How Does Immunotherapy Work?

If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer or another disease of the cells, immunotherapy is a treatment type that may be used either on its own or in conjunction with other cancer treatments. As new forms of immunotherapy are discovered at a rapid rate, Cochise Oncology can utilize the latest developments to help you fight back against cancer.

What is Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is a treatment that can be used to combat various diseases, including several types of cancer, by stimulating the body’s immune system and natural defenses to help it identify and attack cancer cells. Alternatively, lab-produced substances may be used to support the immune system’s natural function.

 

Here at Cochise Oncology, our experts can use a wide range of immunotherapies to boost the immune system. The most popular solutions are;

 

  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are a group of drugs that block overactive immune checkpoints, thus allowing the body’s natural immunity cells to target cancer cells more strongly.
  • Immune system modulators that may affect the immune system as a whole, or target a very specific area of the natural defense systems, to enhance the body’s responses.
  • Monoclonal antibodies, which are lab-produced proteins that bind to target cancer cells. Also known as therapeutic antibodies, they ensure that cancer cells are seen and destroyed.
  • T-cell transfer therapy, which takes immune cells from the tumor before the most effective cells against the cancer are manufactured in the lab to boost the body’s ability to fight the disease.
  • Treatment vaccines, which are injections used to boost the immune system’s natural responses to cancers. They aren’t preventative solutions.

 

Immunotherapy helps the body when it struggles to identify cancer cells or recognizes them but doesn’t respond.

Immunotherapy Benefits 

Immunotherapy offers a range of benefits to patients, not least because it can be used to treat various types of cancers. It is also a fairly versatile treatment that can be given intravenously (IV), orally, topically or intravesically. Immunotherapy may also be given daily, weekly, monthly, or in cycles.

 

Some of the most telling incentives for choosing immunotherapy include;

 

  • Immunotherapy has been shown to be effective for some cancer types even when radiotherapy or chemotherapy hasn’t worked.
  • The treatments actively boost the body’s natural defense systems and enhance the body’s wellness. 
  • It slows cancer growth and can prevent cancerous cells from spreading to other parts of the body.
  • There are fewer side effects than many of the alternative cancer treatments that may be available. 

When Should I Consider Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy can be used as a standalone treatment or in conjunction with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The extensive list of cancers that it may treat includes; bladder, breast, cervical, head and neck, kidney, liver, lung, lymphoma, prostate, and skin cancer. Meanwhile, new immunotherapy treatments become available each year.

 

The immunotherapies can be used when your body’s natural defenses aren’t responding as they should. Cochise Oncology will confirm whether immunotherapy is the right treatment for you, taking into account the type of treatment, likely results, and what type of immunotherapies are suitable. 

Take the Next Step

Are you ready to learn more about immunotherapy? Reach out to Cochise Oncology at (520) 803-6644 or fill out the consultation form on this page. We look forward to meeting you!

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