Cancer immunotherapy has been used in medicine for decades. It is the fastest growing field in oncology and has made breakthroughs in the treatment of many cancers such as lung cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma, several types of lymphoma and leukemia. Immunotherapy is approved for the treatment of dozens of cancers and is considered first-line therapy for many of them. It is often more effective than traditional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, and in many cases can complement the standard regimen to improve outcomes. If advanced cancer treatments are not yet available in your country, you can undergo cancer immunotherapy in Germany.
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What is cancer immunotherapy and its benefits
Immunotherapy is a branch of oncology that involves damaging tumor tissue with immune system factors. Immunotherapy can be either passive or active. In the passive version, ready-made molecules attacking the tumor are injected into the body, while active immunotherapy stimulates the production of endogenous (internal) antitumor factors.
Immunotherapy has a lot of benefits. This type of treatment:
- Minimally toxic, better tolerated than chemotherapy and has fewer contraindications
- Compatible with other methods of cancer treatment, so it improves the results of cancer control
- Affects not just one single tumor, but the entire body, all metastases and cancer cells
- More effective than chemotherapy and targeted therapy in many types of cancer
Some immunotherapies are also convenient for the patient. Many drugs can be administered once every 2-4 weeks, which distinguishes it from chemotherapy, which requires long hospital stays and regular infusions of drugs over many hours.
Common types of immunotherapy
Historically, the first immunotherapy was the use of cytokines: interferons, interleukins and other molecules that trigger an immune response. Today, they are used less frequently than in the past, but are still applied in some cancers.
Checkpoint inhibitors or immune checkpoint inhibitors have become the most common method of immune treatment of cancer. Dozens of drugs of this pharmacological group are used in developed countries. They are used in most cancers, most often at the advanced stages, but they are sometimes also used for adjuvant (postoperative) therapy. These drugs block the key points of immunity: cytotoxic CTLA-4 and PD-1 antigen and its ligands (PD-L1 and PD-L2), thus reducing the ability of the tumor to evade the immune response.
Monoclonal antibodies are often used in lymphomas and some other tumors. These molecules target specific targets, so they can attack malignant cells. Sometimes radioactive substances or chemotherapeutic agents are attached to monoclonal antibodies to enhance the effect. Such antibodies are called conjugated antibodies.
Innovative types of immunotherapy
Leading immunotherapy clinics in Germany use new and promising immunotherapies, including those that are still being researched and have not been included in standard cancer treatment protocols.
CAR-T cell therapy has already made a breakthrough in the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Several drugs have been approved and dozens are being investigated, so the indications for this method are expected to expand significantly in the nearest future. CAR T-cell therapy involves taking a person’s own immune cells, modifying their genome, and returning them to the body. The modified cells attack the tumor, reduce its size, and sometimes they completely destroy all tumors in the body. The widespread use of this method has so far been limited by its high cost. Most immunotherapy clinics offer CAR T-cell therapy when other treatments have been tried and they no longer work.
In Germany, immunotherapy with cancer vaccines is increasingly being administered. Only two drugs have been approved for clinical use: for prostate cancer and melanoma. But dozens more drugs are being investigated. The new cancer vaccines can be used in addition to standard treatments or used when other ways of controlling a malignant tumor no longer work. Cancer vaccination can boost the anti-tumor immune response. Different types of vaccines are used in Germany, and the best effect is demonstrated by preparations based on the patient’s autologous dendritic cells.
Oncolytic viruses are another area of immunotherapy that is among the promising ones. These viruses attack the tumor. So far, only one drug has been approved for the treatment of melanoma, and many more are undergoing clinical trials. In Germany, oncolytic viruses are often used in addition to cancer vaccines.If you want to undergo cancer treatment abroad, visit Booking Health website. Here you can choose a clinic, find out the prices, and make an appointment for treatment on convenient dates. Booking Health employees will choose a specialized immunotherapy center for you and organize your trip. The price of services for you will be lower compared to direct contact to the clinic due to the exclusion of additional fees for foreign patients.