Immunotherapy introduced for lung cancer treatment in Shanghai

A local hospital reported the successful adoption of world-leading immunotherapy on patients with terminal stage lung cancer which replaces chemotherapy to reduce the size of cancerous tumors.

A 68-year-old patient became the first person to receive the therapy and reported good results. His tumor was reduced from the original 4.2 centimeters to 2.8 centimeters within one month. He underwent surgery this week successfully at Shanghai Chest Hospital, a leading hospital for heart and lung disease treatment.

According to Dr Lu Shun, director of the oncology department, the usual treatment for cancer patients in middle or terminal stages with big tumors is chemotherapy, which has strong adverse reactions that many old and weak patients can’t tolerate.

“Research found immunotherapy can replace chemotherapy as an effective pre-surgery treatment, which allows patients to receive surgery after shrinking the tumor without strong side effects. Immunotherapy will bring new improvements for lung cancer treatment,” Lu said.