Immunotherapy for breast cancer: Fight cancer with your own body's power

When we think of cancer treatment, we immediately think of treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy, right? But did you know that in addition to these, there is a new, advanced treatment method that can use our own body's own defense system to fight cancer cells? That's what we call immunotherapy.

So, simply put, what is immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is a treatment that stimulates your body's own immune system , or 'wakes it up', to help it recognize, attack, and destroy breast cancer cells. It's like training your own defense forces to find and destroy hidden enemies (cancer cells).

Currently, doctors mainly use this treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, a type that is difficult to treat. It is also used for metastatic breast cancer . In addition, research is still ongoing on the benefits of immunotherapy for other types of breast cancer, such as HER2-positive and ER-positive.

How does this treatment work inside our bodies?

To understand this, let's take a small example. Imagine that our immune system is like the police in our country. The job of the police is to identify and catch bad people and thieves. Both healthy cells and cancer cells in our body have special proteins on their surfaces. We call these antigens .

But cancer cells are very cunning thieves. Some cancer cells, by changing the proteins on their surface, disguise themselves and show the immune system, the police, "I'm not bad, I'm one of yours." Then the police can't recognize this thief. Immunotherapy is here to thwart this cunning work.

This treatment can work in two main ways:

• Active Immunotherapies: This involves giving your own immune system special 'training'. The immune system is trained to recognize specific markers (antigens) found only on cancer cells and attack them only.
• Passive Immunotherapies: This involves injecting a special drug made in a lab into the body. This drug acts like a 'special forces' unit that comes to the aid of our immune system. The drug goes directly to the cancer cells and either unmasks them and exposes them.

What types of immunotherapy drugs are given for breast cancer?

There are currently two main types of immunotherapy drugs approved for breast cancer in the world.

1. Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®): This is the most commonly used drug. It is given especially for triple-negative breast cancer. This drug works by blocking a special protein that cancer cells use to hide themselves. This allows the immune system to more easily recognize and attack the cancer cells. Sometimes this drug is given before and after surgery to prevent the cancer from coming back.

2. Dostarlimab (Jemperli®): This drug is given to patients whose cancer has spread after other treatments and who have a special genetic marker (tumor marker) in their cancer cells.

How is this treatment given and for how long?

Immunotherapy drugs are given through a vein, like a saline solution, called an intravenous (IV) injection. This treatment is usually given every 3 to 6 weeks. Depending on your condition, this treatment may last from a few months to two years. Your doctor will decide on the schedule.

How successful is immunotherapy?

This treatment is still relatively new. However, research has shown that, especially for people with triple-negative breast cancer, immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy can improve survival times more than chemotherapy alone. This is really promising.

There are currently hundreds of clinical trials underway around the world. These are looking at whether immunotherapy can be used for other types of breast cancer, and whether existing treatments can be improved. Therefore, this treatment could become a very important weapon in the fight against cancer in the future.

What are the possible side effects?

As with any treatment, immunotherapy can cause side effects. However, this does not affect everyone the same. Some people may experience only minor discomfort, while others may not experience any side effects at all. Before starting treatment, it is very important to talk to your doctor about the possible side effects and be aware of them.

When should I see the doctor?

If you experience any of the serious side effects listed above, you should inform your doctor immediately . If even a minor side effect does not improve within a few days or becomes severe, tell your doctor. It is important to pay attention to any changes in your body during treatment and talk to your doctor about them.

Immunotherapy, breast cancer, cancer treatment, triple-negative breast cancer, pembrolizumab, keytruda, cancer medicine, immune system