Southlake, TX, June16, 2017 — The concept behind immunotherapy is nothing new, but recent breakthroughs are starting to provide real hope that this treatment option may someday soon make cancer intervention less difficult for patients to endure while improving long-term outcomes.

“Immunotherapy research has taken major steps forward in the past few years,” says Dr. Gregory Echt, founder and lead surgeon at Southlake Oncology, a Choice Cancer Center. “Already available are treatments that are showing great promise in fighting lung cancer, melanoma and others. The hope is that someday soon, this option will be more widely available for the treatment of a diversity of cancers.”

Immunotherapy involves the use of specialized medications that are designed to enable the body’s own immune system to more readily target and eradicate cancer cells. Cancer cells have the ability to essentially fly under the immune system’s radar by triggering changes in the body that stop the system from recognizing these cells as harmful. Immunotherapy seeks to undo those changes so the immune system can perform its job.

“The advantage of immunotherapy lies in the immune system’s ability to readily distinguish healthy cells from diseased ones,” explains Dr. Echt. “In doing so, the immune system is better able to spare healthy cells from damage, which is a drawback found in common treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.”

Immunotherapy has been a strong focus of interest for researchers for more than a century. It has only been in recent years, however, that major progress has been made. Treatments currently available are showing great promise in application while helping patients avoid some of the side effects commonly associated with cancer interventions. Although not without their potential share of side effects, immunotherapy medications tend to pose much lower toxicity risks than chemotherapy and radiation.

Patients who are diagnosed with cancer are strongly urged to discuss all treatment options with their healthcare providers. The best treatment recommendations will depend on specifics unique to a patient’s case.

About Southlake Oncology
Southlake Oncology, located in the Southlake and Grapevine area is a community-focused oncology practice that delivers exceptional care to North Texas cancer patients with a variety of cancer diagnoses and blood disorders. Like the other Choice Cancer Care facilities, we are an independent treatment center that is physician-owned.