Chemotherapy vs. Immunotherapy

Knowing your options for treatment when it comes to your cancer diagnosis is essential. For kidney cancer the most common treatment routes are chemotherapy and immunotherapy, but which one is better?

Chemotherapy for Kidney Cancer:

Chemotherapy is not the most common treatment for kidney cancers, however, it can be helpful for less common types of renal cell carcinoma (RCC)  like collecting duct RCC and renal medullary carcinoma. 

Chemotherapy is given in cycles, with a rest period after each round of chemo in order for your body to recover. The possible side effects of chemo are hair loss, mouth sores, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, low white blood cell count, low platelet count, and low red blood cell counts. 

Chemotherapy is not typically the first line of treatment for someone diagnosed with kidney cancer. This is because most types of kidney cancer are resistant to chemotherapy and often respond better to immunotherapy. 

Immunotherapy for Kidney Cancer:

Immunotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses medications to boost a patient's immune system to more effectively identify and destroy cancer cells. Immunotherapy is most commonly used to treat advanced or metastatic kidney cancer. 

Side effects of immunotherapy can vary from person to person, but common side effects include fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea, itching, loss of appetite, chills, low blood pressure, and joint pain. Despite these side effects, immunotherapy can help kidney cancer patients maintain a high quality of life. 

Which is best for kidney cancer, chemotherapy or immunotherapy? The answer is often immunotherapy. 

This is because kidney cancer is often resistant to chemotherapy, even though it can be effective for treating cancer that has spread or when immunotherapy has not worked. Immunotherapy has been shown to work significantly better in treating kidney cancer when compared to chemotherapy. 

Each treatment plan is different depending on the person. You should talk to your doctor if you have any questions regarding your treatment options.