Interferon

So, my momma starts her interferon treatments tomorrow, it's a twenty day long treatment plan and after the twenty days the rest of the treatments will be done at home. The total amount of time for treatment is a year. We are all really nervous for her, but my mom is so stubborn and hard-headed, she'll cruise right through this. We are all asking the same question, "how effective are interferon treatments?" Kind of a hard question to answer because I am somewhat confused on what exactly this treatment is and what it does. According to the website cancer.org, "Cytokines are proteins in the body that boost the immune system in a general way. Man-made versions of cytokines, such as interferon-alfa and interleukin-2 (IL-2), are sometimes used in patients with melanoma. They are given as intravenous (IV) infusions, at least at first. Some patients or caregivers may be able to learn how to give injections under the skin at home" These sort of treatments are done in the hospital as well as at home for the comfort of the patient. Some side effects of the interferon is fever, chills, aches, severe tiredness, drowsiness, and low blood cell counts. Doctors and researchers so far have found multiple cancer drugs among immunotherapy and interferon and they have found that they are very effective, but cannot seem to find out why, all they know is that they work. But a recent study has shown that Ipilimumab, an ingredient within the drugs, is effective because it arms the body's own immune system with numerous molecular weapons, making the body's own fight against cancer more effective. Drugs like these could possibly be paired with traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation. More research will come about and I will learn more about these treatments as my mom progresses through them.