Adrenal cancer treatment with immunotherapy

Doctors and scientists have known about the crucial role of the immune system in suppressing and fighting cancer for more than a century. Yet, the first attempts to cure cancer with the help of the immune system were made only in 1891, when Coley attempted to harden the immune system to cure bone cancer. Since then, oncologists got dozens of immune therapy methods to fight different types of cancer, including adrenal gland cancer. Doctors use various medications to activate patients’ native immune systems and improve their ability to detect, reach, and destroy cancerous cells. Today oncologists use dozens of medications for immunotherapy, including Pembrolizumab, Ipilimumab, Nivolumab, Avelumab, and many other drugs. Depending on their health condition, tumor stage, and cancer features, patients might get only one medication or a combination of different drugs. Immunotherapy drugs are often delivered via slow intravenous injections or droppers with a single treatment session of up to 1-2 hours. Patients often need to undergo a few courses of immunotherapy before they start to notice steady positive results. Also, immunotherapy might often become a part of combined treatment or adjuvant treatment that aims to prevent cancer relapses in the future.