Peeran Sandhu on Immunotherapy - From Gilroy to Everywhere Else

Cancer remains one of the most dangerous diseases that has been on a rampage for as long as one can recall. Although there are many cures that have been created by using the far-reaching offsprings of modernized technology, there are countless variations of the conditions that remain incurable. Based on a set of data from 2010 to 2012, statisticians claim that 39.6 percent of all men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their life. Such a terrifying piece of information is enough to make anyone fear this unexpected and almost unforeseeable disease. Regardless, the field of medicine continues to search for new innovation that will create additional drugs and treatments to help millions of patients. To that end, one of the methods that have been gaining recognition and gathering momentum is immunotherapy.

According to the American Cancer Society, immunotherapy is defined as using the patient's immune system to fight tumors. That means that the person will be given drugs to stimulate the response from their immune system that will attack cancer cells. These drugs range in nature and most of them are a variation of some man-made protein specifically designed for this scenario.

To further look into the utilization and benefits of this method, one can turn to a prominent doctor who works at the Tammy Walker Cancer Center named Peeran Sandhu. With almost 15 years of extensive experience in the field of oncology and hematology, Peeran Sandhu has seen nearly every type of cancer that there is. After trying out various treatments, he is now one of the fiercest proponents of immunotherapy for multiple reasons.

To showcase the benefits of immunotherapy, one will have to compare it with the alternative methods of treatment as that will establish the best frame of reference. Those alternatives are generally radiation or chemotherapy. Thus, the first thing that comes to mind is immunotherapy's limited effect on the rest of the body. When a patient is treated by using radiation therapy that shrinks cancer cells, they will be given radioactive material to help break down the harmful cells of the disease. Often times, however, these materials will not distinguish between cancer and normal cells. That can lead to scary side effects. Similarly, chemotherapy is a drug-based approach that is used for the sole purpose of shrinking cancer cells.

Since both of these methods are applied to the entire body, all side effect will affect every system and part of one's body. That is one of the most obvious differences when talking about immunotherapy and the aforementioned two. Immunotherapy only targets a response from the immune system. Consequently, the negative side effects will be limited to one's immune system and only seldom spread to the other areas of patient's body.

Another benefit of immunotherapy, as described by Peeran Sandhu, is the longevity of a successful treatment. Once the immune system has been stimulated to fight off those cancer cells that are multiplying within one's body, it will retain that ability for future instances. Meaning, the odds of someone beating one type of cancer with immunotherapy and then experiencing that same cancer again are very small. This is usually not the case with radiation and chemotherapy as they are based on shrinking tumors versus completely eliminating and preventing their return.

Although these three treatments are very different, they are not mutually exclusive. That means that a patient who decides to go with chemotherapy will be allowed and encouraged to use immunotherapy as well. In fact, doctors around the world have been using a combination of all treatments to provide their patients with the highest survival odds. This trend can be witnessed anywhere from the Valley Health Center in Gilroy, California to some of the most advanced institutions on the other side of the planet.

As with every other treatment for any condition, there are some negative consequences that could occur. For instance, immunotherapy is not an approach that has clear guidelines that will be used to target various types of cancer. On the contrary, since everyone's condition is different and the abilities of their immune system may range, it would be impossible to accurately predict how effective this approach would be. Regardless, the cost-to-benefit ratio for immunotherapy exceeds the cost-to-benefit ratio for both radiation and chemotherapy by a mile. Hence why many scientists are calling it a modern-day breakthrough in oncology that will be a mainstream addition to other treatments in the future. Ultimately, it gives people another tool to use against this deadly disease that continues to kill countless people all over the world.