Immunotherapy is a promising type of treatment for certain cancers. It is sometimes called biologic therapy, biotherapy, or biological response modifier therapy. These therapies use different parts of the body's immune system to fight cancer or to lessen the side effects of some cancer treatments.

Immunotherapies can work in several ways in cancer treatment. For instance, they may slow or stop the growth of cancer cells. Or they may help healthy cells, especially immune cells that control cancer. They may also help to repair or replace normal cells damaged by other cancer treatments.

There are different kinds of immunotherapy now in use. You may hear terms such as interferons, interleukins, cytokines, monoclonal antibodies, or tumor necrosis factor. If you are having immunotherapy, ask your doctor to explain what kind it is and how the medicine works. More than one kind may be used at different times or together. They may also be used with chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Some types of immunotherapy have been in use for years, but others are fairly new.

If you are not getting immunotherapy, you may want to ask your doctor or cancer care team if it is an option for your type of cancer. Many of these treatments are being studied today to learn how well they work and how safe they are. Your doctor or cancer care team will be able to tell you more about clinical trials using immunotherapy.

What the patient can do

• Go to every scheduled appointment.
• Ask questions. Your cancer care team will help you.
• Consider getting a second opinion before starting a new immunotherapy.
• Ask about expected side effects and what to do if you have any.
• Ask about when you should call your doctor.
• If you are having symptoms such as fatigue, see the related section and tell your doctor or nurse.

What caregivers can do

• Find out how to reach the doctor when his or her office is closed.
• Watch for confusion or dizziness that may not be noticed right away by the patient.
• Keep a list of questions to ask to the doctor or cancer care team. It may help to make notes of problems that the patient may forget.
• If the patient is fatigued, nauseated, or vomiting, see the related sections.

Call the doctor if the patient:

• Develops a fever (a temperature of 100.5° F or higher when taken by mouth)
• Has severe nausea and vomiting
• Gets dizzy or has trouble breathing
• Becomes confused or disoriented

Go back to Caring for the Patient with Cancer at Home: A Guide for Patients and Families.

Last Medical Review: 04/27/2009
Last Revised: 04/27/2009