The New Stage Four Cancer Treatments and What they Mean for Patients

When anyone hears “stage 4 cancer”, it often feels like the deadline. However, today, thanks to the groundbreaking innovations in oncology, the lifeline is being redrawn with new hope of survival and an improved quality of treatment.

At this stage, it is considered that any treatment can be hard to heal a patient, but research on advanced cancer care is evolving from liquid radiotherapy to CAR-T therapies. And for patients in Bihar, especially those seeking the best cancer treatment in Patna, these advancements are no longer out of reach.

What is Stage 4 Cancer?

Stage 4 cancer has spread the cancerous cells of the tumor into other body parts such as the bloodstream, nervous system, lungs, liver and the bones. It enters the body and destroys all the organs, disrupting their function. It is sometimes referred to as metastatic cancer.

The most common cancer that reaches till stage 4 -

• Breast Cancer
• Colorectal Cancer
• Lung Cancer
• Prostate Cancer
• Melanoma

What’s Changing in Stage Four Cancer Treatment

Stage 4 cancer is supposed to be incurable in most cases, but new treatments with precision medicine focus on tumor biology and therapies tailored to the patient’s genetics, not just diagnosis.

Liquid Radiotherapy

The innovation in the world of cancer treatment that uses radioactive substances in drink, capsule, or injection form. These substances cross via the bloodstream and seek out cancer cells throughout the body.

It is known as Radioisotope therapy, as the radioactive liquid contains an isotope (such as Iodine-131 or Radium-223).

It is often linked to a molecule or antibody, and once inside the body, it accumulates in cancerous tissues, delivering radiation to them.

Types of cancers it can treat, such as Thyroid cancer, Metastatic prostate cancer, Secondary bone cancer, Blood disorders, and Neuroendocrine tumours.

This treatment is especially useful when-

• Cancer has spread to multiple areas.
• Tumors are inaccessible by surgery
• Patients need targeted therapy with fewer side effects.

The side effects such as mild nausea, fatigue, or dry mouth, temporary radiation in the body fluid, and, rarely, bone marrow suppression.

Immunotherapy

This treatment teaches the body to fight cancer. Instead of destroying cancer directly, immunotherapy trains your own immune system to do the job. It also has fewer side effects than chemotherapy. It has more critical uses that make this leading choice for stage 4 cancer treatment.

The advanced types of Immunotherapy are-

• Checkpoint Inhibitors
• CAR-T therapy
• Dendritic Cell Therapy

Checkpoint Inhibitors

It is an immunotherapy drug that allows the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells. This is how it works-

• Cancer cells often use checkpoint proteins to hide from immune attack.
• This drug releases the brakes on T-cells to block proteins like PD-1, PD-L1 or CTLA-4, allowing them to fight cancer.
• Common drugs: Nivolumab, Pembrolizumab, Ipilimumab.

This treatment is used for such cancer types - Lung Cancer, Melanoma, Bladder Cancer, Breast Cancer, Head & Neck Cancer.

CAR-T Therapy

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy is a personalized immunotherapy in which a patient’s own T-cells are genetically modified to attack cancer.

The process of performing this therapy is -

• T-cells are collected from the patient
• In the lab, they are engineering a CAR that targets cancer cells.
• These cells are multiplied and infused back into the patient.
• They find and destroy cancer cells with accuracy.

This therapy is used for such cancers - Blood Cancers, Prostate Cancer, and Kidney Cancer.

The side effects can be cytokine release syndrome, such as fever, low BP, and fatigue.

Neurotoxicity: confusion, tremors, speech issues and risk of infection due to immune suppression.

Dendritic Cell Therapy

This is one of the promising immunotherapies, which is like a vaccine that trains the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells using antigen-presenting cells.

This therapy work process is -

• Dendritic cells are collected from the patient’s blood.
• In the lab, they are exposed to tumor antigens.
• These trained cells are infused back to activate T-cells against cancer and act like a personalised immune alert system.

This treatment is used for such cancers as Prostate Cancer, Breast cancer, Kidney Cancer, Glioblastoma, Ovarian & Colon Cancer.

Germany is at the forefront of this therapy, and clinicians have noted improvement in stage 4 cancer patients with this therapy.

Targeted Therapy - Smart Drugs

Traditional chemotherapy is like a bomb - it hits cancer cells, but also harms healthy ones. Targeted therapy is like a trained missile that targets specific cancer cells, without hurting the rest of the body.

Monoclonal Antibodies - These are lab-made proteins that recognise a specific marker (like HER2) on cancer cells and block growth signals or deliver toxins directly.

This treatment is used for Breast, colorectal, lung, and blood cancer.

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) - Basically, they block enzymes (tyrosine kinases) that multiply cancer cells and are beneficial in leukaemia, lung, kidney, and gastrointestinal cancers.

Hormone Therapies

Some cancers grow on hormones like estrogen or testosterone. This therapy acts as a food supply blocker for cancerous cells.

They either intercept hormone production or control hormones from binding to cancer cells.

For instance, Tamoxifen for hormone-positive breast cancer.

What It Means for Patients

These advancements boost control to cure solution. Stage 4 cancer is almost a dead-end for life, and hardly any treatment can cure patients. But these advanced treatments not only raise the hope but also make a new path to live.

More time- New therapies are extending survival, even in metastatic cases.

Less Pain - Targeted treatment reduces side effects that usually happen during chemotherapy and improves comfort.

More Dignity - Injectable immunotherapy allows patients to spend less time in hospitals, with faster and less invasive options.

Survivorship - the care is extending to include mental health, financial support, and long-term side effect management.

The new stage four cancer treatment allows, earlier detection + smarter drugs = long survival

When Did the Shift Begin?

2018: The main turning point in cancer care was marked by a Nobel Prize awarded for immunotherapy research.

2021-22: Widespread trials and approvals of CAR-T, ADCs, and checkpoint inhibitors.

2023-25: Merging of multimodal therapies, such as liquid radiotherapy, and personalised regimens into mainstream care.

India, 2024: India’s first indigenous CAR-T therapy (NexCAR19) for blood cancer.

Ayushman Bharat: Around 90% of registered cancer patients have started treatment under this scheme.

Cancer Treatment & Survivorship: 2022 vs 2025

Metrics	2022	2025	Key Shift
Cancer Survivors Worldwide (5-year prevalence)	~50 million	53.5 million	Early detection & Treatment access
Most Prevalent Cancers (Male)	Prostate, melanoma, colorectal	Same, with slight increase in the number	Consistent trends
Most Prevalent Cancers (Female)	Breast, Uterine, Thyroid	Same, but by 2035, breast cancer is projected to hit 5.3M.	Largest growth among top cancers.
Cancer Survivors in India (estimated)	~2.5 million	3.1–3.3 million (projected)	Screening + Ayushman Bharat
Treatment Innovation	Immunotherapy, Targeted therapy	Liquid radiotherapy, CAR-T, ADCs	Major leap in stage IV care
Survival Rates (Stage IV)	Often <30% depending on cancer type	Up to 85% with the latest treatment method	Personalized treatments improve outcomes.

Where to Find the Best Cancer Treatment in Bihar

In Bihar, the best cancer care hospitals offer advanced therapies and have proper oncology services. These hospitals are not just treating cancer- they are transforming how it’s managed.

If you are looking for the best cancer treatment in Patna, Narayan Cancer Centre can be a smart choice, as this hospital offers comprehensive care and has already served 25,000+ patients.

Emotional and financial support systems are gradually becoming part of survivorship care.

Stage 4 cancer is no longer a full stop, but it is a comma. With the timely diagnosis, right treatment, support, and care, patients can initiate their stories on a new page.