Breakthrough in cancer treatment

Immunotherapy is a new step forward in cancer treatment, helping to reactivate the immune system to increase the ability to find and destroy malignant cells, with fewer side effects than chemotherapy.

Immunotherapy in cancer treatment is a method of introducing substances similar to immune system components created in the laboratory into the body to enhance or change the way the immune system works, helping to detect and attack foreign, dangerous cells.

Doctor Tran Vuong Thao Nghi, Head of Oncology Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, consults with patients.

The natural immune system is distributed throughout the body, protecting the body from viruses, bacteria, parasites, cancer cells, etc. When foreign cells appear, regardless of whether they are benign or malignant, the immune system recognizes them and launches an attack on them.

However, the immune system has certain limitations: it can detect cancer cells but the response is not strong enough; it cannot recognize cancer cells because the function of recognizing foreign cells is blocked... When the immune system is weakened, cancer cells can easily escape and thrive.

At the same time, cancer cells have the ability to temporarily deactivate the immune system, secrete substances that bypass control or prevent the immune system from finding and attacking them. In many cases, patients have healthy immune systems but cancer cells still develop.

Therefore, immunotherapy researchers in cancer treatment seek to help the natural immune system recognize cancer cells early and increase its ability to respond to attack and destroy them. Immunotherapy is a breakthrough in cancer treatment, because it increases survival rates and improves the quality of life for patients.

For example, with advanced non-small cell lung cancer - the tumor spreads, metastasizing to the contralateral lung or distant organs.

A 2018 study in the New England Journal of Medicine of 616 patients found that those treated with immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy had a survival rate of about 69.2% after 12 months; meanwhile, the group of patients receiving a placebo combined with chemotherapy had a 12-month survival rate of about 49.4%.

Immunotherapy has also been shown to be effective in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. This type of cancer grows quickly, and about 40% of patients with stage 1-3 triple-negative breast cancer will relapse after treatment.

Immunotherapy in cancer treatment includes: Monoclonal antibodies: created in the laboratory, mimic the way natural antibodies work, recognize and attach to specific receptors on the surface of cancer cells to destroy them...

Non-specific immunotherapy: Works similarly to monoclonal antibodies, stimulating the natural immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Doctors can combine non-specific immunotherapy with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

There are two types of non-specific immunotherapy: drugs that stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies that can recognize and destroy malignant cells, suitable for people with kidney and skin cancer; drugs that inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

Oncolytic virus therapy: Developed in the laboratory, it kills cancer cells.

T-cell therapy: Works by changing genes in white blood cells (T cells) to activate the ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells, often prescribed for children with leukemia and adults with lymphoma.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors: cancer cells have the ability to temporarily deactivate the immune system to overcome the immune system's control.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors block the ability of cancer cells to deactivate the immune system, thereby helping the immune system recognize and destroy cancer cells, contributing to improving the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are used in many types of cancer such as lung cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, head and neck cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma...

Depending on the patient's condition and response, the doctor will prescribe the method of administering immunotherapy into the patient's body.

Patients may be given injections - infused through a vein or injection chamber; or take immunotherapy drugs in pill form. Some immunotherapy drugs for skin cancer come in gel form, which can be applied to the skin.

The course and duration of immunotherapy depends on the type of cancer, the stage of the disease, the degree of progression and the response of the patient's body. After each treatment, the patient has a period of rest, recovery and regeneration of new healthy cells.

Although side effects are fewer than with chemotherapy, cancer patients treated with immunotherapy may experience drowsiness, fatigue, fever, chills, constipation, decreased blood cells, risk of blood clots, and organ dysfunction due to an excessive immune response.

The fetus is likely to have birth defects if the pregnant woman takes the drug during pregnancy. During the treatment, the patient should discuss with the doctor any unusual symptoms to be controlled and treated appropriately.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/lieu-phap-mien-dich-dot-pha-trong-dieu-tri-ung-thu-d224719.html