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Biological Therapy

General Information

Also known as immunotherapy, biological therapy uses bacteria, viruses and natural bodily substances made in a laboratory to treat cancer. This therapy works with the immune system to increase your body’s natural ability to fight cancer. Immunotherapy helps your body recognize cancer cells as foreign substances and defend itself, the same way it does with a cold or the flu. At the same time, it spares healthy cells, unlike chemotherapy and radiation.

At Goshen Center for Cancer Care, we’ve pioneered ways to use the body’s immune system to find and destroy cancer cells. We are one of only a few renowned cancer centers in the country to offer treatment with the biological therapy called Interleukin-2 (IL-2). We use this therapy to treat liver cancer, metastatic melanoma (skin cancer that has spread to another part of the body, such as the liver) and kidney cancer.

If you’ve been diagnosed with liver cancer, our team wants to find the most effective treatment and help you find healing. 

Why we use biological therapy

Biological therapy can play an important role in your liver cancer treatment, as it can help stop or slow the growth and spread of cancer. Your oncologist may prescribe it alone or with other treatment options. If paired with another treatment, biological therapy can enhance the treatment or help reduce side effects, especially with chemotherapy and radiation.

Your type and stage of liver cancer helps our team determine whether you are a candidate for immunotherapy. Some therapies are only beneficial at certain stages of cancer, such as metastatic cancer. This means the cancer has spread from the primary site to a secondary site.

What to expect from liver cancer immunotherapy at Goshen Center for Cancer Care

Biological therapy for liver cancer can be given as a pill or an injection into a vein, muscle or the bladder, or under the skin. This treatment has many cancer-fighting benefits, but also comes with side effects.

Immunotherapy side effects may include:

  • Pain
  • Fatigue
  • Vomiting
  • Loss of appetite
  • Other flu-like symptoms

With your treatment, Goshen Center for Cancer Care strives to protect your quality of life. Along with biological therapy, we offer integrative therapies to care for your mind, body and spirit, and help relieve side effects.

We also offer clinical trials for liver cancer that may involve immunotherapy. 

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*Note: Some offices may require a referral to schedule an appointment.