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Immunotherapy
- Days In Hospital 1 days
- Outside Hospital Stay 21 days
- Success Rate 82%
Minimum Cost
$ 1500
Maximum Cost.
$ 3000
Overview of Immunotherapy in India
Immunotherapy ramps up the body’s own defenses to help fight off disease, especially cancer. There are a few different kinds out there, but at the end of the day, they all aim to boost the patient’s immune system. Sometimes doctors use immunotherapy alongside other treatments when dealing with aggressive cancers. Some patients see really good results—better recovery and a noticeable bump in quality of life.
Doctors use immunotherapy to tackle all sorts of cancers, even those that have spread from where they first started. But it’s not all smooth sailing. Some people run into side effects that mess with their daily routines, and these meds can harm healthy cells too, which just adds to the challenge. Often, immunotherapy works best when combined with other treatments, since it doesn’t always wipe out the disease by itself. It can help people live longer, though. Still, it’s not the right call for everyone—it really depends on how each person’s body responds.
What Is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that enhances a person's immune system so they can better defend themselves against cancer. The immune system is a collection of organs and cells that provide protection against any type of invader (virus, bacteria or even a cancer cell). Your immune system has immune cells that patrol your body and eliminate any invaders that may be harmful to you.
Unfortunately, cancer is very adept at hiding from the immune system, so although your immune system tries to protect you from the cancer cells, it does not always succeed.
With the help of immunotherapy, the immune system learns to locate and destroy more of the cancer cells and generate additional immune cells to fight against the cancer.
Some examples of the types of immunotherapy drugs used in treating cancer include:
- Checkpoint inhibitors
- Adoptive cell therapy (T-cell transfer therapy)
- Monoclonal antibodies
- Cancer vaccines
- Immune system modulators
Types of Immunotherapy:
Different types of immunotherapy are available and each is tailored to suit individual patients based upon their current health status and response to other treatments. The four most common categories of immunotherapy are as follows:
Checkpoint Inhibitors
When using this form of immunotherapy, certain drugs are used to block certain proteins located in the immune system that prevent the body from attacking and destroying cancerous cells.
Monoclonal Antibodies
In this form of treatment, a unique form of antibody or protein that has been developed is used to enhance the body's natural ability to defend itself against cancerous cells found within tumours.
Vaccines for Cancer
These vaccines work by specifically targeting cancerous cells and protecting against healthy cell damage or destruction, which can occur as a result of tumour formation.
Adoptive Cell Transfer
This method uses a form of immunotherapy whereby a patient's own healthy immune system cells are harvested and modified in order to attack the patient's tumour cells.
Cytokines
Cytokines are a specific type of immune system-strengthening agent that increases the body's production of immune response to allow the immune system to destroy and eliminate cancerous cells.
Oncolytic Virus Therapy
The treatment involves modifying specific viruses to help them infect and kill cancerous cells. The modified viruses are effective against different cancer types occurring in the body.
Immune Checkpoint Proteins
Immunotherapeutic agents that only act on the specific cancerous cells produced within the body, therefore minimising damage to surrounding healthy cells during the treatment of cancerous cells.
Procedure:
Immunotherapy is a relatively new type of treatment, and the following outlines the overall process for receiving immunotherapy treatment:
Evaluation of Patient: A medical assessment is performed on the patient, including information regarding their health status, medical history, and previous medical issues, in order to determine whether immunotherapy is appropriate for them.
Treatment Plan Development: The treatment plan is developed based on the individual patient's needs and whether or not they will receive immunotherapy in conjunction with other treatment types, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery.
Immunotherapy Selection: The type of immunotherapy that will be given is selected based on the specific type of cancer and other factors that are unique to the individual patient.
Immunotherapy Administration: Immunotherapy can be administered in a variety of ways, depending on the type of immunotherapy that is delivered, as follows:
Intravenous (IV) Infusion: Some immunotherapies are administered via intravenous infusion with the drug delivered directly into a vein.
Subcutaneous Injection Therapies: A few classes of immunotherapy medications are administered by Injection directly underneath the skin.
Oral Forms of Immunotherapy Medications: A few classes of Immunotherapy medications can be dispensed in the form of Pills and/or Capsules by a patient as prescribed by their physician.
There are four (4) categories of treatment for immunotherapy, as well as the particular treatment plan that may be used depending on what type(s) of disease exist within an individual:
- IV Infusion - this is the most frequently used method of providing medication to a patient via IV (intravenous) infusion directly into their vein and over time, usually over several-hour periods.
- Oral Medication - medication which is taken by mouth, either in the form of pills or capsules.
- Topical Treatments - Creams applied directly to the skin for the treatment of certain types of skin tumours.
- Injection - Medication being injected directly into the tumour or body where it is found.
Best Doctors in India
Cost of Immunotherapy in India
The cost of Immunotherapy in India is between 2100 USD-3000 USD. The specific immunotherapy used for the treatment can affect pricing. The addition of other treatments combined with immunotherapy can affect pricing as well.
Top Hospitals in India
Indications of Immunotherapy:
Some of the conditions in which immunotherapy treatment can be employed are given below:
Melanoma
Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Small Cell Lung Cancer
Kidney Cancer
Bladder Cancer
Head and Neck Cancer
Hodgkin Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Leukemia
Liver Cancer
Colorectal Cancer
Breast Cancer
Ovarian Cancer
Cervical Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Esophageal Cancer
Stomach (Gastric) Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer
Brain Tumors
Multiple Myeloma
Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Mesothelioma
Risk Factors:
Some potential risks and side effects of immunotherapy treatment may include:
Immune-Related Adverse Events - These are the unwanted side effects caused by the immune system attacking healthy normal tissues or organs, in addition to cancer cells. Examples of common side effects include skin rash, diarrhea, infections, or swollen lymph nodes.
Autoimmune Conditions - Patients diagnosed with whatever underlying disease affects their immune system may have a higher likelihood of developing adverse reactions or complications from immunotherapy.
Organ Dysfunction - Patients who already have a medical condition, such as kidney or liver failure, may be especially susceptible to organ injury from aggressive immunotherapy.
Age - Older individuals may experience severe side effects associated with immunotherapy.
Previous Treatments - Patients treated with chemotherapy or radiation therapy may be at an increased risk for specific side effects when immunotherapy is used in combination with those prior treatments.
Combined Drug Therapy - Immunotherapy may increase the risk of complications and side effects due to the possibility of drug-drug interactions with another medication that a patient may take concurrently with immunotherapy.
Hypersensitivity Reactions - Patient's Experience of hypersensitivity reactions (allergic reactions) may occur in response to administered immunotherapy. Previous treatment hypersensitivity history indicates an increased risk of experiencing an allergic reaction. The occurrence of hypersensitivity reactions may differ among individual patients.