Immunotherapy for NMSC: Key Insights for Oncology, Dermatology, and Infusion Nurses - A Clinical Transfers®
Sara takes her seat in the infusion center for treatment of her locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (laCSCC).
“The chemo looks to be working!” she comments. You congratulate her on her progress. However, as you look over her medication orders, you find that she is not on chemotherapy and never was.
According to a recent survey, 94% of nurses report patients have difficulty distinguishing between anticancer therapies, with most assuming they are on chemotherapy. However, the world of oncology is rapidly changing and the number of immunotherapies available for various tumor types has expanded.
Below are 6 types of immunotherapies explained.
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs): These block a cancer’s ability to use the immune system’s “brakes”, enabling an immune attack on the cancer.
- Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs): These are antibodies linked to chemotherapy, allowing more precise delivery.
- Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells: Patient’s T cells are modified to target a specific cancer antigen, then returned to the patient to attack the cancer.
- Bispecific Antibodies (bsAbs): These dual-targeting antibodies bring the immune cell directly to the tumor cell for attack.
- Oncolytic Viral Therapy: These reengineered viruses infect and burst cancer cells, triggering an immune response against other cancer cells.
- Cancer Vaccines: These teach the immune system to recognize and attack a specific cancer antigen.
Considering Sarah is being treated for laCSCC, which type of immunotherapy do you think she is taking? Find out at 5 pm on September 12, 2024, at the ONS Bridge meeting and earn 1.0 NCPD credit(s) to learn about immunotherapy in non-melanoma skin cancer with Krista Rubin, MS, RN, FNP-BC.