This patient-friendly article is about chemotherapy drug, Tecentriq or Atezolizumab which is used for treating non-small lung carcinoma (NSCLC), urothelial carcinoma (bladder cancer), and breast cancer.
Atezolizumab with a trade name Tecentriq received its first approval by the FDA in May 2016. It is a monoclonal antibody and works by targeting specific antigen. Cancer cells can avoid being detected by the T-cells and it does this by using what is called the ‘PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) pathway’. This causes the T-cells to not be able to recognise the cancer cells as foreign and ignore them, allowing the cancer cells to divide and spread. Tecentriq works by binding onto the PD-L1 which inhibits the PD-1 pathway. This means that T-cells are no longer have suppressed anti-tumour function and able to attack cancer cells.
The recommended dosage of Tecentriq for patients with Urothelial carcinoma is 1200 mg and is injected (IV) into patients every 3 weeks for 60 minutes the first time and for 30 minutes second cycle and so on.
The recommended dosage of Tecentriq as first-line treatment for patients with NSCLC is 1200 mg IV with bevacizumab, paclitaxel, and carboplatin on the first day of each 21-day cycle for a maximum of 4-6 cycles of chemotherapy.
Common side effects that over 20% of urothelial carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer patients get are fatigued and decrease in appetite. Furthermore, other reactions can occur such as diarrhea, nausea, constipation, cough, pyrexia and dyspnea.
Precautions: Because of the mechanism of the drug altering the immune system of the body to attack the cancer cells, there’s a possibility that it could attack the healthy tissues, affecting multiple organs and can become fatal. The potential problems include:
- Complications in the lungs, liver, colon, hormones and/or kidneys
Go to: 10 ways to improve your chemotherapy success and reduce side-effects
Other articles that you may find interesting are:
- A diet for Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy overview
- A to Z Guide to Complementary Therapies
Go to: Return to the CANCERactive drug list