Immunotherapy as a modern hope for advanced cancers
Immunotherapy has been heralded as one of the newest and most promising areas of treatment for cancer. It differs from chemotherapy in that rather than killing rapidly dividing cells directly, it helps to boost the body’s own immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. This is especially helpful in advanced cancer cases, where standard treatment may not offer rapid results.
Benefits of Immunotherapy (to name a few):
- Targeted Action: Immunotherapy helps to train your immune system to recognize cancer cells and specifically attack those cells without attacking many healthy cells.
- Durability of Response: In some advanced cancer patients, the response to the medication is sustained long after the medications have stopped.
- Better Tolerance: Patients usually experience fewer and less intense side effects compared to traditional chemotherapy.
- Access to New Treatments for Advanced Cases: Immunotherapy opened the door for patients who had limited treatment options prior to receiving immunotherapy.
What Is Immunotherapy and How It Works
Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses your immune system to help fight cancer. Our immune system defends us from infections and diseases, but it has to work incredibly hard to locate and attack cancer cells because they are good at hiding from the immune system or putting on “brakes” so that they can continue to grow and develop. Immunotherapy works by releasing those “brakes” and empowering the immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells.
How Immunotherapy Works
- Enhances immune response: it increases the activity of the immune cells against cancer.
- Unmasks cancer cells: it helps the immune system to “see” cancer cells that were hiding.
- Provides long-lived memory: in some cases, after immunotherapy treatment ends, the immune system will remember the cancer and continue fighting it.
Types of Immunotherapy Used in India
Here are the primary varieties of immunotherapy:
- Checkpoint Inhibitors – drugs that inhibit proteins that prevent the immune system from attacking cancerous cells.
- CAR-T cell therapy – alters a patient’s T-cells in vitro to increase the ability to target and kill cancer cells.
- Monoclonal antibodies – engineered proteins that can attach to certain targets on cancerous cells and tag them for attack by the immune system.
Who Can Benefit from Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy can be very helpful to patients with cancers that are either unresponsive to traditional treatment or have progressed to advanced cancer. There has been much research into immunotherapy in several cancers:
- Lung cancer, especially non-small cell lung cancer, where immunotherapy drugs may enable the immune system to fight the cancer cells.
- Melanoma, and among the first cancers where immunotherapy demonstrated long-term survival benefit.
- Kidney cancer, where checkpoint inhibitors have improved survival in advanced kidney cancers;
- Bladder cancers, for example in patients who are unfit for chemotherapy or surgery.
- Head and neck cancers, for disease recurrence after initial treatment with surgery or radiation therapy.
- Blood cancers, including the hematological malignancies of lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma where treatments such as CAR-T cells and monoclonal antibodies are having a transformative effect.
Overall, immunotherapy is generally offered to patients with advanced, recurrent, and treatment resistant cancers, providing hope where conventional therapy may struggle to demonstrate success.
Immunotherapy vs Chemotherapy: What’s the Difference?
How these therapies function:
Chemotherapy involves administering some forms of drugs that kill fast-growing cancer cells (that can also kill healthy cells).Immunotherapy works to strengthen or guide the immune system function to recognize and kill cancer cells.
Targeting:
Chemotherapy is not specific; it primarily targets cells that are dividing rapidly, whether they be cancer or healthy cells (hair, gut lining, bone marrow, etc.)Immunotherapy, on the other hand, is somewhat targeted in that it primarily trains the immune system’s own ability to kill targeted cells, namely cancer cells.
Side effects:
Most every form of chemotherapy involves some degree of hair loss, nausea, fatigue, and infections due to the damage to healthy cells.On the contrary, side effects of immunotherapy are generally immune-related, such as inflammation, skin rashes, or flu-like symptoms.
Effectiveness:
Chemotherapy may have efficacy with many cancers but can fail if the tumor becomes effectively resistant.Immunotherapy may actually provide long-term control, particularly with a few types of cancers, but will not help everyone.
Cost of Immunotherapy in Ahmedabad
This can range from 1 lakh to 5 lakhs for each cycle of immunotherapy in Ahmedabad with the average cost varying depending on factors including the drug, stage of cancer, and individual plan. Some advanced therapies are even more expensive. Consult your oncologist for a specific estimate related to your condition.
Ahmedabad has a growing expertise in immunotherapy treatment for cancer care. One of those specialists is Dr. Ekta Vala Chandarana, Medical Oncologist at Medisquare Superspeciality Hospital, who is recognized for advanced, personalized cancer treatment, including immunotherapy.
Some notable cancer centers in Ahmadabad that deliver immunotherapy are:
Medisquare Superspeciality Hospital – offers comprehensive oncology services by specialized oncologists.
GCRI (Gujarat Cancer & Research Institute) – one of the leading government institutes for advanced cancer care.
Apollo Hospitals, Ahmdabad – one of the well-known multispeciality hospitals and offers immunotherapy options.
Sterling Cancer Hospital – modern oncology treatments and clinical trials, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy.
Side Effects and Management
While immunotherapy is usually better tolerated compared with chemotherapy, it can still cause side effects due to the activation of your immune system. For example, common side effects include:
- Fatigue– Unusual tiredness or weakness
- Skin changes – Rash, itching, or redness
- Flu-like symptoms – Fever, chills, and muscle aches
- Digestive problems – Nausea, diarrhea, or not feeling hungry
- Inflammation – Rarely the immune system may attack a healthy organ such as the lungs, liver, thyroid, or intestines.
Management
- Doctor visits are frequent and include blood tests and scans to check for side effects.
- Mild side effects may be managed with medications including steroids, creams, and supportive medications.
- Severe side effects may require treatment to be paused or the use of immune-suppressing medications.
- Reporting any symptoms to a doctor early is important to allow for timely control and prevent complications.
How to Start Treatment
- Consult an Oncologist: see a cancer specialist who can evaluate if immunotherapy is suitable for your particular type and stage of cancer.
- Diagnostic Tests: biomarker tests (e.g. PD-L1, genetic mutations, or tumor profiling) may help see if you qualify for immunotherapy.
- Treatment Plan: Your oncologist will determine the drug type, dosage, and schedule based on your specific situation.
- Hospital Setting: Immunotherapy is most often provided in hospitals or cancer centres with monitoring capabilities.
- Ongoing Monitoring: After starting immunotherapy, regular check-ups, scans, and blood tests will be scheduled to assess how well your body is responding and to manage side effects.
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FAQs on Immunotherapy Treatment
Yes, immunotherapy is available in Ahmedabad at leading cancer hospitals and oncology centers. Drugs like pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab are commonly used for certain cancers. Some hospitals also participate in clinical trials, which makes newer options like CAR-T cell therapy and cancer vaccines accessible to eligible patients.
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The cost of immunotherapy in India varies widely depending on the drug, dosage, and hospital. On average, one cycle may cost from ₹80,000 to ₹2,50,000 or more. The overall expense depends on how many cycles you need, which can range from a few months to two years. Since the cost of immunotherapy can be significant, many patients explore insurance or government programs to help manage expenses.
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The success rate depends on the type of cancer and patient profile. For some cancers, such as non-small cell lung cancer and melanoma, immunotherapy has shown long-term survival benefits. However, not every patient responds. Doctors often use biomarker testing to check if immunotherapy is likely to work before starting treatment.
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Immunotherapy is generally better tolerated than chemotherapy, but it can still cause immune-related side effects, such as:
- Fatigue
- Skin rash and itching
- Diarrhea or colitis
- Thyroid and hormonal changes
- Rare organ inflammation (lungs, liver, heart)
Most side effects can be managed if identified early, so regular follow-ups are essential.
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Treatment duration varies from patient to patient. Some may receive immunotherapy for 6 months, while others continue up to 2 years if the cancer remains controlled and side effects are minimal. Doctors usually review progress every few cycles to decide how long treatment should continue.
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In some cancers, yes. For example, in certain lung cancers or melanoma, immunotherapy may be used as the main treatment. In other cases, it is combined with chemotherapy or targeted therapy for better results. Your oncologist will recommend the best plan depending on your cancer type and stage.
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Cancers that respond well to immunotherapy include:
- Non-small cell lung cancer
- Melanoma (skin cancer)
- Kidney cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Head and neck cancers
- Some gastrointestinal cancers
Ongoing research and clinical trials are expanding its use in other cancer types as well.
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Yes, many insurance policies now cover immunotherapy, though the level of coverage depends on the specific plan. Some policies may cover only certain drugs, while others may cover a portion of the treatment cost. Always confirm with your insurer before starting therapy.
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Immunotherapy boosts your immune system to attack cancer cells.
Targeted therapy works by blocking specific genes or proteins that cancer cells need to grow.
Both are modern anticancer therapies, and sometimes doctors use them together for better outcomes.
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Ahmedabad has several highly experienced oncologists offering immunotherapy. The “best” doctor is one who has expertise in advanced oncology treatments, stays updated with global guidelines, and helps you understand both treatment benefits and costs. You can consult a trusted oncologist like Dr Ekta Vala Chandarana from Ahmedabad to explore the right options for your case.
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