Checkpoint inhibitors don’t kill cancer cells directly. They work by helping the immune system to better find and attack the cancer cells, wherever they are in the body.
Part of how the immune system does this is by using “checkpoint” proteins on immune cells. The checkpoints act like switches that need to be turned on (or off) to start an immune response.
But cancer cells sometimes find ways to use these checkpoints to avoid being attacked by the immune system. Medicines can be designed to target these checkpoint proteins. These drugs are called immune checkpoint inhibitors
It’s very important to report any new side effects to someone on your health care team as soon as possible. If serious side effects do occur, treatment may need to be stopped and you might be given high doses of corticosteroids to suppress your immune system..
Lynch Syndrome Ireland 