Immunotherapy

At the Episcopal Health Services (EHS) Cancer Center on the Rockaway Peninsula, we offer the latest immunotherapy options and a personalized approach based on your cancer diagnosis and response to treatment.

What is Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is an innovative cancer treatment that boosts or restores your immune system’s ability to identify and attack cancer cells. By enhancing immune function, immunotherapy offers a powerful and targeted treatment for various cancers.

How Does Immunotherapy Work?

Immunotherapy uses certain parts of your immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. This can be done in a couple of ways:

• Stimulating or boosting the natural defenses of your immune system so it works harder or smarter to find and attack cancer cells
• Making substances in a lab that are just like immune system components and using them to help restore or improve your immune system’s ability to find and attack cancer cells

What Are My Immunotherapy Options?

Common types of immunotherapy include:

• Checkpoint Inhibitors: These are drugs that release your immune system’s “brakes” so it can attack cancer
• CAR T-cell Therapy: This therapy reprograms your own cells to recognize and kill tumors
• Cytokine Therapy: This therapy uses proteins known as cytokines to activate your immune cells to attack cancer cells
• Monoclonal Antibodies: These are lab-created proteins that target cancer cells in different ways, such as blocking access to proteins that fuel their growth or destroying them with radioactive material
• Cancer Vaccines: These therapies stimulate your immune system to recognize and fight cancer cells
• Oncolytic Viruses: These are modified viruses that infect and destroy tumor cells
• Immunomodulators: These drugs enhance your body’s general immune response

How Is Immunotherapy Administered?

The EHS Comprehensive Cancer Center oncology team typically delivers immunotherapy through an intravenous (IV) infusion. Your treatment frequency and duration will depend on your cancer type and stage, the drug you receive, and your response to treatment.

Some immunotherapies are delivered in cycles, with rest periods between treatments to allow your body to recover and regenerate healthy cells.

Are There Immunotherapy Risks & Side Effects?

Although immunotherapy is generally well tolerated, you may experience side effects as your body responds to treatment, such as:

• Fatigue
• Skin rash or itching
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Inflammation of organs (such as lungs, liver, or intestines in rare cases)

The EHS Cancer Center oncology team will monitor you closely throughout treatment and manage any adverse effects to ensure the best possible outcomes for you.