The impact of antibiotics and glucocorticoids on the results of immunomodulatory antibody treatment in cancer patients

Cancer cells avoid elimination through the mechanism of immunosuppression, which consists in modulatingantigens and affecting the activation of the complement system. In 2011, authorities registereda monoclonal antibody and the first medication from the group of immunological checkpoints, ipilimumab,which activates T lymphocytes through unblocking the possibility of presenting antigens to cells afterbinding with cytotoxic T cell antigen (CTLA-4 ). Other targets of the drugs from this group were described:programmed death cell receptor 1 (PD-1), located on T lymphocytes, and programmed death cell ligand 1(PD-L1), located on cancer cells. Immunotherapy significantly improved the prognosis of patients diagnosedwith melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, non-smallcell lung cancer and other cancers Glucocorticoids are often used in the treatment of symptoms in cancer patients. They are also administeredduring immunotherapy in the case of immune-related adverse events. Antibiotics also constitute a group ofmedications that are widely used in cancer patients. Since both glucocorticoids and antibiotics can decreasethe effectiveness of immunotherapy, physicians should carefully consider the expected benefits and the possiblenegative impact of their administration on the survival time of cancer patients before prescribing them.Cancer cells avoid elimination through the mechanism of immunosuppression, which consists in modulating antigens and affecting the activation of the complement system. In 2011, authorities registered a monoclonal antibody and the first medication from the group of immunological checkpoints, ipilimumab, which activates T lymphocytes through unblocking the possibility of presenting antigens to cells after binding with cytotoxic T cell antigen (CTLA-4 ). Other targets of the drugs from this group were described: programmed death cell receptor 1 (PD-1), located on T lymphocytes, and programmed death cell ligand 1 (PD-L1), located on cancer cells. Immunotherapy significantly improved the prognosis of patients diagnosed with melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, non-small cell lung cancer and other cancers. Glucocorticoids are often used in the treatment of symptoms in cancer patients. They are also administered during immunotherapy in the case autoimmune complications. Antibiotics also constitute a group of medications that are widely used in cancer patients. Since both glucocorticoids and antibiotics can decrease the effectiveness of immunotherapy, physicians should carefully consider the expected benefits and the possible negative impact of their administration on the survival time of cancer patients before prescribing them