Immunotherapy is a novel recipe for the treatment of cancer, based on harnessing the power of the immune system. Cancer cells can grow and spread because of their ability to evade the body’s defenses. Immunotherapy works by boosting the body’s immune cells to recognize, attack and eliminate cancer cells.
Immunotherapy has come of age with the widespread use of a class of drugs called Checkpoint Inhibitors. These drugs work by “unmasking cancer cells,” so they become “visible” to the body’s immune cells. Checkpoint inhibitors have entirely transformed the landscape of melanoma treatment. Their use in other cancers like lung cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer, and certain other genetically-predisposed cancers, is also expanding.
In the right circumstances, an activated immune system can launch an effective attack on cancer. However, the process is also fraught with risks. For example, the immune system, once stimulated, can go into overdrive and start attacking the body’s own healthy tissues and organs. This can lead to a variety of side effects including inflammation of the bowel, lungs, brain, and heart, among others.
The advent of Immunotherapy has completely transformed the landscape of cancer treatment. However many challenges remain. There is a long road ahead, before the promise of Immunotherapy can be effectively leveraged.
There is no doubt that we are living a historic moment in the fight against cancer. The idea, the hope, and the potential for societal impact are breathtaking. For decades, chemotherapy has been used to treat stage 4 cancer, mostly with palliative intent, although there are some exceptions. In general, “cure” has not been the goal. In the era of Immunotherapy, it is theoretically possible to train the body to fight, and perhaps cure, stage 4 cancer. Forever.
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