What Are the Most Important and Top Benefits of Using Immunotherapy by Dr. Kanury Rao

In the last few years, immunotherapy has come up as an effective and the most preferred treatment option. Speaking about the treatment options available for cancer, immunotherapy offers countless benefits that can be availed by a patient. According to Dr. Kanury Rao, immunotherapy is one of the treatment options that can multiply the remission chances and make their life better. Do you know how it helps? Immunotherapy is all about training the immune system of the body so that it can know the malignant cells so that it can easily deal with cancer-causing cells.

Immunotherapy comes with several benefits. To find out more about the same, continue reading the pointers discussed below.

• Immunotherapy targets the mutated cells in the body.

The basic approach of immunotherapy outlines the promising yet scientific development that indicates that every cancer type is unique in its own way. When an oncologist activates the immune system of a patient to handle cancer cells, they mainly take the precise mutation into account. Please note that these mutations are different from one patient to another.

Thankfully, some advanced versions of immunotherapy i.e. anti-cancer vaccines are there that allow these professionals to utilize the samples from the tumor. This will provide them with more detailed insights about the immune responses that are targeting the cancerous cells without affecting the body’s healthy cells that are available around the tumor.

• Immunotherapy is an effective option for cancer stem cells.

As per Kanury Rao, not every cancer cell that causes tumors is the same. A tumor cell contains different functions. Additionally, they respond differently when different treatments are applied. For instance, a cancer stem cell is specifically essential when it comes to preventing the recurrence of cancer. Since these cells contain the beginning point for the formation of new malignant tumors, they are called stem cells.

It is believed that these stem cells are quite resistant to a standard chemotherapy course. This means the chances of survival are higher when the treatment is successful. However, if there is only one live stem cell, it can convert into new tumors. According to ongoing clinical studies, immunotherapy provides the best and most effective outcomes so that long-term benefits can be achieved.

• Immunotherapy provides patients with enhanced curing chances.

It is said that a cancer cell that survives specific treatment protocols may advance resistance. In this case, when you undergo the same treatment again and again, you will gain zero benefits. In addition to this, you may also come across certain side effects that might be severe.

This is where you can go for a new treatment approach and strategy that can multiply the chances of success. Yes, we are talking about the immunotherapy. Opting for this new treatment approach, it can drastically reduce the possibility of surviving cancer cells that were not gone after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Anyone with the resistant cell mutations can go for the immunotherapy as it can provide patients with real chances of extending life.

• Immunotherapy promotes the responses of the immune system of the entire body.

The main principle behind this holistic treatment method i.e. immunotherapy is that it utilizes the existing tools of the body to fight against mutated or cancer-causing cells. Yes, it is all about boosting the natural ability of the body i.e. the immune system with the natural killer T cells and lymphocytes – Dr. Kanury Rao.

This is because good (immune) cells travel all across the body via the lymphatic system or bloodstream. It is the mechanism that saves patients dealing with metastasizing cancers wherein tumors spread to different organs. A strong immune system can respond well to the whole body without damaging it or affecting organs around it. Simply put, immunotherapy does not affect you the way radiation or chemotherapy does

• Immunotherapy comes with a few side effects.

Patients diagnosed with any type of cancer typically fear the associated side effects of the ongoing treatment. Even though chemotherapy is counted among the most trusted treatments as it has saved so many times, it is sometimes accompanied by some serious side effects. These include baldness, excessive weight loss, nausea, and so on.

Before you opt for any treatment, you must know that any treatment whether it is for cancer or seasonal cold, can cause some sort of side effects to the body. So, you should discuss everything with your oncologist before considering anything. By consulting with an experienced immunologist, you can also learn about the pros and cons associated with the immunotherapy treatment.

In a nutshell

If you think that immunotherapy does not have any side effects, then you are wrong. We are saying this because this is a treatment approach and it can have some adverse effects on some patients – Kanury Rao. Yes, immunotherapy is particularly effective when it comes to preventing healthy cells that are available around the cancer or tumor cells.