When a diagnosis of stage 4 cancer is given, it often feels like a death sentence. But in recent times, immunotherapy has emerged as a potential beacon of hope. So how does it save the lives of patients?

Benefits of immunotherapy compared to other treatments

Potential for Long-Term Remission: Some patients experience durable responses, meaning their cancer may remain in remission for extended periods after treatment.

Reduced Side Effects: Many patients tolerate immunotherapy better than chemotherapy, experiencing milder side effects, leading to improved quality of life during treatment.

Personalized Treatment: Immunotherapy can be tailored based on the tumor’s genetic makeup, allowing for more targeted and effective treatment strategies.

Who Is Eligible for Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy has shown remarkable success in treating advanced cases of cancers like lung cancer, melanoma, advanced bladder, and kidney cancer, amongst others. It's important to note that the list of cancers treatable with immunotherapy continues to grow as more drugs undergo clinical trials.

Eligibility for immunotherapy varies based on several factors, including the type and stage of lung cancer. Physicians often use biomarker testing, such as examining PD-L1 expression levels, to determine if a patient is a suitable candidate. Those with advanced lung cancer or specific genetic markers may benefit most from immunotherapy.

Lung Cancer Life Expectancy With Immunotherapy

This must be everyone's biggest concern! In a study led by UCLA investigators, treatment with the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab helped more than 15% of people with advanced non-small cell lung cancer live for at least five years, and 25% of patients whose tumor cells had a specific protein lived at least that long.

When the study began in 2012, the average five-year survival rate was just 5.5% for people with that type of cancer.

Patient Stories: Real-Life Impact

For Bob Carlson, 71, the standard treatment for his stage 4 lung cancer was almost worse than the disease itself. The 16 months of chemotherapy made him so sick he almost didn’t want to live. A search for better options eventually led him to Dr. Roy Herbst at Yale Cancer Center, who was conducting a clinical trial of a new immunotherapy drug called MPDL3280A. This drug, made by the biotech company Genentech, belongs to a class of immunotherapy drugs called checkpoint inhibitors; by “taking the brakes off” the immune system, the drug enables a more powerful attack against cancer.

Bob started the immunotherapy trial in August 2013, and continues to do well today. The FDA has now approved the drug that was part of Bob’s trial. Bob and his wife Julia hope that the funding for research continues and that the efforts to share important research advances accelerate so that new treatments are available to more patients sooner.

Conclusion: Immunotherapy Offers New Hope for Extending Life

Immunotherapy represents a significant advancement in the fight against lung cancer, offering new treatment avenues for patients. If you or a loved one is facing a lung cancer diagnosis, consult with healthcare providers about the potential of immunotherapy as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.