Immunotherapy
Introduction
Treating colorectal cancer (CRC) has evolved over the past few decades. In the past, all patients might have received the standard therapy used for all people with colorectal cancer. Today, people with colorectal cancer may have very different kinds of tumors at the cellular level. The use of biomarkers has helped to create a more personalized approach to cancer care that helps to guide healthcare providers to make more informed decisions on your treatment options.
There are many different types of treatments used to treat colorectal cancer: surgery, chemotherapy, radiation treatment and systemic treatment. One type of systemic treatment that has been noted to produce positive results in a select group of patients is immunotherapy, which essentially involves priming your natural immune defenses to recognize, target, and destroy cancer cells effectively.
The mission of Colorectal Cancer Canada’s Immunotherapy Program is to raise awareness and education on immunotherapy and advocate on behalf of colorectal cancer patients seeking access to it as a promising new cancer treatment. CCC is reaching out to the Canadian colorectal cancer patients to inform them of the benefits of immunotherapy as well as the side effects, clinical trials, and the need for funding to support immunotherapy research.
In order to ensure that the right patients receive the right treatment at the right time, CCC has a particular interest in ensuring that patients are able to receive timely biomarker testing so that appropriate treatment plans can be made in a timely manner.
To learn more about the Immunotherapy Program, read the brief here
