Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Immunotherapy is the process by which a patient’s immune system is made efficient to recognize and attack the cancer cells. That being said, it must also be mentioned that the immune system is perfectly capable of keeping itself from targeting the normal cells. How? The checkpoint proteins on the immune cells are like switches that are required to be turned on and off so that the immune system refrains from attacking them. The cancer cells apply the same trick to avoid getting attacked as well. Immunotherapy drugs, also known as checkpoint inhibitors, target these checkpoints to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer. 

PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors 

  • The PD-1 protein on specific immune cells is targeted by drugs such as Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab. Their role is to block the PD-1 protein in order to boost the immune response against cancer cells to shrink the tumor and slow down their growth. 
  • The PD-L1 protein is found on the surface of both tumor cells and immune cells. Atezolizumab is an immunotherapy drug that helps to block the PD-L1 protein action, which will help prevent cancer from growing or spreading. 

Note that both Pembrolizumab and Atezolizumab are effective with or without chemotherapy and can also be prescribed as the first treatment in patients who have been diagnosed with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. The same goes for Nivolumab as well, but it is prescribed along with the CTLA-4 inhibitor Ipilimumab. Not only that, but doctors also prescribe Nivolumab in combination with chemotherapy in some cases. 

All the above-mentioned drugs effectively treat certain types of metastatic NSCLC where cancer has relapsed after chemotherapy or drug therapies. For example, patients who have been diagnosed with Stage III non-small cell lung cancer and cannot go for chemotherapy with radiation or surgery can be given Pembrolizumab as the first-line treatment. 

Mention may be made of another drug in this context- Durvalumab, which can also target the PD-L1 proteins. It is prescribed for patients with Stage III NSCLC, where cancer cannot be removed by surgery and has not become worse after receiving chemoradiation. 

CTLA-4 inhibitors 

In this category, the immunotherapy drug called Ipilimumab deserves special mention. It is capable of boosting immunity response by blocking the CTLA-4 protein found on T cells. It is given along with the PD-1 inhibitor Nivolumab with or without chemotherapy. 

Conclusion 

All these drugs are useful in different scenarios. Therefore, proper laboratory tests are conducted on the cancer cells to determine whether they have a certain amount of PD-L1, CTLA-4, and PD-1 proteins. 

FAQs

What are the lungs?

The lungs specifically are a pair of organs that your body considers in order to breathe. They exist inside the chest. The lungs help in bringing the fresh oxygen into the body and push CO2 out of the body.

What is lung cancer?

In cancer, the body's cells basically grow in an uncontrolled way. Lung cancer begins in the lungs but may spread to other organs of the body. Lung cancer is often, but not always, caused due to smoking or exposure to the second hand smoke. 

What are the risk factors for lung cancer?

Some risk factors for lung cancer may include:

  • Smoking
  • Second-hand smoke
  • Exposure to the radon gas, a natural gas
  • Exposure to certain cancer-causing elements such as asbestos and arsenic
  • Family history of lung cancer

What are the symptoms of lung cancer?

Certain symptoms of lung cancer may include:

  • Persistent cough
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Coughing up blood
  • Chest pains
  • Shoulder/arm pain
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Hoarseness
  • Unexplained weight loss 
  • Changes in a chronic cough

A few individuals who have lung cancer may not have any signs and symptoms until the advanced stage disease. 

What are some of the types of lung cancer?

NOTE: The piece of information mentioned about "Immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer" in this article is just for informational purposes and is not served as a substitute for medical treatment, consultation, diagnosis of a qualified doctor.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Buy Trodelvy sacituzumab govitecan-hziy in India

  Trodelvy Overview: Trodelvy is widely prescribed by Oncologists for the treatment of patients with HR+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer, Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (mTNBC), and Metastatic Urothelial Cancer (mUC). It is considered a promising treatment option for those who are not ideal candidates for some conventional therapies. Developed by Immunomedics, Trodelvy 180 mg and Trodelvy 200 mg are two available commercial strengths. Worldwide, Trodelvy is promoted and facilitated by Gilead Sciences. Trodelvy is first approved on 22 April 2020. It is given by intravenous (IV) infusion by a health specialist. The medication received its (European Medicines Agency) EMA approval in October 2021. Trodelvy 180 mg and 200 mg injections are yet to be approved in India. The cost of Trodelvy in India usually depends on international factors. Buy Trodelvy from a Reliable Source: Many suppliers who are not authorized to handle or supply life-saving medicines such as Trodelvy found to b
Read more

What is Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer? What are the stages of NSCLC?

Image
NSCLC, the most common form of lung cancer. It occurs when the healthy cells in the lung change and start growing in an abnormal way, forming a specific mass addressed as tumor, lesion, or nodule. A tumor may develop anywhere in the lung and could be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor mainly is malignant, means, it has potential in order to spread to the rest part of the body. A benign tumor is the tumor that can grow but can not spread.  Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) occurs in the epithelial cells. Doctors can also describe this form of Cancer (NSCLC) based on the type of the epithelial cell where the cancer usually starts.  Adenocarcinoma starts in cells that produce mucus.  Squamous carcinoma basically developed in the cells that line the airways.  Large cell carcinoma usually begins in the cells other than the two types which are described above.  It’s necessary for healthcare providers to distinguish between lung cancer that begins in the squamous cells from lung cancer
Read more

Trodelvy: All about the drug

Image
Indication and Usage The medicine Trodelvy is a Trop-2-directed antibody and topoisomerase inhibitor conjugate drug, which is used in the treatment of adults suffering from locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast (mTNBC) cancer, HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer, and locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC). It is used when it is not possible to remove cancer with surgery. Trodelvy  comes in the form of single-dose vials in 180 mg for intravenous infusion. Dosage Its dosage is based on body weight, and the recommended dosage is 10 mg/kg administered intravenously once weekly on the first day and eighth day of a repeating 21-day cycle. Administration First infusion: The drug is infused in the body for 3 hours, and during the infusion, the patient is observed for any adverse reaction caused by the infusion. After 30 minutes of infusion, observation should be done again to check for any post-infusion reaction. Subsequent Infusion: If the drug is tolerated in t
Read more