Contents:
- Medical Video: Talks@12: Immunotherapy: An Answer to Cancer?
- Potential immune therapy treatment for cancer
- Side effects of immune therapy treatment for cancer
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Flu-like symptoms
- Skin problems
- Autoimmune disorders
Medical Video: Talks@12: Immunotherapy: An Answer to Cancer?
Immune therapy for cancer is a treatment option that cancer patients can take besides chemotherapy or radiation. The question is how effective are immune therapy treatments for treating cancer? If done, what are the side effects? Consider the following plus minus immune therapy for cancer.
Potential immune therapy treatment for cancer
Reported by Science Daily, a study conducted by Ribert Ferris, MD, PhD, Head of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery, and colleagues presented that nivolumab on immune therapy given routinely can improve survival and cause little side effects in patients with cancer head and neck. Nivolumab drugs have a higher response to tumor immune cells (TAIC) which play an important role in tumor growth.
Reporting from Healthline, a decade ago, breast cancer was treated with HER2 antibodies. However, cancer cells sometimes deceive T cells (cancer killer cells) that are on HER2 antibodies with the help of a protein called PD-L1. It occurs before immune therapy is found. Now immune therapy with herceptin helps bind the HER2 receptor helps stimulate the immune system to destroy cancer cells.
However, both studies also concluded that although immune therapy helps the immune system of cancer patients, the success rate of this therapeutic treatment of cancer cells depends on the level of the patient's immune cells. Immune cells in the environment around the tumor, play an important role in how patients respond to immune therapy.
So, not all patients can respond to this treatment. The reason is, everyone has different immune cells, the cancer cells in his body are also different. However, for now, immune therapy is quite well tolerated and can continue indefinitely. Unlike chemotherapy and radiation, immune therapy leaves healthy cells without damage.
But for some cases, the body's immune system overreacts to this therapy. That means treatment must be stopped immediately until the side effects are dealt with.
Side effects of immune therapy treatment for cancer
Safe use of drugs also has side effects, just like immune therapy for cancer. Although declared safe, the following side effects may occur on immune therapy treatment:
Fatigue
This is a common side effect because patients have to undergo various treatments. For this reason, cancer sufferers must get used to training the body, for example by doing light exercise or relaxing. Then, consume enough water and eat food according to the doctor's advice. All this is done to maintain the patient's strength and energy so as not to start fatigue.
Fever
If this happens, ask your doctor first which drugs you are safe to consume to reduce fever.
Flu-like symptoms
Some immune therapy drugs can make you feel cold, such as nausea, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills, weakness, and dizziness. In some cases diarrhea and dry cough also occur. To overcome this, asking for help from a doctor is the best step that can be done.
Skin problems
Immune therapy treatments sometimes cause reactions to the skin. It can occur red, itchy, and swollen skin. Blisters and mouth sores also often occur. So that your inflamed skin doesn't get worse, use mild unscented or coloring soap. Don't take too long and use moisturizer. Usually the doctor will prescribe a cream or antibiotic so that the patient's skin heals immediately from inflammation.
Autoimmune disorders
Unlike chemotherapy or radiation, immune therapy does not target all cells in your body. Immune therapy only targets and affects the patient's immune system. If this happens it will likely attack healthy tissue or organs in your body, such as:
- Pneumonitis (inflamed lungs), usually chest pain and shortness of breath
- Colitis (inflamed intestine), usually diarrhea, stomach cramps, bloody or mucous stools
- Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), usually dark urine, easily bruised or bleeding, pain on the right side of the abdomen, and the skin or eyes turn yellow.
- Endocrine disorders (hormone problems), usually fatigue, headaches, hair loss, fast heart rate, and sweating.
- Uveitis (inflamed eyes), the bias can occur in the ability of vision
- Arthritis, which is pain in the joints or in your muscles and tendons.
Note if side effects appear, can be mild, severe, even fatal. For this reason, if something like this happens, immediately get your health checked by a doctor. Usually the doctor will give corticosteroids to calm the patient's immune system. If it is severe, chances are that the patient will have to stop the immune therapy treatment for this cancer temporarily until the side effects disappear.
