It was exactly one year ago this June that cancer patients could receive immunotherapy at Igualada University Hospital. These treatments, which until last year were administered at the Duran i Reynals Hospital, are now being offered at L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, at the new day oncology hospital in Igualada thanks to an agreement with the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO).
The team of specialists in the oncology service rates the first year of treatment very well. In Igualada, a total of 43 patients were treated with immunotherapy: 33 for non-small cell lung cancer, 3 for small cell lung cancer, 5 for breast cancer, 1 for head and neck cancer, and 1 for stomach cancer. The fact that they did not have to travel to receive this medication and were able to receive care close to their homes meant a step forward in improving the comfort and quality of life of patients and their families.
The Igualade Center’s vision is to continue and expand the delivery of immunotherapy to oncology patients. “Every time we will be able to treat a wide range of cancers with immunotherapies, which will allow us to bring these treatments closer to our patients in practically any type of scenario in which there is Disease progression.
Immunotherapy is a very innovative treatment and until recently could only be offered by the so-called “tertiary level” hospitals in Catalonia due to the great complexity and high cost of the treatment. The fact that it can be performed in Igualada without incident represents a quantum leap forward in the approach to oncology at the Anoia Health Consortium, which is constantly working to implement and industrialize innovative treatments that were previously more restrictive – with the aim of improving the quality of life of patients.
What is immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that stimulates a patient’s immune system so that it can destroy cancer cells. It was introduced during the decade of 2010 and is considered one of the most transformative developments in oncology therapies in recent times. There are different types of immunotherapy, which are applied depending on the type of tumor. Immunotherapy may be given alone or in combination with other medications, such as chemotherapy.
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