Cancer treatment has always been evolving and progressing over the years with new technology and new medications. There are various treatments used like chemo, radio, hormone therapy, surgery and Immunotherapy.
Cancer treatment has always been evolving and progressing over the years with new technology and new medications. There are various treatments used like chemo, radio, hormone therapy, surgery and Immunotherapy. This is one of the effective ways to enhance your immune system and use it to fight against cancer cells. The benefits of this system are that it doesn’t use any type of chemical or radiation which has probable side effects. This treatment of immunotherapy helps to give long term treatment solution for the patient without side effects. This also helps to make immune response very active and effective against other diseases. But the major challenge related to immunotherapy is to evaluate the condition and to detect how well the treatment is working. There are various tests like CT and MRI which is used to look for the condition of cancer and effect of immunotherapy on this. But the limitation related to these tests is that it doesn’t reveal the effect of treatment at cellular level. This is where PET CT scan becomes an effective diagnostic tool used to look for metabolic and structural imaging of the site. This helps in detecting the condition of tumors or cancer at cellular level and its efficiency. PET CT is useful in all stages, whether to look for the status of cancer, plan the treatment, to look for the effect of treatment, continue with immunotherapy or change the treatment plan.
Role of Immunotherapy in Cancer
Different types of Immunotherapy
There are various types of Immunotherapies used for the treatment of cancer and healthcare expert will suggest the treatment as per condition and status of disease. Here are some of the types used for immunotherapy treatment.
- Various types of checkpoint inhibitors are used to control the cancer and these inhibitors include PD-1/PD-L1, CTLA-4 inhibitors.
- Using CAR-T cell therapy is another way of attacking the cancer in which genetically modified T cells are used to attack the cancer.
- Using Cancer vaccines which are used to enhance and stimulate the immune response to attack cancer cells.
- Another method of immunotherapy treatment is cytokine therapies.
- Engineered virus specifically designed to kill cancer cells is another way which is called oncolytic virus therapy.
Different Challenges which occur during Monitoring Immunotherapy.
- The visible shrinkage of cancer is not always immediate.
- There can be immune activation which mimic prgresson of tumor
- There can be some mixed response to the condition
- Conventional imaging testing may not detect the original results with accuracy
List out the Role of PET CT in Immunotherapy
1. PET CT helps to assess the baseline before going for Immunotherapy
- PET CT helps to give the exact condition of cancer, which acts as baseline for treatment.
- PET CT is very effective in recognizing the exact status of cancer which is necessary to start treatment.
- It also helps to give prognosis which helps to plan or the used to give extent of treatment for the condition.
2. PET CT helps to give Early Response Monitoring
- PET CT is effective in giving metabolic changes, which helps to know the effect og treatment early.
- Reduced uptake of glucose like FDG is the indication for the positive impact of the condition.
- PET CT is very effective in detecting or giving useful non responses early, which helps to change the treatment.
3. PET CT is helpful in Detection of Pseudo-progression in Cancer
- While giving Immunotherapy, tumor may appear large due to infiltration of immune cells initially which is not the real progression of the cancer and PET CT is helpful in interpreting that.
- PET CT is effective tool in differentiating between real and false (psedo) progression of cancer.
- PET CT helps to prevent premature discontinuation of therapy.
4. PET CT is helpful in Predicting Treatment Outcomes
- PET CT is very useful in predicting the outcome of the treatment before even visible anatomically.
- When FDG uptake is lower, this helps to recognize that treatment is working.
- PET CT biomarkers guide the therapy and help in escalation of the treatment.
5. PET CT is used in Assessment of Immune-Related Adverse Events (irAEs)
- One of the side effect of immunotherapy is that it causes inflammation of non-cancerous tissues.
- PET CT is able to detect immune related adversities which help physicians to keep out side effects immediately.
What are the PET CT Benefits in Immunotherapy
- Non-invasive and real-time evaluation.
- Differentiates true progression from pseudoprogression.
- Predicts treatment response earlier than conventional scans.
- Provides whole-body imaging for complete disease assessment.
- Detects immune-related side effects.
- PET CT helps to guide the patient whether to go for immunotherapy or not.
- Helps to support clinical trails that occur during the immunotherapy drugs preparation.
Limitations of PET CT in Immunotherapy
- False positives due to inflammatory uptake.
- Radiation exposure, though relatively low.
- High cost compared to conventional imaging.
- There is limited availability of PET CT facilities in some regions.
- PET CT need experts for interpretation of results.
- Not universally standardized for immunotherapy assessment (need for criteria like iRECIST and PERCIST adaptation).
List of Different Types of PET CT available in the market for different cancers
- Cardiac PET Scan (Book Now)
- Whole Body PET Scan (Book Now)
- PSMA PET Scan For Prostate (Book Now)
- Dopa Brain PET Scan (Book Now)
- PET Viability Scan Cardiac (Book Now)
Conclusion
PET CT has revolutionized the diagnosis of Cancer and help in effective treatment of the condition with continuous view of progression of treatment. There are various treatments used for cancer like chemo, radio, surgery etc. but all these treatments need PET CT to look for the effect of treatments at various stages. Immunotherapy is one of the preferred treatments for cancer condition, which helps to enhance the treatment for the condition. . This is one of the effective ways to enhance your immune system and use it to fight against cancer cells. The benefits of this system are that it doesn’t use any type of chemical or radiation which has probable side effects. This treatment of immunotherapy helps to give long term treatment solution for the patient without side effects. This also helps to make immune response very active and effective against other diseases. But the major challenge related to immunotherapy is to evaluate the condition and to detect how well the treatment is working. There are various tests like CT and MRI which is used to look for the condition of cancer and effect of immunotherapy on this. But the limitation related to these tests is that it doesn’t reveal the effect of treatment at cellular level. This is where PET CT scan becomes an effective diagnostic tool used to look for metabolic and structural imaging of the site.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
What is Immunotherapy in cancer treatment?
Immunotherapy is the procedure in which patient’s immune system is activated or enhanced to fight against cancer.
Can PET CT help to design immunotherapy treatment?
Yes, PET CT is effective in designing immunotherapy treatment.
Can PET CT help to look for the effect of Immunotherapy treatment?
Yes, PET CT is helpful in looking for effect of immunotherapy treatment.
What are the benefits of Immunotherapy treatment?
This helps to provide non-invasive treatment option which also helps to enhance immune response that help to fight other diseases also.
