Biological response modifiers (BRMs) are a new method of treating cancer and autoimmune diseases. By using drugs with living organisms, doctors can target cytokines and activate or suppress immunity. This treatment strategy can help people in desperate situations who have not been helped by traditional treatments. Biotherapy is prescribed to treat cancer, arthritis, uveitis, and Crohn’s disease. From our article you will learn how BRM therapy works, what is its effectiveness for different diseases and where you can undergo it.
WHAT IS BRM THERAPY?
BRM therapy is a treatment method that uses elements derived from living organisms. These substances are found in the human body or can be created in a laboratory. Other names for the method are biological response modifier therapy, biological therapy and biotherapy.
Biotherapy is prescribed to activate the immune system to fight a disease. In this case, it is used to treat primary and recurrent cancer. Another use of BRM agents is immune suppression. This tactic is effective in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, including joint disease.
Read: WHAT DISEASES ARE BIOTHERAPIES USED TO TREAT?
The Food and Drug Administration has approved BRM therapy for the treatment of uveitis.
Treatment with biological response modifiers is available for the diagnoses of:
Breast cancer with a mutation in the HER2 gene;
non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma;
liver metastases;
colorectal cancer;
chronic leukaemia;
acute coronary syndrome;
rheumatoid arthritis;
ankylosing spondylitis;
Crohn’s disease;
psoriasis.
The combination of BRM therapy and conventional treatment improves survival rates for patients with certain cancers.
HOW DOES BIOLOGICAL THERAPY WORK?
Biological response modifiers improve or suppress the functioning of the immune system. This effect is achieved by targeting cytokines. A cytokine is a protein that white blood cells produce to destroy foreign cells.
The active ingredients in BRM therapy can increase their sensitivity – and then they will more actively recognise harmful cells. This property is actively used in the development of immunotherapy drugs to fight cancer.
Similarly, substances in BRM drugs can inhibit the action of cytokines. In this case, the protein will become less sensitive and will stop attacking healthy cells, which it mistakenly takes for foreign cells.
DIAGNOSIS BEFORE STARTING BIOTHERAPY
Doctors carry out a thorough diagnostic test before prescribing biologic therapy. This is necessary to predict side effects and guarantee the safety of the procedure. The patients need to have:
a general blood test;
chest X-ray;
examination for latent tuberculosis;
liver function test.
BRM therapy should not be given to patients with multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis and immunodeficiency syndrome.
SIDE EFFECTS OF BRM THERAPY
Taking biological response modifiers can cause some unwanted reactions in the body. For the therapy to be effective, it is important to control them. The side effects may include:
nausea and vomiting;
loss of appetite;
diarrhoea;
chills;
muscle pain;
weakness.
In case these symptoms appear, the doctor will prescribe additional treatment to relieve them. The patient should tell the doctor immediately if they feel sick after BRM therapy.
TYPES OF BRM THERAPIES IN CANCER TREATMENT
Cancer biotherapies include the following types of drugs:
monoclonal antibodies;
interferons;
interleukins;
tumour necrosis factors;
colony-stimulating factors;
cancer vaccines.
Monoclonal antibodies are proteins that aim to destroy a specific target on the surface of a cell. In biotherapy, they are used to treat HER-positive breast cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Monoclonal antibody treatment is also available for colorectal cancer, pancreatic tumours, lung cancer, leukaemia and neuroblastoma.
Cancer vaccines are drugs that activate immune cells to fight cancer. In this process, special proteins or viruses are injected into the patient. Cancer vaccines are used to treat malignant skin cancer and brain tumours.
Interferons are proteins that protect the body from viruses and inhibit the growth of cancer cells. This type of biotherapy is used for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, hairy cell leukaemia, chronic myeloleukaemia, Kaposi’s sarcoma, T-cell lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
Interleukins are proteins that are responsible for the interaction between white blood cells. They are used to treat metastatic kidney cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and malignant melanoma. BRM interleukin therapy also increases the duration of remission after bone marrow transplantation.
Tumour necrosis factors are substances that bind to cancer cells and damage the blood vessels of the tumour. This causes the tumour to die. They also suppress the immune system, so doctors may prescribe them at the same time as cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) are growth factors that affect the division and maturation of blood cells. In oncology, they are used to restore bone marrow after chemotherapy and radiation therapy, boost immunity, and lessen side effects after chemotherapy.
Biological treatment for breast cancer
One in five women with breast cancer has its aggressive form, HER-2. This diagnosis means that the cancer cells have an increased amount of the HER-2 protein and have begun to divide uncontrollably. One of the most effective ways to treat it is the use of Herceptin immunotherapy.
Herceptin is a monoclonal antibody that stimulates the immune system. It contains trastuzumab, which binds to the HER2 receptor proteins in cancer cells. Herceptin is a “biological” drug because it contains live organisms taken from the protein of mouse cells.
According to information published by Cancer Connect & Maven Health Network, the treatment of HER-positive breast cancer with Herceptin has received FDA approval. The overall survival rate of patients with stage 2-3 breast cancer after Herceptin treatment is 98%. At the same time, the risk of recurrence is reduced by 30% and side effects are noticeably milder than after chemotherapy.
Contact the coordinator
If you have HER-positive breast cancer – you can enrol for BRM therapy. We will find a clinic for you and take care of all organisational matters. Leave your phone number and our coordinator will call you in 30 minutes.
Treatment of lymphoma with biotherapy
Rituximab is a treatment with monoclonal bodies. The drug contains living cells, making it a biological response modifier. It is administered to patients with different types of lymphoma, namely B-cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. In 2020, the FDA approved Rituximab as a maintenance therapy for follicular lymphoma. According to information published by Cancer Connect & Maven Health Network, the three-year survival rate for patients with lymphoma increased from 58% to 75% after taking Rituximab.
Sign up for treatment
It is possible to cure blood cancers. If chemotherapy has not worked for you, targeted therapy may still be an option. Our coordinators will organise treatment for you in a foreign clinic.
TREATMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WITH BIOLOGICAL THERAPY
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which there is inflammation of the joints and destruction of articular cartilage. There is no cure for this disease. Affordable treatment can reduce inflammation and pain and preserve joints from further destruction. The right treatment strategy can prevent disability and preserve function.
Biological response modifiers can be an effective treatment. The patient is injected with antibodies that suppress certain components of the immune system. This helps in relieving inflammation. The advantage of BRM therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is that the drug starts working quickly and stops the progress of the disease.
Biotherapy is particularly effective against ankylosing spondylitis. This is a type of arthritis in which there is a prolonged inflammation of the joints of the spine. The drug prevents fusion of the small bones of the vertebrae and relieves pain. Patients feel the first improvements 6 weeks after starting therapy.
Go for arthritis treatment
You can get rid of your joint pain after a course of biotherapy. Leave your contacts with our coordinators and we will book you for treatment. We work promptly to help you recover as soon as possible.
IN WHICH CLINICS IS BRM BIOTHERAPY AVAILABLE?
Treatment with biological response modifiers is still in the early phases. It is difficult for patients to find a clinic to treat their disease with biotherapy on their own. MediGlobus has compiled a list of clinics where you can go for BRM therapy.
Summary
BRMs are drugs for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases that incorporate living organisms. Biotherapeutics include some types of immunotherapy and targeted therapies.
Cancer biotherapy aims to activate the immune system to help the body destroy the tumour.
In the case of autoimmune diseases, treatment is given to suppress the immune system when inflammation needs to be relieved.
There are 6 types of BRM therapies: monoclonal bodies, anti-cancer vaccines, interferons, interleukins, tumour necrosis factors and colony-stimulating factors. They are effective against lymphoma, leukaemia, GI tumours and breast cancer.
Treatment with biological response modifiers is used to slow the development of arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
Side effects of biological treatment come in the form of fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and weakness in the muscles.
BRM therapy works effectively in combination with other drugs. It enhances the result of chemotherapy, and helps the bone marrow recover after intensive treatment. In blood cancers, it is prescribed as a maintenance treatment to prolong remission.
Sign up for treatment
If you still have questions about BRM therapy, ask our specialists. We will advise you on the indications for the procedure and its cost. The coordinators can also enrol you in a hospital where biotherapy is available and help you with travel arrangements.
Sources:
- 1. What is BRM therapy
- 2. Types of BRM therapy
- 3. How does BRM therapy work?
- 4. General idea of BRM therapy
- 5. Survival rate after herceptin
- 6. BRM therapy for rheumatoid arthritis
- 7. Survival rate after rituxan
