Biomarker-selected cancers
Tumours expressing PD-L1, or with high mutational burden or MSI-high status, are more likely to respond — testing guides the decision.
Treatments
Immunotherapy teaches your
Immunotherapy teaches your
immune system to fight back.
Immunotherapy doesn't attack the cancer directly — it releases the brakes cancer uses to hide from your immune system, so your own T-cells can recognise and destroy tumour cells. For a growing list of cancers, it has changed what long-term outcomes look like.
2–6wkBetween infusion cycles
30–60minTypical infusion time
15+Cancer types with approved indications
Image · placeholderInfusion suite — patient receiving treatment in a recliner chair
Image · placeholderIllustration — T-cell engaging a tumour cell
Immunotherapy · What it is
Checkpoint inhibitors, in plain language.
Your immune system is built to destroy abnormal cells — and cancers survive by exploiting its safety switches. Many tumours display proteins (like PD-L1) that press a "checkpoint" on immune T-cells, effectively telling them to stand down. The cancer hides in plain sight.
Checkpoint inhibitors are antibodies that block that handshake. With the brake released, T-cells can recognise tumour cells as the threat they are and mount an attack — not just at one site, but anywhere in the body the immune system can reach.
Immunotherapy doesn't work for every cancer or every patient — biomarker testing helps predict who benefits. But where it works, responses can be deep and durable, and it is increasingly combined with radiation therapy, chemotherapy or targeted therapy as part of a coordinated plan.
Immunotherapy · Who is it for
Cancers and situations where Immunotherapy can help.
Immunotherapy is now a standard option across many cancers. Whether it fits your case depends on the cancer type, stage, and biomarker profile.
Advanced & metastatic disease
Approved across lung, melanoma, kidney, bladder, head & neck, liver and other cancers — alone or combined with chemotherapy.
Alongside radiation
Radiation can expose tumour antigens to the immune system; combining modalities is an active part of modern treatment plans.
Immunotherapy · How it works
Test, infuse, monitor, repeat.
An immunotherapy course is an outpatient rhythm of short infusions with careful monitoring in between.
Image · placeholderPathology lab — biomarker profiling of tumour tissue
Biomarker testing
Your tumour tissue is profiled for the markers that predict immunotherapy response. Results shape which drug — and which combination — is recommended.
Image · placeholderConsultation — reviewing the systemic therapy plan
Treatment planning
Your oncologist maps the regimen: the agent, the cycle length, any combination therapy, and how it coordinates with radiation or surgery.
Image · placeholderInfusion in progress at the day-therapy suite
Infusion cycles
Each treatment is an intravenous infusion, typically 30–60 minutes, repeated every two to six weeks depending on the drug.
Image · placeholderReviewing response scans with the patient
Monitoring & scans
Bloodwork before each cycle and periodic imaging track your response — and screen for the immune-related side effects that need early attention.
Immunotherapy · What to expect
A different treatment, a different rhythm.
Treatment days are simple: bloodwork, a review with your team, then an infusion in a recliner chair — most patients read or rest through it and drive themselves home afterwards. Between cycles, life continues largely as normal.
Side effects differ from chemotherapy. Because the immune system is being activated, it can occasionally turn on healthy tissue — most commonly the skin, gut, thyroid or lungs. Most immune-related effects are mild and manageable, but early reporting matters, so we'll teach you exactly what to watch for.
Responses are assessed over months, not days. Some patients see durable control that continues long after treatment ends — the immune system, once trained, keeps working.
Image · placeholderPatient reading during an infusion session
Immunotherapy · Cost & insurance
Is Immunotherapy covered?
Immunotherapy drugs on Singapore's Cancer Drug List are claimable under MediShield Life and Medisave within treatment-specific limits, and Integrated Shield Plans provide cover for listed indications. Costs vary significantly by drug and duration.
We provide a written cost estimate at consultation, mapped against your coverage, before any treatment begins. Our care coordinator can verify your position with your insurer in advance.
Image · placeholderAARO specialists at the Centre for Stereotactic Radiosurgery
Immunotherapy · Your specialists
Meet Dr Daniel Tan→
Who delivers immunotherapy at AARO.
Systemic therapy at AARO is planned and supervised by our oncology team, working hand-in-hand with our radiation oncologists so that immunotherapy, radiation and every other modality operate as one coordinated plan.
Dr Daniel TanSRS · SBRT · Brain · Spine · Oligomets
Dr Jonathan TehProstate · Breast · Gynaecological
Dr Michelle TsengLung · Thoracic · Head & Neck
Dr David TanGU · Prostate
Want to know if immunotherapy applies to your cancer?
Book a consultation. We'll review your pathology and biomarker profile, and explain honestly whether immunotherapy has a role in your treatment plan.