NOIDA ROHIT SHARMA
56 year old female suffering from melanoma, a type of skin cancer, had lost hopes for life because her cancer couldn’t be treated to stop and go away. Her condition worsened when the cancer started spreading and was seen in more than one place in body.
Facing torture from pain and threat of death from cancer on daily basis, the patient took a fresh breath of life when the latest medical research based immunotherapy was activated in her treatment. Known to be practically untreatable till now, the cancer melanoma started fading.
The doctor in charge, Dr. Manish Singhal, working as Senior Medical Oncologist at Apollo Hospitals told during a press meeting that ‘ with rightful application of Immunotherapy , which is the latest development in cancer management worldwide, even terminally ill cancer patients can expect the unexpected. Because the therapy is very safe to use, many from deserving patient population can avail the benefits in shortest time possible
Explaining the operations part of the latest ground-breaking therapy , Dr. Manish Singhal tells that “ medical research in the study of cancer in human beings expects the human body to treat the cancer cells as foreign objects. This means like to any other foreign particle or bacteria our own immune system should be able to kill cancerous cells in order to keep us safe. It could not do that because of certain receptors which come in the way in between body immunity and cancer cells. But when immunotherapy is applied, the obstruction between immunity to fight cancer cells goes away and hence the body through its own naturally existing fighting tools can remove the cancerous cells.
He quotes a trial of more than 418 patients, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), 70% treated with the immunotherapy were alive after one year compared with 35% who received chemotherapy for Melanoma.
Another trial with 945 melanoma patients, published in NEJM, has shown tumor reduction of more than 70% using immunotherapy in combination.
Research data has shown now with Immunotherapy the rate of 2 year survival in terminally ill incurable cancer patients such as (Lung cancer, Head & Neck Cancers, Kidney cancers & Bladder Cancers) reaches around 20% as compared to practically 0% before making a whooping increase in survival of 2000 %.
He added “Immunotherapy can be a game changer in patients who have no existing treatment options, without worsening quality of life in those eligible for it.
The Ex-AIIMS doctor told that more than 7 lakh Indians die of cancer every year. Most of cancers are preventable with healthy eating, moderate physical activity, and quitting tobacco. Early detection of cancer can lead to survival rates of up to 90%.
"Newer therapies such as immunotherapy is a welcome move, however our efforts to prevent cancers and to detect them early should remain our prime focus says Dr Singhal in his concluding remarks.
