Immunotherapy drugs help to improve the functioning capabilities of the body’s white blood cells and, like targeted cancer therapy, produce minimal side effects when compared to chemotherapy. And while the body will gradually adjust to the medication, increased white blood cell efficiency can cause a number of unwanted symptoms, including rashes, colon inflammation, diarrhea, pneumonia, an over- or under-functioning thyroid, or heightened blood glucose levels. Medical staff will consider the type of drug to be used depending on the form and stage of the cancer involved. Immunotherapy drugs are well suited for the treatment of a large number of cancers, including melanoma skin cancer, some forms of lymphoma, lung cancer, cancers of the head and neck, bowel cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, some types of breast cancer, stomach cancer that is resistant to chemotherapy and certain types of colon cancer.
Immunotherapy may be used in isolation or alongside other forms of cancer treatment, depending on the symptoms resulting from the disease. Statistics show that immunotherapy increases the 3-year survival rate among melanoma skin cancer patients from 5% to 42%, and the 5-year survival rate of lung cancer patients from 6% to 15% compared to chemotherapy.