Immunotherapy is a treatment for cancer, your own immune system is helped to recognise and kill cancer cells itself. Immunotherapy is sometimes given on its own or alongside other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy.

Immunotherapy isnt suitable for all cancers and more research is continuing to further develop this type of treatment. 

Before starting immunotherapy treatment, your doctors will often recommend further tests to be performed on your cancer (often on the biopsy taken or the cancer removed during surgery). This can help understand if immunotherapy is likely to work.

There are a number of different types of Immunotherapy

  • monoclonal antibodies
  • checkpoint inhibitors
  • vaccines
  • cytokines
  • CAR-T cell therapy

You might want to ask your oncologist or specialist nurse

  • what your Immunotherapy is aiming to do?
  • how you can prepare for your Immunotherapy?
  • what side effects or complications could happen and what you should do about any side effects that you get?
  • how you will recover following Immunotherapy?
  • how long treatment will last?
  • whether you will need any extra help at home during this treatment?
  • how you will know whether treatment is working?
     

Videos

These videos have been filmed by our Oncology team.

  • Click here to watch a video with general information about immunotherapy
  • Click here to watch a video about how your oncology team can support you throughout your treatment
  • Click here to watch a video showing one of the Chemotherapy unit where immunotherapy is given here at South Tyneside and Sunderland Foundation Trust

CAR-T

CAR-T therapy (chimeric antigen receptor T Cell therapy) is an individualised treatment, aiming to reprogramme a persons immune system to target their cancer.

It is currently available only for specific haematological cancers, where it has been shown to work. The treatment is highly complex and involves several steps over a number of weeks.

Currently patients who are offered this treatment have had previous unsuccessful treatments for Acute Lymphoblastic leukaemia or diffuse large B cell lymphoma. A multi-disciplinary team (MDT) of professionals will determine if this treatment is likely to benefit you.

Patients from South Tyneside and Sunderland are referred to Newcastle where CAR-T therapy is given by an expert group of clinicians based at Freeman Hospital. After CAR-T your further care is provided by Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Click here for more information about CAR-T.

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