5 Questions to ask your doctor before opting for Immunotherapy!

• The immunotherapy treatment does not affect or destroy the normal cells during the treatment. It is one of the safest modes of cancer treatment.
• Immunotherapy cancer treatment is available for all four stages of different types of cancer and has shown brilliant results for advanced stage patients. It is also known to be a more affordable mode of treatment as compared to others.
• Clinical studies on long-term overall survival have shown that the beneficial responses to cancer immunotherapy treatment are durable - that is, they can be maintained even after treatment is completed.
• The success rate is high with limited or no side effects. There are normally no side effects of immunotherapy. However, if there are any side effects close monitoring, early recognition and prompt therapy can help control the minor side effects.
• Chemotherapy and radiation not only kill the cancer cells but also harm the healthy ones causing side effects such as increased bleeding, loss of appetite, vomiting and hair loss. In contrast, immunotherapy treatment are tolerated much better.

Questions to ask your oncologist about immunotherapy:-

Cancer hospitals and centres are involved in treating a number of patients but it is important for you to remain an active member of your healthcare team and ask questions to understand the information. You may need a lot of tests and procedures and you might feel that the amount of information is overwhelming and not clear to you. So don’t be embarrassed or afraid to ask for what exactly you need/expect from your team. It is important to be involved in and be vocal in the decisions that affect you.

Cancer Healer Center has listed a few important questions you can ask the healthcare team about immunotherapy. Ask questions which are both based on your individual conditions and other experiences. Here are some of the questions patients commonly ask about cancer. Have a look!

What are the benefits and risks of immunotherapy?

You can ask the doctor about both the risks and benefits. You can elaborate on the short-term and long-term side effects of these treatments. And if there are any, how long will they last?

How is immunotherapy given? How often? Over what period of time?

The doctor can explain how the process takes place. However, how long and how often you receive immunotherapy depends on the type of cancer and how advanced it is, the type of immunotherapy you get and how the body reacts to the treatment.

What are the chances it will be successful? When will we know?

The doctor can tell the approximate chances of success based on an individual condition. You will see your doctor often. He or she will give you physical exams and ask you how you feel. You will have medical tests, such as blood tests and different types of scans which will measure the size of your tumour and look for changes in your blood work.

Where is immunotherapy given?

You may receive immunotherapy in a doctor’s office, clinic, or outpatient unit in a hospital. Outpatient means you do not spend the night in the hospital. This depends on a doctor to doctor, hence, it is better to ask.

How is better from the traditional modes of cancer treatment?

You can ask your doctor how immunotherapy is better than the traditional modes of cancer treatment such as radiation therapy, surgery, and chemotherapy. He or she can explain in detail the process of immunology cancer treatment in detail and tell how it is beneficial in your individual case.

How does Immunotherapy Work?

The best hospitals for cancer says that drugs approved to treat cancer activates the killer T-cells, the white blood cells which are your immune system’s version of soldiers. As the tumours starts as normal cells before they turn cancerous, the immune system does not realize that they are the ones causing trouble. If it did, it will take action and stop them. The new drugs help the body spot and fight cancer cells better. Known as checkpoint inhibitors, they flip molecular switches on the surface of the immune cells and unlock the brakes of the immune system boosting your immune system’s response to cancer cells.

Immunotherapy has been a leading center for immunotherapy for cancer treatment in India and has been successful in treating thousands of patients till date. The cancer treatment clinic aims for a long and healthy future of all its patients and has a comprehensive treatment providing a lot of external stimuli in terms of counselling along with psychological and behavioural support and good diets.