Immunotherapy, a therapeutic option in elder people with non small cells lung cancer

Abstract

Cancer is a priority public health problem in the world. In Cuba, it is the second cause of death in most age groups and mainly in the population aged over 60 years.
To evaluate the impact of immunotherapy as a therapeutic alternative that improves survival functions in elder patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
An experimental analytical study was carried out; the universe was composed by 123 elder people diagnosed with lung cancer who were treated with immunotherapy in Matanzas. Control variables were used to which the corresponding summary measures were applied using chi-square hypothesis tests and likelihood ratios for their analysis and statistics; survival functions were evaluated using Kaplan Meier curves.
The efficacy and safety of immunotherapy in the treatment of the studied patients was demonstrated. Therefore, the authors believe that the sequential impact of the combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and biological therapies tends to extend the survival of patients suffering from non-small cell lung cancer with an ethically acceptable life quality. The new immunological therapy, consisting in returning to the patients´ immunologic system the capacity of recognizing a tumor as foreign, and therefore, fighting against it, have yielded very important answers and benefits.