Immunotherapy Specialist in Aurangabad

Immunotherapy is currently only advised for advanced/metastatic cancers, and only in specific indications and patients. Immunotherapy is not a replacement for definitive treatment techniques such as curative surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy.

Immunotherapy is given as an infusion through the intravenous method. It is suggested that it be given under the supervision and guidance of a skilled Medical Oncologist who is experienced in handling the drug, analyzing the response, and managing the effects/side effects.

Certain biomarkers, such as PDL1 receptor expression testing and microsatellite instability testing, can be used to predict immunotherapy response. As a result, immunotherapy is not suggested for everyone. Before beginning immunotherapy, speak with your medical oncologist to determine the potential benefit.

This isn’t the case for every patient. Immunotherapy, alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy, may be better in terms of response rates or overall survival in correctly selected patients after thorough biomarker testing as stated above. Chemotherapy, on the other hand, remains the backbone of systemic treatment in other cases of advanced cancers. In other cases, if a sufficient targetable mutation is present in the tumor cell, targeted therapy may be more advantageous.

Immunotherapy does not have the same adverse effects as chemotherapy, such as hair loss, nausea, and low blood counts. Immunotherapy is, on the whole, well-tolerated. Immunotherapy, on the other hand, has its own set of adverse effects, which might include a flare-up of autoimmune disorders, pneumonia, diarrhea, autoimmune anemia, endocrine dysfunctions, and so on. As a result, before deciding on immunotherapy, always consult with your medical oncologist and discuss your options.

Before we may expect any response, we usually need to administer at least 3-4 cycles of immunotherapy. If the patient responds to treatment, we should continue immunotherapy until the patient benefits and the tumor responds. However, some reports claim that the benefits of immunotherapy might last for a long time even if treatment is stopped after a long period of time. After consulting with your Medical Oncologist, you should make this decision.

There is currently no proof that immunotherapy can cure cancer. Because immunotherapy is used to treat advanced and metastatic cancers, it is impossible to completely eliminate cancer cells from the body and call it a cure. However, if immunotherapy works successfully, it can give cancer patients long-term progression-free survival and high quality of life.