View Providers
Anyone who gets a cancer diagnosis should ask their doctor about immunotherapy. It's one of the newest ways to treat cancer. So far, it can't treat all cancers. However, sometimes it's better than some of the older treatments. It also may have fewer side effects.
Here's a list of questions to ask your doctor:
Is there immunotherapy for my cancer?
Immunotherapy treats many types of cancer. Man-made antibodies are the most common type of cancer immunotherapy. These antibodies can treat white blood cell cancers, breast cancers, colon cancers, and head and neck cancers. Other types of cancer immunotherapy can treat melanoma, lung cancer, and bladder cancer.
Is there immunotherapy for my stage of cancer?
Immunotherapy might be able to treat your type of cancer, but it might not be able to treat your stage of cancer. For instance, it might be best only for an advanced stage of your cancer. That's the case with checkpoint inhibitors. They're a type of immunotherapy to treat melanoma and lung cancer. But, they are only good for advanced cancers that cannot be cured with surgery. Ask your doctor if immunotherapy can be used for your stage of cancer.
How would immunotherapy work for me?
If immunotherapy is an option for your type and stage of cancer, ask your doctor how it will help you, particularly when compared to other available treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The immune system is the body’s defense system. It fights germs very well, but it has a harder time finding and attacking cancer cells. Immunotherapy helps your immune system by stimulating it or giving it man-made proteins that can make it stronger and much more specific for cancer cells.
There are many different types of immunotherapy. Talk with your doctor about what type of immunotherapy could fight your cancer, and the most likely outcome or result to expect.
How would I get immunotherapy?
Methods vary from one type of immunotherapy to another. A common way is to get the immunotherapy directly into a vein. This is intravenous (IV) therapy. You can get IV treatment at a hospital, a clinic, your doctor’s office or at home. Some people get it daily; other people get it weekly or in cycles. Certain types of immunotherapy come in pill form. There is even a type that you rub on your skin—for early skin cancer.
What about side effects?
Learn what you can about side effects before you start treatment. Many types of immunotherapy have fewer side effects than older cancer treatments. Common side effects from immunotherapy include:
- Reactions around the injection site, such as swelling, itching, pain and a rash
-
Flu-like reactions, such as headache, fever, chills, weakness, dizziness, muscle aches, and nausea
-
Various other side effects. These range from weight gain or diarrhea to trouble breathing, low blood pressure, heart palpitations, sinus congestion, and an increased risk of infections.
Is a clinical trial an option?
Many of the newest types of immunotherapy are available only in a clinical trial. Ask your doctor whether there's a clinical trial that you might qualify for. You also can search the National Cancer Institute’s website for clinical trials near you or in other parts of the country. You may need your doctor’s help to narrow the results to specific types of drugs and trial phases. If you have an advanced type of cancer, a clinical trial may be a way to get the latest cancer immunotherapy. Not only might you benefit, but you can help others with cancer. If you do qualify, be sure to talk with your doctor about all the pros and cons.
