Blood cancer—the very words evoke images of doom and inevitable death for most of us. While blood cancers present certain greater challenges than solid tumours, oncologists point out that significant treatment advances have occurred in recent years and blood cancer is far more treatable today.
“Today, blood cancer does not mean the end of the world. Many cases are very treatable, and patients have high chances of survival,” says Dr Preethi Ashok, Consultant- Medical Oncologist at Kauvery Hospital, Chennai. In particular, says Dr Preethi, the significant advances made in targeted immunotherapy have greatly improved treatment outcomes for patients.
Blood cancer is a common term that refers to a group of cancers involving abnormal or excessive growth of the blood cells or bone marrow. The most common types of blood cancer are leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
Leukemia is a cancer involving overproduction of white blood cells. Leukemia typically originates in the bone marrow, affecting the cells that become different kinds of blood cells. Leukemia is usually divided into different types based on which cells it affects and the rate at which it grows.
Lymphoma is a cancer affecting the lymphatic system, which is a key part of the immune system and helps to destroy infection-causing organisms like bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. In lymphoma, infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes begin to grow out of control. There are two main types of lymphoma called Hodgkins and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, which are white blood cells that produce antibodies to fight against infections. As cancerous cells replace healthy plasma cells, the body’s immune system is affected, leaving the body unable to fight off infections.
According to research, India accounts for the third-highest number of blood cancer cases in the world, accounting for 8.5% of the estimated global number of cases in 2020.
Unlike solid tumours, blood cancers involve cell materials circulating through the body. This means that surgery is not an option unlike many other cancers. Chemotherapy, on the other hand, creates side effects that can be difficult for patients to manage, says Dr Preethi.
Immunotherapy offers ways to overcome these difficulties by providing more targeted and long-lasting treatment impacts with less side effects. “Immunotherapy is a process of boosting the body’s own immune system to better fight cancer cells,” says Dr Preethi. This is done by helping the immune system adapt in different ways, using:
a) Immune checkpoint inhibitors to remove constraints on the body’s immune cells so that they can respond more strongly to cancer.
b) T-cell transfer therapy, involving extracting specific immune cells that are better at recognising cancer cells, multiplying them in the lab and then injecting them back into the body to better fight the cancer.
c) Monoclonal antibodies, laboratory-produced protein molecules that help to identify and mark cancer cells for targeting by the immune system.
d) Treatment vaccines to boost the immune system’s ability to identify and fight antigens associated with cancer cells.
e) Immune system modulators to boost particular elements of the immune system.
“The major advantage of immunotherapy is that it is less toxic to the body and therefore produces less side effects than chemotherapy or radiation therapy,” says Dr Preethi. Another major benefit of immunotherapy is that the immune system retains memory of the adaptive response to the cancer, ensuring that the body is able to fight off the cancer if it returns. “Immunotherapy results in much higher rates of remission,” explains Dr Preethi.
Depending on the type of cancer and its progression, she adds, doctors may use immunotherapy on its own or in combination with chemotherapy to provide more long lasting results.
When it comes to cancer treatment, outcomes significantly improve when treatment is highly targeted and tailored to each patient, explains Dr Preethi. This is why it is important to consult with a state of the centre such as the Kauvery Cancer Centre, which offers the necessary expertise and technologies for a wide range of cutting-edge cancer treatments.
This ensures that each cancer is diagnosed and treated using a multi-disciplinary approach involving experts such as haemato-oncologists, pathologists specialising in oncology, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and surgical oncologists in order to determine the best course for each specific case. Further, the Kauvery Cancer Centre also offers advanced treatment procedures such as intrathecal chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants and so on. A holistic approach also involves providing the necessary psychological support throughout treatment and appropriate rehabilitation following the end of treatment so that patients are able to return to their lives healthfully.
“Today, cancer is not a death sentence. With early detection and customised treatment, patients can look forward to significant chances of recovery,” says Dr Preethi.
This article was published in association with Kauvery Hospital.