What Are The Side Effects Of Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is a form of treatment that utilizes particular components and characteristics of a patient's immune system to treat diseases, including cancer. The human immune system is a group of specialized cells, organs, and substances that protect the body from harmful or foreign organisms and substances. In the last several decades, researchers have found the immune system can be manipulated in certain ways for the purpose of treating disease. There are several mechanisms used to accomplish this. Medications can stimulate the individual's immune system to work harder and smarter to find and attack cancerous cells more effectively. Some immunotherapy medications actually train the patient's immune system to detect and attack specific cancer cells. Other immunotherapy medications augment the immune system with man-made versions of immune substances. While immunotherapy has shown to be useful and effective for the treatment of some cancers, it does come with its own set of side effects that should be considered.

Nausea And Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of immunotherapy, impacting patients' well-being and overall experience. Nausea, characterized by a sick-to-the-stomach sensation, can occur with or without actual vomiting. Understanding the distinction between acute and delayed nausea and vomiting provides insights into managing these symptoms. Acute episodes typically occur shortly after treatment, while delayed symptoms persist for an extended period. Treatment anxiety can contribute to anticipatory nausea, emphasizing the importance of addressing psychological aspects of patient care. Additionally, waste products from the treatment's impact on cancer cells may induce nausea, highlighting the need for proactive medication strategies to alleviate these side effects.

Effective management of nausea and vomiting involves a comprehensive approach, combining pharmacological interventions with psychological support. Patients should be informed about available medications and encouraged to communicate openly with healthcare providers to tailor solutions to their individual needs.

Shortness Of Breath

Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, is a potential side effect of immunotherapy, particularly in patients receiving treatment for lung cancer. Immunotherapy intensifies immune system reactions not only against cancer cells but also towards healthy tissues, including lung tissues. This immune activation can manifest as pneumonitis, leading to inflammation in the lungs and compromising respiratory function. Symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and frequent shortness of breath may result from the inflammation-induced narrowing of airways and obstruction of air sacs. Recognizing the connection between immune activation and respiratory symptoms guides effective management strategies, ensuring optimal patient outcomes.

Managing shortness of breath necessitates a multidimensional approach, involving close monitoring of respiratory function, prompt intervention in case of symptoms, and collaboration between healthcare providers to tailor treatment plans. Educating patients about potential respiratory side effects empowers them to actively participate in their care.

Fatigue And Weakness

Fatigue and weakness are two of the most common side effects to manifest in individuals undergoing immunotherapy. This side effect is mainly the result of the stimulated immune system's effects on hormone release from glands. Commonly affected glands include the adrenal, thyroid, and pituitary glands. Because hormones play a significant role in metabolic processes that synthesize nutrients into energy, any disturbance that results from immunotherapy can cause the patient to feel exhaustion and weakness.

In addition, nausea and vomiting that may occur following immunotherapy treatment may lead to a reduction in the regular consumption of nutrient-rich food due to poor appetite. Without consuming enough nutritional value through diet, the affected individual will feel weak and fatigued frequently. There are few medications that can alleviate the fatigue and weakness that results from immunotherapy. Stimulants may help, but can only be used for a short period. However, a few different changes in an affected individual's lifestyle may help. These changes include taking short naps or rest breaks during the day, sleeping at least seven to eight hours a night, and avoiding consumption of caffeine.

Decreased Appetite

Decreased appetite is a common side effect seen in individuals being treated with immunotherapy. This can present as an individual who eats less than usual, feels full after eating a minimal amount of food, or just someone does not feel hungry at all. A decrease in appetite can be the result of digestive irritation caused by an overactive immune system attacking healthy tissues from immunotherapy. Associated nausea and vomiting can cause a patient to have a poor appetite. Fatigue caused by the effects of immunotherapy can also be a significant factor in the reduction of an individual's appetite.

Immunotherapy can have an inflammatory impact on an individual's bowels, causing them to experience constipation and diarrhea, which may also contribute to a poor appetite. If an individual is being treated for cancer located in their abdomen or nearby organs through the use of immunotherapy, irritation may occur at the site that causes swelling. Any swelling in the abdomen can push on the stomach or bowel, making a patient feel full quickly.

Fever

Fever is a side effect that can manifest in individuals undergoing treatment with immunotherapy. When a foreign body stimulates an individual's immune system like a virus, bacteria, parasite, or other pathogens, several immune processes are triggered in the body to fight it off. One of the mechanisms the immune system uses to try and fight off foreign invaders is by inducing the release of a hormone that tells the hypothalamus to raise the overall internal temperature of the body. The reason for this is because many pathogens are not able to grow and multiply in such high temperatures, while other pathogens cannot survive in them at all.

The same way foreign pathogens activate these defensive immune system processes, immunotherapy can also stimulate such processes. While high body temperature is typically not useful for the elimination of malignancy in an individual, it is a component in the group of immune processes as a whole that can help fight cancer. After the body gets used to the treatment, the patient may eventually no longer spike a fever. Everyday fever-reducing medications can be used to help mediate the symptoms a patient may be experiencing as a result of the fever.