effectiveness & cost of immunotherapy

Effectiveness and Cost of Immunotherapy and What this Means for Cancer PatientsIs immunotherapy effective? Many people ask. Cancer patients are particularly having a growing interest in understanding how immunotherapy works (if it works), the potential cost, its effectiveness and how they can benefit from the breakthrough treatment for cancer. If these are some of your questions too, then you’ve come to the right place. This article treats these concerns in detail as a one-stop point for addressing your concerns about the effectiveness and cost of immunotherapy.

How Effective is Immunotherapy?Immunotherapy has been quite effective against several types of cancer. The effectiveness varies depending on many factors and according to the current statistics, only about 25% of cancer patients who go through immunotherapy get the results they hoped for. This percentage is probably lower than expected but many patients have received a second chance at life because of immunotherapy. Its unpredictability makes the experts handicapped in some areas of the treatment method but many times, many cancer patients have called immunotherapy the miracle they prayed for.Immunotherapy is effective against head and neck cancer, breast cancer, kidney cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer, lymphoma, leukaemia, skin cancer, cervical cancer, and prostate cancer. The different types of immunotherapy available to treat these types of cancers are explained below.1.Cancer VaccinesCancer vaccines have long been effective in preventing the onset of cancer in people. What these vaccines primarily do is to confer protection against certain diseases that can cause cancer. An example of this is Hepatitis B vaccine which helps prevent Hepatitis B, a disease that can lead to cancer.2.Oncolytic VirusOncolytic virus treatment is done by modifying viruses which are enabled to find and kill cancer cells in the body of a patient. This treatment has been found effective against many different types of cancer.

ImmunomodulatorsWhat immunomodulators do is to alter a person’s biological response by empoweringtheir immune system. The altered immune system is given just one job: to locate and destroy cancer cells. Two good examples of immunomodulators are immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and interleukins.4.Adoptive Cell TherapyIn adoptive cell therapy, the immune cells are removed, modified or empowered to be able to recognize and destroy cancerous cells, and then reintroduced to a person’s body. An example of this is the CAR T cell therapy.These different cancer treatment methods are effective against the disease, although some factors come into play which must be considered when it comes to how effective immunotherapy is for a patient.Factors Affecting Effectiveness of ImmunotherapyIf immunotherapy is not effective, there’s usually a reason. Two main things that must be considered here are:1.The type of cancer and its immunogenicity2.The stage of the cancer1.The type of cancer and its immunogenicity.

The type of cancer in question has a lot to do with how effective the immunotherapy care is. Some cancers are more responsive to immunotherapy than others and this is coupled with the immunogenicity of the cancer cells. On this basis, effectiveness can be higher or lower.2.The stage of the cancerThe stage that the cancer is in also has an impact on how well the disease will respond to treatment. Advanced cancers may or may not be treatable with immunotherapy.These factors and many more complexities when it comes to the immune system and immunotherapy define how effective the treatment is.Cost Implications of ImmunotherapyBy now, it’s no longer news that healthcare has become very expensive. Anything short of basic health care is priced highly, and immunotherapy is not any different.Currently, immunotherapy is going for about$100,000 per patient and this is an impossible price to pay for most patients. Sometimes, the price goes higher than this, especially when the doctors use combination therapy for the patient. Despite several debates about this topic, the cost of immunotherapy continues to rise and this is a sad thing.Is Immunotherapy worth it?Whether immunotherapy is overall worth it is a conclusion that only the patient and their loved one can make. The question of if immunotherapy works has been answered: it works

Depending on the type of cancer and the stage of the cancer, along with the specificity of the patient’s bodily function, immunotherapy can be the breakthrough for a cancer patient.BottomlineCancer is a disease that is currently ravaging the world and shortening the lives of many people. The impact of immunotherapy on the disease has been huge and doubtlessly brought relief to many patients. However, it is not a one size fits all kind of treatment. Depending on many factors ranging from the type of cancer to the patient’s immune system, immunotherapy can be very effective