Immunotherapy treatment is now being used for treating certain forms of lung cancers. They have been found to be especially effective in treating non-small cell lung cancer (also called biologic therapy or biotherapy). This article discusses immunotherapy for lung cancer patients in detail.

How does immunotherapy for lung cancer work?

Your immunity protects you from outside infections. The immune cells within your body target and attack any foreign particle, such as viruses, bacteria, germs, and allergens, that enter your body.

However, the cancer cells can be challenging for the immune cells. Cancer cells look like healthy cells, can be rather difficult to detect, and they also grow very rapidly. Immunotherapy can boost your immune system so it can better identify and destroy cancer cells in your body.

Immunotherapy drugs side effects

All complex medications have side effects, and immunotherapy drugs are no different. Some of the most common side effects these drugs can cause include:

• Fatigue
• Constipation
• Itchiness
• Diarrhea
• Joint pain
• Skin rashes
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite

It is suggested that you update your doctor about any side effects you have when undergoing immunotherapy.

Lung cancer treatment options

Some of the most conventional lung cancer treatment options include radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery. However, since most lung cancers are diagnosed in the advanced stages, these treatment options rarely offer a complete cure. However, you can expect a significant improvement in your health and relief from the symptoms of the disease for a while.

US Food and Drug Administration approved immunotherapy in 2015. This treatment uses your own immune system to eliminate the cancer cells from your body. Immunotherapy is quickly becoming one of the chosen first-line therapies for lung cancer and is used along with other treatments like chemotherapy.

The types of immunotherapy for lung cancer immunotherapy treatments include:

• Atezolizumab (Tecentriq®): Approved for patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It can be combined with chemotherapy and used as a first-line treatment.
• Cemiplimab (Libtayo®): This is approved for a certain subgroup of patients facing advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
• Dostarlimab (Jemperli): It’s approved for certain subdivisions of patients who’ve got advanced lung cancer with a DNA mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR).
• Durvalumab (Imfinzi®): Approved for patients of stage 3 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who’ve finished chemoradiation. Also approved in combination with chemotherapy for patients having advanced small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
• Ipilimumab (Yervoy®): This therapy combined with nivolumab is approved as first-line therapy for patients with mesothelioma and advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The treatment is also approved for being used in combination with chemotherapy.
• Nivolumab (Opdivo®): It’s approved in combination with ipilimumab for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and mesothelioma. It can also be used with chemotherapy.
• Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®): This is approved as a first-line treatment for patients having advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The treatment is also approved for being used in combination with chemotherapy.

Success rates and life expectancy

Immunotherapy is a relatively new lung cancer treatment form, but the results are quite promising. In a study conducted on lung cancer patients, 45% of them showed significant improvement and reduction in their cancer cells after receiving the immunotherapy treatment. As per another study, the survival rate was around 70% within the next 12-month median among those who received immunotherapy treatment.

If you are looking for any expertise related to lung cancer treatment, please contact Chesapeake Oncology Hematology Associates. Our team of board-certified oncologists will assess your diagnosis and see if immunotherapy is right for you.

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