Immunotherapy Treatment​

Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that boosts the immune system to fight against the cancer cells. The immune system finds the harmful cells and destroys them to help you live longer. Cancer cells can multiply rapidly without treatment. If you are looking for immunotherapy for cancer, you can visit the Gleneagles Hospitals. We provide the most effective immunotherapy treatment.

Immunotherapy is an advanced treatment that enhances the immune system's power to identify and destroy disease-causing cells. Unlike other treatment methods like chemotherapy or radiation, which directly attack the disease cells and health cells together, immunotherapy strengthens the immune system to identify and destroy harmful cells while preserving healthy cells.

The immune system is made of special cells that protect the body from harmful antigens including bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunotherapy works in the following ways:

• It stimulates the immune system to attack disease-producing agents in the body.
• It directs the immune cells to identify and destroy the cancer-producing cells thereby preserving the healthy cells.
• It helps your body to produce more immune cells to detect and destroy cancer cells.

Immunotherapy is of different types depending on how it interacts with the immune system. Different types of immunotherapy include:

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs): There are checkpoints in the body to prevent the immune system from overreacting to foreign particles and damaging healthy cells. For example, the bone marrow makes white blood cells called T lymphocytes that protect the body from infection and handle cancer cells. Checkpoint proteins manage signals to T cells, telling them when to turn them off and on. T cells get activated to kill cancer cells and turn off so they do not damage healthy cells. Checkpoint inhibitors are drugs that break the connection between the checkpoint proteins and other proteins, which helps protein cells by telling T cells to turn off, and in this way, T cells can kill the cancer cells only. 

CAR-T Cell Therapy or Adoptive Cell Therapy: In this therapy, doctors take your immune cells to grow them in the laboratory. Once your immune cells have grown, they are put back into your body to kill cancer cells. CAR-T cell therapy works by turning T lymphocytes into more effective cancer-fighting cells. 

Monoclonal Antibody Therapy: Antibodies come into action when your immune system detects foreign cells. Antibodies are proteins that fight against intruders. Monoclonal antibody therapy is a technique in which antibodies are made in labs to support the existing antibodies. The antibodies made in the lab may attack some parts of the cancer cells

Cancer Vaccines: Vaccines protect you against certain diseases. Vaccines help to prevent from getting an infection that can later lead to cancer. If you develop cancer, then cancer vaccines can help your body fight against it. Vaccines help your immune system identify cancer cells in your body.

Immune System Modulators: Immune system modulators are the drugs that boost your body’s response to cancer cells. They include cytokines and immunomodulatory drugs. 

Cytokines are proteins that help your immune system to manage intruders. Cytokines send signals to the immune system when intruders attack your body. They communicate with the immune system cells so that they can attack specific cancer cells. Cytokines are of two types: 

• Interferons: Interferons help your immune system fight against cancer cells and slow down the growth of cancer cells.
• Interleukins: Interleukins start an immune response against cancer cells to help your immune system. They increase the cancer-fighting cells in your body. 

Oncolytic Virus Therapy: It is a technique in which genetically modified viruses are used to selectively infect and kill cancer cells and stimulate the immune system.

People who are the right candidates for immunotherapy have to visit the hospital on a fixed day. The doctor will give medications through an intravenous infusion. 

Patients receive immunotherapy daily, weekly, monthly, or in a cycle. In cyclic immunotherapy, patients take a rest period after treatment. This helps patients’ bodies to produce healthy cells. The length of the treatment depends on the type of immunotherapy drug, cancer type and stage, and your body’s response to immunotherapy.

Benefits:

• Immunotherapy is an effective therapy for cancer treatment when other traditional treatments do not provide relief.
• It helps to increase the life span of patients suffering from cancer.
• It helps destroy tumour cells and prevents cancer cells from returning in some cases.
• It can help prevent the spread of cancer to other body parts.
• Boosts the immune system so that your immune system can keep fighting against cancer cells.

Risks or Complications: Immunotherapy is not suitable for all cancer types, or it may not be a suitable therapy for all cancer patients. Immunotherapy causes side effects, and the doctor educates the patients about the potential side effects of the immunotherapy before the treatment.

Side Effects of Immunotherapy Include the Following:

• Fatigue or general weakness
• Itchy rashes on the skin
• Diarrhea or gastric complaints
• Nausea and vomiting
• Hair loss
• Dizziness and headache
• Weight loss
• Increased hunger or thirst
• Faster heartbeat and sweating

Gleneagles Hospitals is known for its comprehensive and patient-centric approach to cancer treatment and care. You must choose Gleneagles Hospital for immunotherapy treatment because it provides the best care and treatment. Reasons to choose Gleneagles Hospitals are:

• Advanced Immunotherapy Techniques: Gleneagles Hospitals uses advanced immunotherapy techniques that boost the immune system to fight against cancer cells effectively. It is the best hospital for immunotherapy.
• Multidisciplinary Approach: The hospital provides a multidisciplinary approach for cancer patients. The hospital has a team of surgeons, oncologists, radiotherapists, nurses, and counsellors who work in a team to develop a tailored treatment plan for every patient to ensure comprehensive care throughout the treatment journey.
• Holistic Approach: The hospital not only provides medical support but also provides holistic support in the form of counselling and rehabilitation programs. This helps to address the emotional and psychological aspects associated with cancer treatment.
• Patient-Centric Approach: The healthcare team uses a patient-centric approach and shows empathy and understanding during the treatment to ensure that patients feel safe and supported during the treatment.
• State-of-the-art Facilities: The hospital is well equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure to provide the best immunotherapy for cancer. The hospital has separate wards and rooms for people getting immunotherapy. 24x7 support is available for the patients to manage complications.

Immunotherapy is a hope for cancer, infections, and autoimmune diseases patients. Research is going on to make these treatments more effective and easily accessible for people. Though this treatment has many challenges, people still find relief and have an increased life span using immunotherapy. Gleneagles Hospital provides the best immunotherapy treatment by using cutting-edge technology and the latest methods to help cancer patients.