary to check whether immunotherapy is working. Sometimes the patient might show a delayed response, and sometimes it might get worse before getting better. Good result from immunotherapy can make cancer shrink and in some cases, the size of cancer remains the same. Immunotherapy can have severe side effects too, which sometimes begin within days of starting the treatment, but they can occur weeks or months after starting the treatment. Consult your doctor to know the severity of it. Contact mfine to get a complete refined treatment.