Immunotherapy
Cancer Care in Tupelo and Starkville offers immunotherapies to treat cancer by harnessing the power of the body’s immune system.
Personalized Cancer Care in Action
One reason that cancer cells thrive is because they can hide from your immune system. Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps your immune system fight cancer.
How Immunotherapy Works
The immune system helps your body fight infections and other diseases. It is made up of white blood cells and organs and tissues of the lymph system. Certain immunotherapies can mark cancer cells, so it is easier for the immune system to find and destroy them. Other immunotherapies boost your immune system to work better against cancer.
Immunotherapy treatments can either help the immune system attack the cancer directly or stimulate the immune system in a more general way.
You may have treatment every day, week or month. Some immunotherapies are given in cycles. A cycle is a period of treatment followed by a period of rest. The rest period gives your body a chance to recover, respond to the immunotherapy and build new healthy cells.
Immunotherapy may be given in different ways:
Intravenous (IV): The immunotherapy goes directly into a vein.
Oral: The immunotherapy is delivered via pills or capsules that you swallow.
Topical: An immunotherapy cream can treat very early stage skin cancer.
Intravesical: The immunotherapy goes directly into the bladder.
Immunotherapy can cause side effects, which affect people in different ways. Doctors and nurses cannot know for certain how you will feel during treatment. You will receive specific medication information for the immunotherapy your doctor orders.
It is important to be aware of any possible side effects and notify your health care professional of serious or worsening symptoms. Because many of these side effects can occur from other causes that would be treated differently, make sure health care professionals who treat you are aware that you are or were on immunotherapy.
Factors that impact side effects include:
How healthy you are before treatment
Your type of cancer and how advanced it is
The type of therapy you are receiving
The dosage of your therapy
Related Locations
Mississippi’s only cancer center with all 4 accreditations
Commission On Cancer Accredited Program
Commission on Cancer conducts evaluation every three years; NMMC accredited since 1981.
ACR Designated Comprehensive Breast Imaging Center
NMMC Breast Care Center designated comprehensive center by American College of Radiology
ACR Designated Comprehensive Breast Imaging Center
NMMC Breast Care Center designated comprehensive center by American College of Radiology
ACS accredits NMMC’s breast care program
Meets national standards for comprehensive, patient-centered, multidisciplinary care.
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Clinical Research
Cancer Care physicians actively contribute to research to improve care for current and future patients. Trials are available for all stages of cancer and include treatments, testing for biomarkers and lab devices.
Clinical Research
Cancer Care physicians actively contribute to research to improve care for current and future patients. Trials are available for all stages of cancer and include treatments, testing for biomarkers and lab devices.