About one in eight (12.5%) U.S. men will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis at least once. That makes it one of the most common types of male cancer; indeed, it’s second only to skin cancer. In addition, over half of the patients are at least 65 years old.
Fortunately, not all prostate cancer cases result in death. Cellular immunotherapy, for starters, gives patients renewed hope to conquer the disease.
But what is cellular immunotherapy? What role does it play in prostate cancer treatment?
Read on to learn more about this treatment below.
What Is Cellular Immunotherapy?
Cellular immunotherapy is a treatment that relies on the immune system’s cells. It also goes by the name adoptive cell therapy. Either way, it aims to eliminate diseases, such as cancer, using a patient’s immune cells.
How Does It Help Treat Prostate Cancer?
In men with prostate cancer, the immune system produces killer T cells. These are particularly potent against cancer, as they bind to antigens. Antigens, in turn, are markers found on the surfaces of cancer cells.
Cellular immunotherapy enhances the immune system’s ability to recognize and remove diseased cells.
What Are Its End Benefits?
As prostate cancer treatments, cellular immunotherapies may help boost the survival of patients. It may especially be beneficial for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Metastatic means that cancer has already spread to other parts of the body.
What About Risks or Complications?
Immunotherapy is generally safe but may cause fatigue or bone or muscle pain. Some people may also get headaches, diarrhea, appetite loss, or mouth sores. Others might develop fevers, chills, and other flu-like symptoms.
What Types Are Available?
One form of immunotherapy involves isolating and expanding the number of T cells. Once lots of these T cells become active, doctors infuse them into the patients. This treatment is what healthcare experts call tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.
Other approaches involve genetically engineering a patient’s immune cells. After that, doctors return the modified cells to their prostate cancer patients. The engineered cells then target and kill prostate cancer cells.
One example is Provenge treatment, according to https://www.northgeorgiaurologycenter.com/services/provenge-treatment/. In this case, a doctor harvests a patient’s immune cells and then exposes them to a protein. The protein, in turn, stimulates the engineered cells to fight prostate cancer.
Another example is the immunotherapy known as engineered T cell receptor (TCR) therapy. It’s much like TIL therapy since doctors harvest a patient’s T cells.
The chief difference is that with TCR therapy, doctors equip the T cells with a new receptor. This addition allows them to hunt down specific cancer antigens.
Consider Cellular Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer
If you or a loved one has prostate cancer, consider cellular immunotherapy as one of your options. However, note that not everyone is a good candidate. Thus, it’s best to see an oncologist specializing in this treatment first.
The sooner you do, the sooner you can get the disease checked and treated.
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