According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), biological therapy is a type of drug therapy that works in conjunction with a person's immune system. Many cancer treatments are actually biological drugs that help the immune system fight cancer by halting or retarding the growth of cancer cells. Biological drugs are also useful as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.
Rituximab (Mabthera)
According to Macmillan Cancer Support, a U.K.-based cancer care and support charity, rituximab is a monoclonal antibody drug for a cancer known as non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This kind of cancer is characterized by an abnormal proliferation of B-cell lymphocytes. Rituximab works by binding to a protein on the surface of the malignant B-cell lymphocytes. The immune system is then able to recognize the cancerous cells as invading entities, and it attacks and destroys them. A patient receives rituximab through an IV drip once a week for a period of 4 weeks. Hospitalization is necessary for the first treatment, but the subsequent treatments take place in the outpatient ward. Unlike conventional chemotherapy, the side effects of rituximab are mild and may include flu-like symptoms, low blood pressure, nausea and vomiting, allergic reactions such as skin rash, and decreased resistance to infection.
Aldesleukin (Proleukin)
Aldesleukin is a protein that the immune system produces in small quantities, says Macmillan Cancer Support. Biotechnology companies have synthesized this protein and marketed it as a cancer treatment for kidney cancer and melanoma. A person receives aldesleukin in an outpatient procedure as an injection under the skin. The dosage and treatment regimen vary depending on the type of cancer under consideration. According to Macmillan Cancer Support, aldesleukin may work by enabling infection-fighting white blood cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Side effects of therapy may include flu-like symptoms, nausea, loss of appetite, darkening of the skin, fatigue, impaired kidney function and anemia.
Etanercept (Enbrel)
According to arthritis-treatment-and-relief.com, etanercept is a biological drug that effectively treats rheumatoid arthritis. The mechanism of action of etanercept is inhibition of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production. TNF is an immune system protein that kills cancer cells, and promotes systemic inflammation. People who have rheumatoid arthritis produce too much TNF and therefore suffer from painful inflammation of bone joints. The patient administers 25mg of etanercept once or twice weekly by self-injection. Treatment may continue for 6 months. Side effects of this therapy include pain, redness and infection at the injection site as well as impairment of immune system functioning. If a systemic infection occurs during treatment, the patient's doctor should know about it immediately.
