[[{"@type":["BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/how-immunotherapy-is-revolutionizing-cancer-care\/#BlogPosting","@context":{"@vocab":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","kg":"http:\/\/g.co\/kg"},"url":["https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/how-immunotherapy-is-revolutionizing-cancer-care\/","https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/how-immunotherapy-is-revolutionizing-cancer-care\/"],"publisher":[{"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/"}],"author":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/how-immunotherapy-is-revolutionizing-cancer-care\/#BlogPosting_author_Organization","name":"Regional Cancer Care Associates"}],"inLanguage":"en-US","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/how-immunotherapy-is-revolutionizing-cancer-care\/#BlogPosting_image_ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Cancer_Cell.jpg"}],"headline":"How Immunotherapy is Revolutionizing Cancer Care","dateModified":"2021-11-11T14:36:51+00:00","datePublished":"2018-11-28T07:55:56+00:00","description":"Over the past several years, immunotherapy has become one of the most effective treatment options for cancer. Visit the RCCA blog today to learn more about this innovative treatment.","articleBody":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNovember 28, 2018\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\nFor many years, there were only three ways to treat cancer: chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. But recently, a new form of cancer treatment has become increasingly popular. It\u2019s called immunotherapy, and doctors at RCCA believe it\u2019s transforming the practice of oncology and will continue to do so in the future.\nUnderstanding Immunotherapy\nMost patients with cancer receive chemotherapy, a treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Immunotherapy, on the other hand, doesn\u2019t target the cancer directly. Instead, it harnesses the power of a person\u2019s immune system to fight back against the cancer. Normally, cancer cells are smart and know how to hide from our immune system. But through immunotherapy treatments, the immune system learns how to identify cancer cells and kill them.\nIn some cases, immunotherapy is even more effective than chemotherapy. And while chemotherapy is very effective in its own right, it can also have problematic side effects. According to Mount Holly, NJ oncologist Dr. James Lee, chemotherapy ultimately kills cancer cells and healthy cells. \u201cAs a result,\u201d he explains, \u201cthis causes a lot of the side effects seen with chemo, such as low blood counts, nausea and vomiting, hair loss and an increased risk of infection.\u201d In contrast, immunotherapy tends to elicit milder, short-term flu-like symptoms.\nImmunotherapy Offers Hope to Patients\nFor those who are eligible for immunotherapy, it opens up the door for more treatment options, including more clinical trials. The cancer types that respond best to immunotherapy are lung cancer, metastatic melanoma, metastatic kidney cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma and cancers of the head and neck. However, only your oncologist can determine which form of treatment is most appropriate for your needs.\n\u201cHere in Mount Holly,\u201d says Dr. Lee, \u201cI have patients on immunotherapy who have achieved continuous control of their cancer for two years or longer. Not everybody responds to this type of treatment, but for those who do, the results can be quite impressive.\u201d\nThe first immunotherapy treatment, or checkpoint inhibitor, was approved by the FDA in 2011. Since then, many other kinds have also been approved for patient use, and Dr. Lee expects even more to come in the future.\nFrom highly advanced technology to cutting-edge treatments, RCCA remains at the forefront of cancer care innovation.\nwe are here for you\nFor more information or to schedule an appointment, call 844-346-7222. You can also schedule an appointment by calling the RCCA location nearest you.\nRELATED ARTICLES\nRegional Cancer Care Associates is one of fewer than 200 medical practices in the country selected to participate in the Oncology Care Model (OCM); a recent Medicare initiative aimed at improving care coordination and access to and quality of care for Medicare beneficiaries undergoing chemotherapy treatment.\n\u00a9 2022 Regional Cancer Care Associates. All rights reserved.","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/how-immunotherapy-is-revolutionizing-cancer-care\/"},{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"LocalBusiness","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","streetAddress":"Corporate Office 25 Main Street, Suite 601","postalCode":"07601","addressRegion":"NJ","addressLocality":"Hackensack","addressCountry":"USA","name":"Postal Address","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/#PostalAddress"},"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"1024","height":"468","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/themes\/rccah\/dist\/images\/RCCA_logo.jpg"},"contactPoint":[{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactOption":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#ContactPointOption","availableLanguage":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English_language","areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey"],"contactType":"customer support","telephone":"+1 (844) 346-7222","email":"info@regionalcancercare.org","description":"Corporate Office Regional Cancer Care Associates 25 Main Street, Suite 601 Hackensack, NJ 07601 info@regionalcancercare.org Phone: (844) 346-7222","name":"Contact Corporate Office","image":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/RCCA_logo-300x137.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#CorporateOffice"},{"@type":"ContactPoint","contactOption":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#ContactPointOption","availableLanguage":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/English_language","areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey"],"contactType":"customer support","telephone":"+1 (201) 510-0922","email":"msalvemini@regionalcancercare.org","description":"Media Inquiries: Mary Lou Salvemini Regional Cancer Care Associates Phone: (201) 510-0922 Email: msalvemini@regionalcancercare.org","name":"Contact Media Inquiries","image":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/RCCA_logo-300x137.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/contact\/#MediaInquiries"}],"areaServed":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hackensack,_New_Jersey","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/New_Jersey"],"additionalType":"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Treatment_of_cancer","alternateName":"RCCA","description":"Leaders in Advanced Compassionate Cancer Care. Fight cancer with leading-edge treatments, experienced skill and local caring\/convenience from one of the nation's largest networks of cancer specialists.","email":"info@regionalcancercare.org","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/","url":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/twitter.com\/rgnlcancercare","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/regionalcancercareassoc","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/10059183","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCFlVzU4UvZcyXBCe9ZSvAUQ"],"telephone":"+1 (844) 346-7222","name":"Regional Cancer Care Associates","@id":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/"}],{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How Immunotherapy is Revolutionizing Cancer Care","item":"https:\/\/www.regionalcancercare.org\/news\/how-immunotherapy-is-revolutionizing-cancer-care\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]