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Immunotherapy and prolongation of life in cancer. Immunotherapy for cancer - types and indications for treatment

Also known as biologic therapy, it can provide invaluable benefits to people battling certain types of lung cancer.

This treatment method uses highly selective drugs that stimulate the immune system to effectively fight cancer.

Over the course of a couple of decades, immunotherapy has been able to change views on the treatment of many types of cancer, including lung, breast, and colorectal cancer.

In this article we will look at how it works immunotherapy, how biologics help people with lung cancer and what the side effects might be.

What is lung cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a relatively new cancer treatment option. It complements standard therapies by helping the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. This is achieved by "educating" lymphocytes or influencing certain control genes in the immune system.

There are several types of immunotherapy to fight lung tumors:

adaptive T-cell immunotherapy
immune checkpoint inhibitors
therapeutic vaccines

Each type of immunotherapy has its own advantages, disadvantages and application features. There is still a need for more research because medicine is just beginning to discover this area and harness the amazing capabilities of the immune cell.

How does immunotherapy work?

All types of immunotherapy work differently. Let's figure it out.

Adaptive T-cell immunotherapy

Adaptive T-cell immunotherapy is based on removing T-lymphocytes from the patient's body, then reprogramming them and introducing them back into the blood. In laboratory conditions, cells are “trained” to attack the tumor.

The method is quite complex and expensive. Adaptive T-cell therapy requires modern laboratory equipment and specially trained specialists, so it is not available in all oncology centers.

This method shows promising results, but it needs more research before it can be widely used to treat lung cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors

The human immune system constantly examines the body for the presence of foreign particles and mutated cells, immediately recognizing and eliminating them. Immune cells carry certain control molecules that prevent the immune system from damaging normal tissue. However, cancer cells use these same checkpoints to avoid attack by the immune system.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors prevent cancer cells from hiding behind these molecules. By inhibiting checkpoints, these drugs help lymphocytes target and destroy tumors.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already approved several immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of lung cancer.

These drugs are divided into two categories:

1. PD1 and PD-L1 inhibitors

They block the ability of malignant cells to use checkpoints on T lymphocytes. They patrol the body looking for potential threats. By inhibiting PD1 and PD-L1, we essentially give the immune system a free hand, allowing T cells to target and attack cancer.

Examples of PD1 and PD-L1 inhibitors (international generic names):

Nivolumab (nivolumab)
durvalumab (durvalumab)
atezolizumab (atezolizumab)
pembrolizumab (pembrozulimab)
avelumab (avelumab)

2. CTLA-4 inhibitors

These drugs are somewhat different from the previous group. CTLA-4 inhibitors cause T cells to actively seek out and destroy cancer cells. There are not many CTLA-4 options available at this time. In fact, only one drug has been approved, ipilimumab, which has also been successfully used in the treatment of melanoma.

Therapeutic vaccines

Therapeutic vaccines teach the immune system to respond to antigen proteins characteristic of malignant cells. Lung cancer vaccines target the MAGE-3 and NY-SEO-1 antigens, but scientists are currently testing vaccines against other tumor antigens.

Who needs immunotherapy

Typical candidates for immunotherapy are patients with certain subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Immunotherapy is often recommended for patients whose cancer has returned after previous treatment. Sometimes immunotherapy drugs are the first and main therapeutic option, usually in combination with chemotherapy agents.

Unfortunately, doctors are not yet able to fully utilize the capabilities of immunotherapy. More research is needed to determine why some patients respond very well and others do not respond at all. Knowledge about cancer cell receptors will help researchers with this.

Benefits, risks and side effects

People who respond well to immunotherapy experience fewer side effects than from standard cytotoxic chemotherapy. If the response to immunotherapy is good, it can stop the progression of the disease, prevent the formation of metastases and significantly prolong the life of patients even in the later stages of lung cancer.

The most common and mild side effects include joint pain, fatigue, decreased appetite, cough, diarrhea and constipation, nausea, skin rash and itching.

Unfortunately, some patients on immunotherapy drugs run the risk of over-activating their immune system. In these rare cases, lymphocytes begin to attack healthy tissue and internal organs, and an autoimmune process develops.

Then the treatment has to be stopped so as not to cause even more harm to the sick body. Patients can only rely on alternative methods of treating lung cancer - surgical removal of the tumor, chemotherapy, and radiation.

Research and the future of immunotherapy

Foreign scientists are optimistic about immunotherapy and its future in the treatment of lung cancer, but recognize a sufficient number of gaps in current knowledge. The number of completed clinical trials of immunotherapy drugs and vaccines is small, but pharmaceutical companies are actively working in this direction.

The available results show that immunotherapy drugs can provide enormous opportunities in the treatment of lung cancer and other cancers.

The main focus of science is on “personalized medicine,” that is, on finding criteria for selecting immunotherapy for the treatment of a particular patient. It is known that immunotherapy drugs do not work for everyone, and doctors need to know why this is the case.

By implementing new laboratory tests, it could be possible to predict response to immunotherapy and more accurately predict disease progression.

: Master of Pharmacy and professional medical translator

We are accustomed to the fact that cancer is fought with radiation therapy, a surgeon’s knife, and antitumor antibiotics that affect all rapidly dividing cells, including hematopoietic organs. Doctors used a different method to treat Jimmy Carter. They put him on a drug called pembrolizumab. The drug acts on the patient’s body using the principle of immunotherapy. A few months after starting to take the medicine, all metastases disappeared.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, turned 94 years old in 2018. In 2015, he had a malignant liver tumor removed. After the operation, oncologists reported that the patient's condition did not improve. The tumor has metastasized. But Jimmy Carter recovered.

Tumors are coming

Malignant neoplasms are among the top five causes of human death. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, 25% of people will experience cancer during their lifetime.

Previously, medicine tried to defeat epidemics, cope with tuberculosis, etc. Only after people began to live to 70 years old did the problem of cardiovascular diseases and malignant pathologies worsen. But cancer is not a death sentence. Soon, a patient who is informed that he has a tumor will begin to take the diagnosis calmly. The disease can be cured. There are already successes in this direction today.

Over the past 20 years, the mortality rate from cancer has decreased by 20%. This is due to the improvement of surgical methods, the use of operating robots, and the development of means of delivering radiation directly to the tumor. Progress has occurred thanks to radiation therapy: gamma and cyberknives. But these methods work if the cancerous tumor has not had time to multiply in the body, and there are no regional or distant metastases. However, often when a patient first consults a doctor, the disease is already stage 3 or 4. The way out is to look for a cure for cancer and use new mechanisms of action.

The search for a cure is in full swing

Developed countries are actively searching for cures for cancer. Oncology is a topic discussed by many pharmaceutical manufacturers. In the field of immunomodulatory therapy, facts necessary for the production of drugs are discovered almost every day.

This direction in oncology differs from other methods in its systematic approach, which allows it to act on cancer cells throughout the body, regardless of location and stage of the disease. Other treatment methods, except chemotherapy, act on the tumor locally.

From a philosophical point of view, a chemotherapy method is a method of attacking malignant cells, which inevitably affects healthy tissue. After courses and the use of anti-cancer antibiotics, patients feel unwell, go bald, their number of leukocytes and platelets in the blood decreases, and other complications arise. You can destroy cancer cells not only through attack. An effective way is to mobilize all means of suppressing tumor growth from the inside. This is the philosophical meaning of cancer immunoprevention. The approach has been actively developing over the past 20 years.

The definition of immunotherapy was introduced in the mid-80s of the 20th century by the outstanding oncologist from the USA Steve Rosenberg. Soon the first immunostimulant against cancer appeared, called alemtuzumab. It acted on the lymphocyte antigen CD52. The drug underwent long-term clinical trials and entered the international market in 2001. Used for oncohematological pathologies.

There are about ten similar drugs, new drugs appear on average every 3 years. Pembrolizumab and nivolumab were released in 2014, and atezolizumab in 2016.

At the intersection of immunology and oncology

In the body of a healthy person, cancer cells are fought by the immune system, which reacts sensitively to their appearance, attacks before they multiply and become established in a tissue or organ. This is the basis of antitumor protection. It often happens that the immune system recognizes a malignant cell with great difficulty or cannot do so at all. Immuno-oncological agents are drugs that enhance the immune system’s ability to fight tumors.

Immunity protects against microorganisms, viruses. Own abnormal cells are destroyed as usual. At the same time, living, healthy tissues are not damaged. Defense mechanisms and checks make it possible to stop an already running immune response and prevent damage to normal cells.

To avoid destruction, malignant neoplasms use this stop. Cancer cells pretend to be healthy. The tumor suppression blocking mechanism is triggered. One way to prevent this process is to administer a drug that removes the block. As a result, the body can destroy the tumor.

The work of immunity against a cancer cell is not much different from killing microbes that accidentally enter the blood. The scout cell detects it using specific antigenic markers located on the membrane. The information received is delivered to the peripheral organs of the immune system, i.e. regional lymph nodes. There is a command there that receives, processes the signal, directs T-lymphocytes to destroy the enemy using antibodies, phagocytosis, etc. T-lymphocytes have a special membrane protein PD-1, or a programmed death molecule. When this compound is activated, the T lymphocyte dies. Normally - after completing the task. However, tumor cells are capable of starting the process ahead of time.

In the foreground are research and experiments to prevent the programmed death of immune cells and the use of cunning tactical weapons by tumors (melanoma, glioma, etc.).

About difficulties and prospects

The principles of immunoprophylaxis are clear, but in practice everything is a little different. Dozens of studies are being conducted related to the third phase of the drug's introduction.

There are cases where monoclonal antibodies do not work. This is due to the presence of several types of tumor tissue markers in the body.

An oncological disease called lung cancer is a malignant, aggressive tumor. During the first 5 years after detection of the disease, 85% of patients die. If a patient is diagnosed with stage 4, there is only a one in 50 chance that he will live another 5 years. There are several types of this cancer. In one of them, tumor cells have the PD-L1 biomarker. Such patients make up about 25% of the total number of patients. Pembrolizumab was effective for them. The drug does not help the rest. But for some, life expectancy increases, the period of stable remission is extended by 1 year.

Another promising direction is immunoprophylaxis, i.e. introduction into the body of a recombinant vaccine (serum) based on tumor antigens. This prevents cervical cancer caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV).

Immunotherapy uses not only monoclonal antibodies, but also dendritic cells. They are taken from the patient using extracorporeal methods and incubated with a cancer antigen. The dendritic cells are then injected back into the patient. As a result, the immune system is activated and a lymphocyte response is formed.

Another method is the introduction of destroyed, lysed tumor tissue into the body. This also triggers an immune response.

Immunotherapy is a gateway to the future that can be opened with the help of science, technological progress, equipped laboratories and trained personnel.

Immunotherapy is a newer and more effective method used in the treatment of many forms of cancer. It is aimed at ensuring that the body learns to fight cancer cells on its own.

How is cancer immunotherapy used at different stages?

The feasibility of immunotherapy lies in the fight against malignant neoplasms, as well as oncohematological diseases. Treats cancer at any stage, including the most advanced. But traditional methods in oncology are able to defeat the disease only in the early stages.

Let's look at how immunotherapy is used for oncology at various stages:

  • In the first stage, the disease consists only of the appearance of malignant cells; in the second, a localized tumor is formed. The most commonly used treatments are surgical treatment, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Immunotherapy is prescribed as an additional treatment.
  • A hospice for cancer patients is a place where hopeless patients stay, whose lives are extended if possible, including with the help of immunotherapy.
  • In the third stage of cancer, metastasis occurs. The last or fourth stage of the disease is manifested by relapses. The disease at these stages is already difficult to treat using only traditional methods, so immunotherapy is used as the main method of treatment.

Cancer immunotherapy is a promising and young direction in the treatment of cancer. Due to the youth of this method, it has many opponents.

They have sound arguments and facts obtained as a result of the development of immunology as a science.

Like any new methods, immunology has not yet been fully explored. It is only at the beginning of its journey, but perhaps it will soon become the main method of treating most diseases, because the main thing is not to harm the body, but to help in overcoming the disease.

Methods of immunotherapy in the treatment of oncology

The outcome of many diseases depends on the state of the human immune system. To defeat the disease, it is necessary to ensure that the body becomes more active. Using its own protective resources, it will fight the tumor.

What is immunotherapy? Biological drugs with antitumor activity are introduced into the body. They are called antitumor drugs.

These medications contain a certain amount of the following active ingredients:

  • cytokines;
  • monoclonal antibodies.

When they enter the body, they begin to destroy malignant cells, at the same time the tumor’s nutritional system is blocked.

Tumor growth stops, the malignant process is blocked. That is, cancer is actually cured. Metastases do not occur in this case.

The production of antitumor biological drugs is carried out individually for each sick person. This is based on the use of biological material that contains the cells of the tumor itself. Cancer treatments must be used in combination.

In addition, the vaccine can be created based on cellular material from donors, that is, people who have exactly the same type of cancer. The resulting substance is processed in a special way, after which it is introduced into the patient’s body by injection. The vaccine begins to act instantly.

Cancer immunotherapy, despite this, is a long process, since several months will pass from the moment the vaccine enters the body until the tumor is completely destroyed.

Doctors pay close attention to the patient during this entire period. Specialists monitor the dynamics of the patient’s condition.

How do his chances increase? Cure from cancer in patients treated with immunotherapy occurs with a probability of 60 to 80%. This is quite a high figure.

Immunotherapy, radiation for oncology: consequences

The body learns to recognize and destroy them thanks to immunotherapy. The drugs used in this case are not toxic. Therefore, there are no side effects as such, such as, for example, chemotherapy or radiation for oncology. The consequences are quite unpleasant. They are manifested by the following symptoms:

  • nausea and vomiting;
  • diarrhea;
  • skin problem;
  • complete hair loss;
  • weakness.

But in a small number of cases, the body may respond to immunotherapy with the following symptoms:

  • Inflammation of the mucous membranes.
  • Nausea.
  • Rash or any other allergic reactions.
  • Low pressure.

Are there any contraindications for immunotherapy?

Side effects, as mentioned above, usually do not occur with immunostimulation. After all, there is no toxic effect on the body of a sick person. Since the forms are nonspecific, there may be some reaction from the body in the form of a slight increase in body temperature. But an allergy associated with individual intolerance cannot be ruled out.

Immunotherapy for oncology is complemented by natural methods. You can increase the defenses of cancer patients by the following measures:

  1. Vitamin therapy. Vitamin complexes, which are included in the diet, accelerate metabolic processes, modify immune resistance and prevent genetic mutation. Vitamins for all forms of cancer can be taken in tablets, as well as with fruits and vegetables, because they contain them.
  2. Herbal medicine. Some plant species promote the death of cancer cells. Licorice root, for example, produces a pronounced anti-cancer effect. This is confirmed by numerous reviews from experts. Oncological growth is suspended, produced thanks to this plant.
  3. Aerotherapy. A cancer patient is exposed to strictly dosed oxygen. Achieving a therapeutic effect is facilitated by regular walks in the fresh air or inhalation of pure oxygen using a special apparatus. This is an additional anti-cancer technique that is highly effective in oncology. In addition, this is one of the ways to rehabilitate an operated patient.

Cancer immunotherapy should be based on both traditional means and methods of non-traditional stimulation of the immune system.

Interesting research on immunity and oncology

Every person is at risk of contracting various types of cancer every day. This has been confirmed by new scientific research. Every year, 15 million people inhabiting our planet are diagnosed with cancer. This figure is quite impressive. But there is no need to panic. It is necessary to obtain as much information as possible on this topic. Cancer treatments are constantly being improved.

For what reasons do some people develop cancer, while others can live their entire lives and never get sick?

The secret lies in the body's own protective resources. Immunity is aimed at protecting against various viruses, infections, as well as cancer. This is provided by special cells - cytotoxic T-lymphocytes. They recognize atypical cells, as well as their proteins, which appear in the body through mutation. After which they neutralize them, preventing the development of a tumor. A healthy body does not need external antitumor agents.

All this allows us to draw the following three conclusions:

  • Oncological diseases are most often diagnosed in older people, because their immune defenses are already weakened. It is no longer able to recognize abnormal cells.
  • In children and people under 25 years of age, the immune defense is not yet fully operational - in these people, cancer is most severe.
  • It is necessary to constantly increase the body's defenses to avoid cancer and to treat it.

Immunotherapy (reviews confirm this) is based on the latter conclusion. This is a new branch of oncology, developing at a very fast pace, proving its effectiveness. The level of immunotherapy in oncology abroad is high. There are a large number of special drugs, research in this direction is constantly being carried out, and new drugs are being developed and searched for. in oncology they are best used in Israel. There, clinics occupy leading positions in cancer treatment (for example, stomach cancer is cured in 80% of cases).

What's new in immunotherapy today?

Immunotherapy can be combined with other cancer treatments to enhance its effect on cancer cells.

With the help of radioimmunotherapy, for example, they fight cancer. A radioactive isotope is fixed to monoclonal antibodies or T-helper cells are activated by radiomagnetic particles. The Weizmann Institute of Israel created the first vaccine for the treatment of leukemia (blood cancer). Its tests were successful, so it was put into production. The patent belongs to Western pharmaceutical companies.

Many people are interested in the question of what the test for cancer cells is called. It is often called tumor marker testing. A laboratory specialist evaluates some of them; by their presence, one can judge the functioning of the internal organs.

New research has confirmed that cancer can be destroyed by certain pathogenic microorganisms. These include:

  • viruses;
  • clostridia;
  • various bacteria;
  • yeasts, etc.

On their basis, vector antitumor vaccines are created. If these microorganisms are treated in a certain way in a laboratory, the body will not get sick. But a sharp production of immune bodies will occur. These immune bodies are, among other things, antitumor.

Advantages of immune drugs in oncology

Immune drugs that are used in foreign clinics for the treatment of oncology are divided into several groups, which contain a certain amount of:

  • Cytokines - carry out the transfer of information between immune cells.
  • Gamma interferons - are engaged in the destruction of tumor cells.
  • Interleukins (interleukin-2) - are responsible for the transfer of information about cancer cells.
  • Monoclonal antibodies - detect and destroy cancer cells.
  • Helper T cells are highly active immune bodies used for cell therapy.
  • Dendritic cells - obtained from blood precursor cells, neutralize malignant cells when mixed with them.
  • TIL cells - laboratory conditions help to obtain these cells from tumor tissue or metastases, after which they are grown and processed according to a certain principle.
  • Anti-cancer vaccines - they are provided by the patient’s existing tumor. Either the cancer cell itself, deprived of the ability to reproduce, or a tumor antigen is used, which, when introduced into the body, stimulates the production of antitumor antibodies. The most widely used vaccine right now is the one that treats cervical cancer.

The list of drugs does not end there; there are others, but they are less common. They can be combined with each other, as well as combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

After them, the atypical cells will be weakened, so they will be easier to neutralize. This way you can completely defeat cancer. Metastases will not spread throughout the body.

As a result, the dose of toxic chemotherapy drugs may be reduced. And immunotherapy drugs are not toxic, so they are not capable of causing any side effects, unlike chemotherapy. They have no contraindications.

The use of immunotherapy in various types of cancer

As already mentioned, immunotherapy can be used for any forms and stages.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy cause many side effects and are difficult to tolerate. But this is not observed with immunotherapy. Scientists are constantly developing new drugs, which are divided into groups. Let's look at what medications can be prescribed for various cancers:

  • For lung cancer - Patritumab, Bavituximab, Rilotumumab.
  • For kidney cancer - the drug MPDL3280A, the drug CT-011, Nivolumab.
  • For prostate cancer - PROSTVAC-VF, Sipuleucel-T, Ipilimumab, GVAX vaccine, ProstAtak.
  • For stomach cancer - the drug SU11248. Gastric cancer responds particularly well to immunotherapy.

Where can I be treated with immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is becoming more common around the world. Doctors are inclined to use immune stimulation in the treatment of a large number of oncological diseases.

But this method is quite new in cancer therapy. Only in the last ten years has it been used most actively. Immunotherapy for skin cancer has proven itself.

Protocols for treating cancer patients with immunotherapy are available in all modern clinics around the world. But most often this is still only maintenance therapy. Radiation and immunotherapy are prescribed in combination.

Immune cells carry out an enhanced fight against cancer.

This method is unique, so the best clinics are trying to use it more and more often in the treatment of cancer. This practice is also common in our country. The capital is a leader in the use of immunotherapy for cancer. There is a hospice for cancer patients.

Use of immunotherapy in Israel

Many people want to go to Israeli clinics to be cured of cancer. This is due to the high number of recoveries. New methods, including immunotherapy, make this possible.

Israeli scientists are developing new drugs, and foreign colleagues are helping them.

The most popular among them are the following:

  • TIL cells.
  • Various vaccines against cancer. They can also be used for prevention.
  • Killer cells.

Vaccines have proven their effectiveness, in particular they:

  • Prostate cancer is treated.
  • Treat metastatic cancer.
  • Cervical cancer is treated and prevented.

Israeli clinics have in stock all immune drugs - both domestically produced and foreign. Available to everyone, selection is carried out on an individual basis, but with the condition that it is the best option for the patient.

Melanoma is treated very well here because it is combined with drugs. Moreover, even the metastatic form of melanoma is treatable. At the same time, the body is cleansed of toxins and cytokines are introduced. Prostate cancer and vaccination also go well together. First, the tumor is surgically removed, then the vaccine is administered.

New drugs are constantly included in clinical trials, as reported in the media.

How much does cancer immunotherapy cost? Immunotherapy of cancerous tumors is an expensive treatment method, since obtaining biological drugs is quite difficult.

Developments of genetic engineering and molecular chemistry are also used in immunotherapy. Treatment involves a large number of different drugs from the arsenal of oncology. They are selected individually.

How much does a course of immunotherapy cost? The price of a course of therapy directly depends on the drugs involved and their cost. This is also influenced by the following characteristics of the disease:

  • type of tumor;
  • tumor stage;
  • prevalence;
  • degree of malignancy.

Only in relation to a specific person can the cost of immunotherapy for cancer be determined.

Cancer treatment is a rather complex process that takes both energy and money. It is difficult both physically, morally and financially. You need to be patient in the fight against this terrible disease.

Immunotherapy is a modern way of fighting cancer, the action of which is based on stimulating the body's natural internal defenses.

Immunotherapy drugs support and enhance the functioning of the immune system with minimal side effects on the body. Cancer immunotherapy involves mobilizing all the forces of the immune system in the fight against cancer cells. One version of the method consists of a medicinal effect aimed at activating and modulating the body's defenses, and is called active immunotherapy. There is also passive immunotherapy, in which analogs of elements of the immune system are introduced into the patient’s body, and they already perform a protective function and fight the tumor and metastases. The method is effective for different types of cancer and at different stages of its development. Immunotherapy is possible for breast cancer and lung cancer, the drugs of which will be much more gentle than the drugs used for chemotherapy.

The role of the immune system in the human body

Every day in the human body, the cellular structure is renewed and, along with healthy cells, atypical ones are formed, which, if events develop unfavorably, can turn into a malignant tumor. But in a healthy person, a normally functioning immune system destroys such cells even before tumors can arise. And yet oncology exists.

For what reasons or due to the influence of what factors does the immune system fail to cope with its tasks? The background for the formation of malignant tumors is usually a weakened immune system, which occurs as a result of chronic diseases, stress, poor lifestyle, or immune deficiency as a form of abnormality and, possibly, congenital, genetically determined.

Statistics say that about 85% of cancer cases are explained by exposure to environmental factors, including oncogenic viruses, fungi, carcinogenic and other chemicals. Normally, one’s own mutant cells, as well as cells damaged by external influences, are suppressed by lymphocytes, macrophages and antibodies. Too much and aggressive formation of atypical cells leads to a disease that further weakens the body and its protective functions. The immune system begins to work with errors, mistaking malignant cells for healthy ones, which is why it shows dangerous tolerance to them.

Principles of immunotherapy

Cancer treatment with immunotherapy is a conservative method that can complement other treatments or be used independently. It is especially effective after surgery to remove the tumor to eliminate the likelihood of relapses. In the last stages of the disease, in conditions where other methods have not helped, immunotherapy is also used to stop the growth of metastases.

For example, for the treatment of inoperable or advanced melanoma, checkpoint inhibitors and so-called BRAF-targeted therapy are recommended at the first stage if the patient has a mutation in the BRAF gene. At the second stage, taking into account the patient’s condition, either optimal adjuvant therapy or various inhibitors are prescribed. These are the drugs:

  • Opdivo with the active substance Nivolumab for the fight against metastatic melanoma,
  • KEYTRUDA with the active ingredient pembrolizumab - a drug that blocks the PD-1 protein
  • Yervoy with the active substance Ipilimumab,
  • artificial protein that increases the activity of the immune system,
  • Intron A® with interferon alfa-2b, intended for adjuvant therapy,
  • IL-2 (interleukin 2), which is used to exclude relapses.

The cost of immunotherapy for cancer is quite high, but its effectiveness justifies the expense for those who want to prolong their lives. During immunotherapy, cytokines and monoclonal antibodies are introduced into the patient's blood. They prevent the development of malignant cells, which leads to the destruction of the tumor. The method is applicable to patients from 5 to 60 years old. In the initial stages of tumor detection, such treatment is used in combination with basic methods - surgical, radiological and chemotherapy. If the patient consults a doctor too late, at stage III or even IV, then influencing the immune system may be the only possible way to stop the disease and increase life expectancy.

An important difference between immunotherapy and other methods is its focus. While destroying diseased cells, it does not damage healthy tissue, which is important for any type of disease. For example, immunotherapy for breast cancer allows for maximum preservation of unaffected tissue. The treatment is quite easily tolerated by the patient, does not lead to complications and allows in many cases to make positive prognoses, since the patient’s immune system “turns on”, recognizes tumor cells and destroys them. In this way, long-term remission can be achieved.

Action and side effects

Cancer immunotherapy, the pros and cons of which are actively discussed by the global medical community, has become a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer. Observing positive results during clinical trials of drugs, scientists confirm their activity in the fight against malignant tumors, positive dynamics and cessation of the development of the disease in many patients. Thanks to them, it is possible to increase life expectancy and improve its quality.

The drug prescribed by the treating oncologist is administered intravenously under a drip. The patient's condition is monitored by a doctor, but usually the procedure goes without complications. The active substance begins its work immediately after administration, sometimes causing mild side effects that are incomparable with the body's reactions to other methods of influencing the tumor.

The effectiveness of treatment is monitored after several sessions, after which the doctor makes a decision to extend or discontinue therapy. For example, immunotherapy for ovarian cancer consists of two stages: dendritic cell vaccination and T-cell therapy. This treatment regimen showed excellent results: in 1 out of 8 patients there were no signs of the disease for 3.5 years, in the rest the disease stabilized. At the same time, the procedure itself and the rehabilitation process are tolerated very well by patients. Side effects are present, but they depend on the individual characteristics of the body and the characteristics of the drug used. In general, this may include weakness, mild nausea, which is not comparable to recovery from chemotherapy, minor digestive upset and other abnormalities that slightly reduce the standard of living and quickly disappear after treatment is completed.

Immune drugs

Immunotherapy for cancer, for which the drug is selected according to the type of disease, works differently. Most drugs intercept signals from the cancer cell, telling the immune system that they are “one of our own” - healthy cells. As a result, the system detects the problem and fixes it. Active work is underway in this direction; “new era” drugs are at the stage of testing and approvals from regulatory authorities, some of them are still available only in certain countries. Some approved solutions are not allowed by many states to be widely used due to the presence of bacteria in them, the reaction to which during large-scale use is unpredictable, or insufficient testing of a particular drug does not allow predicting the outcome of treatment. But the number of cancer patients is increasing.

Immunotherapy for metastatic rectal cancer, one of the most common types, saves hundreds of thousands of people. Every year, about 600,000 cases of intestinal cancer are recorded worldwide, which do not always have severe symptoms, so patients end up with an advanced, inoperable form. The only way out is to turn to the body's protective functions.
The main groups of active substances are classified according to their mode of action:

  • cytokines transmit information between immune cells necessary for the full functioning of the system;
  • interleukins inform the system about the formation of cancer cells;
  • gamma interferons specifically destroy affected cells;
  • Monoclonal antibodies are endowed with multifunctionality. They detect cancer cells and destroy them;
  • anticancer vaccines, which are obtained from the material of a malignant tumor, force the patient’s body to produce more antibodies with an antitumor effect.

Immunotherapy for lung cancer, reviews of which are encouraging for millions of people around the world, allows us to solve the problem of the spread of metastases and the need to act on all elements of the tumor at once. Only drug treatment provides extensive and targeted action. Immunotherapy is effective for skin cancer, including melanoma.

Types of cancer and immunotherapy

It is recognized that patients with complex forms of cancer can live on average 4 months after chemotherapy, and 9 months after immunotherapy, with mild side effects and virtually no consequences. The indicator may vary depending on the affected organ. For example, immunotherapy for kidney cancer, reviews of which are also very convincing, in 40% of patients at a late stage of the disease using a combination of drugs nivolumab and ipilimumab leads not only to stopping the growth of a malignant tumor, but also to its significant reduction. And every tenth immunotherapy for kidney cancer led to the complete disappearance of signs of cancer. While standard treatment reduces tumor size in only 5% of patients.

Today immunotherapy is used:

  • for lung cancer;
  • for laryngeal cancer;
  • for cervical cancer;
  • for pancreatic cancer;
  • for stomach cancer;
  • for prostate cancer;
  • for rectal cancer;
  • for bladder cancer;
  • for prostate cancer and other forms of the disease.

Geography of cancer immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy is developing most actively in Israel. They offer innovative methods, accept hopeless patients and achieve amazing results that cancer immunotherapy provides; reviews of doctors and service are the most positive. Moscow cannot offer full-fledged cancer treatment with immunotherapy for the reason that many of the newest drugs have not been approved by regulatory government agencies and cannot be used in the country. And at the same time, cancer immunotherapy in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as in other cities in Russia, is performed at a high level using approved active substances. The method is quite expensive and, unfortunately, remains inaccessible to most patients. But there are experimental programs in which you can take part and get a free chance at life extension. Back in 2013, Novosibirsk announced the creation of a cancer vaccine at the Research Institute of Clinical Immunology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The vaccine is created on the basis of biomaterial taken from a patient into which antigens of cancer cells are introduced, resulting in a substance with a directed effect against precisely those cancer cells that multiply in the body of a particular patient.

Immunotherapy is constantly being improved. Numerous studies are being conducted to understand why some patients respond to treatment better than others. They are developing variants of this treatment method for all types of cancer, increasing the effectiveness of already used methods, and combining different drugs. They strive to achieve minimal side effects and maximum duration of the resulting result: stopping the growth of malignant cells, reducing the tumor or even its disappearance. Cancer immunotherapy is the future!

They rank first in terms of frequency of occurrence among any category of the planet's population. To combat malignant neoplasms, methods are used, cytotoxic drugs and surgery are used.

But their use does not always allow for complete recovery. Therefore, scientists are looking for new ways to destroy cancer cells in the body, and one of them is immunotherapy, which is used quite widely in medical clinics.

Concept of the technique

Oncology is a young science that studies cancer, finds out the causes of their occurrence and establishes the features of the influence of anti-cancer techniques on the body.

Conducted research has made it possible to establish that the immune system plays a significant role in the development of atypical cells inside the body, that is, a decrease in its functioning.

Immunity performs a specific function, it destroys cells foreign to the human body, these include viruses, bacteria and those cells that change their structure under the influence of provoking factors.

If the immune system is weakened, then the development and growth of cancer cells is not blocked by anything.

Immunotherapy is a treatment whose methods are aimed at activating hidden protective resources, which makes it possible to stop the formation of a tumor and gradually destroy all atypical cells.

The formation of antitumor immunity is possible at any stage of cancer. In the first stages of malignant lesions, immunotherapy is chosen as an additional treatment method. In the final stages of cancer, increasing the protective forces can enhance the effectiveness and reduce the toxicity of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Immunotherapy is assessed as a promising method of fighting cancer; this technique has many advantages, these are:

  • No pronounced toxic effect on the body. The patient’s own cells are used to prepare the drugs, so there are practically no rejection reactions.
  • Compatibility with other methods of treating cancer.
  • Effective inhibition of further tumor growth.
  • Possibility of outpatient treatment.
  • Improving quality of life.
  • Significant prolongation without recurrence of some types of cancer.

Immunotherapy is mainly prescribed to patients from five to 60 years of age. The likelihood of recovery when drugs that act on the immune system are included in the treatment regimen increases to 70%.

Indications and contraindications

Immunotherapy is not used as an independent treatment. Stimulating the functioning of the immune system is possible at any stage of cancer development, but this method of anti-cancer treatment performs different tasks.

At an early stage, with the help of immunotherapy, it is possible to achieve stable remission or recovery; at a later stage, the patient’s general well-being is improved.

Immunotherapy is prescribed for the purpose of:

  • Obtaining or enhancing an antitumor effect in the body.
  • Reducing adverse reactions from the use of cytostatics and radiation exposure. By stimulating the immune system, the general toxic effect on the body is reduced, the antioxidant effect is enhanced, and immunosuppression and myelosuppression are eliminated.
  • Preventive prevention of cancer relapse and the development of other types of malignant tumors.
  • Treatment of infectious complications associated with cancer that occur under the influence of fungi, bacteria and viruses.

There are no absolute contraindications to immunotherapy. The type of this treatment is selected based on the type of tumor, the patient’s condition, and the presence of concomitant diseases.

Species

Immunotherapy of malignant tumors, depending on the mechanism of immunological action on the body, is divided into several types, these are:

  • Specific active immunotherapy. This method is based on stimulation of the formation of antigen-dependent T-cell cytotoxicity. This leads to the gradual destruction of only a specific subtype of tumor cells. The immunogenicity of atypical cells is increased by transfection of B7 genes or a number of cytokines directly into tumor cells. Specific immunotherapy provides high cure rates for prostate and breast cancer, melanoma, some types of brain tumors, and hematological lesions.
  • Nonspecific active immunotherapy aimed at activating antigen-independent cytotoxicity. This method of immunotherapy is most often used for certain types of malignant lung lesions, adenocarcinomas, bladder cancer, colorectal neoplasms, and renal cell cancer.
  • Combined active immunotherapy potentiates the antigen-dependent antitumor response of the immune system through the use of nonspecific types of immunostimulants and through additional stimulation of nonspecific components of the immune system.
  • Nonspecific passive Immunotherapy is based on the introduction into the body of the immunological factors it lacks - immune cells, cytokines, immunoglobulins. The introduction of these substances normalizes the functioning of the immune system or leads to the activation of antigen-independent cytotoxicity that affects the tumor itself. Recombinant beta, alpha and gamma interferons, TNF, agents containing lectins, IL-1, IL-2, IL-12 are used.
  • Adaptive Immunotherapy involves changing the ratio between tumor cells and lymphocytes, which are suppressed during the development of a malignant process. This is achieved by introducing separate subcellular fractions and xenogeneic lymphocytes.

Drugs that affect the activity of the immune system are mainly administered intravenously.

Sublingual immunotherapy is also becoming widespread; this method of treatment uses sublingual tablets or drops.

It is believed that dissolving the drug in the mucous membrane reduces the severity of the toxic effect on the body.

How is immunotherapy carried out for oncology?

Immunotherapy involves the introduction into the body of a patient with cancer of biological drugs that have antitumor activity. In the body, they strengthen the defenses, promote the production of substances that block nutrition and, accordingly, interrupt the growth of the tumor.

Biological products are selected and manufactured individually in each specific case. In some cases, it is necessary to obtain cancer cells from the neoplasm itself, and a drug is prepared on their basis.

Cell material is also collected from donors. The resulting material is processed and then injected or otherwise introduced into the body.

The medicine begins to work immediately, but the results of its use will only be visible after several months. All this time the patient must be under the supervision of doctors.

Immune drugs and their effectiveness

Clinics treating cancer patients mainly use the following groups of medications for immunotherapy:

  • Cytokines. This group of drugs serves to transmit information among immune cells.
  • Interleukins– inform about the formation of cancer cells.
  • Monoclonal antibodies perform two functions - they detect atypical cells and immediately destroy them.
  • Dendritic cells made by mixing cancer cells and blood cell precursors. This combination provides the created biomaterial with the property of destroying malignant tumors.
  • Gamma interferons– drugs whose mechanism of action is to destroy cancer cells.
  • T helper cells– a group of highly active immune bodies.
  • TIL cells- an artificial material created using neoplasm tissue. In a certain way, cells with cancer-killing functions are grown from these tissues.
  • Cancer vaccines are made from tumor antigens or from its malignant cells, which are deprived of the ability to reproduce. Vaccines increase the production of antibodies with antitumor activity.

Side effects

There is no pronounced toxic effect of immunotherapy drugs on the body. Only 30% of patients undergoing treatment experience weakness, periodic nausea, hypotension, inflammation of the mucous membranes and allergic reactions, which most often manifest as skin rashes.