Monthly Archives: April 2016

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer

Poor Diet May Raise the Risk for Lung Cancer

Eating During Cancer Treatment
Improving Your Diet

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease in the United States, and the link between smoking and cancer of the lung has been well-established for decades. Now researchers are finding that diet can also increase the risk of developing lung cancer.

Can carbohydrates lead to cancer?

Glycemic index (GI) measures how much a food’s carbohydrate content raises blood sugar. GI is used by diabetics to manage their diet, and it’s been studied as a possible factor in several types of cancer, such as colorectal, stomach and ovarian.

A research team at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston questioned a group of people recently diagnosed with lung cancer about their eating habits, income and other lifestyle factors. Results were compared to a control group of people without the disease.

Data shows that people who reported eating many foods with a high GI were 50 percent more likely to be in the group with lung cancer. Surprisingly, non-smokers with a high GI diet were found to be twice as likely to have the cancer as smokers with similar eating habits.

How high GI foods increase cancer risk

While doctors are not yet sure what drives the connection, they suspect it may have to do with high GI foods raising the body’s insulin production, which affects cell growth. These insulin-like growth factors (IGF) may in turn fuel the uncontrolled cell growth that leads to cancer.

Non-toxic immunotherapy treatments used at Issels® have been used successfully in patients with all types of cancer, including lung, breast and colon. Contact us for more information.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, News

US Takes “Moonshot” Approach to a Cure for Cancer – Can It Work?

The Moonshot Approach
The Moonshot Approach

Last year, Vice President Joe Biden made news promising a “moonshot” approach toward facilitating cancer research. His announcement was inspired by his son Beau’s untimely death from brain cancer. While experts appreciate Biden’s dedication to the cause, some are warning against unrealistic expectations for a cure in the near future.

In an editorial that appeared last January in the Washington Post, cancer researcher Vinay Prasad of Oregon Health and Science University compared Biden’s vision to previous lofty promises that ultimately fizzled. Prasad went on to examine the various proposals, considering the likelihood of each to succeed.

  1. Speedier approval of cancer drugs

Prasad compares the impact of this factor to “thinking you can run a faster mile by buying a new stopwatch.” Although the FDA has already demonstrated a willingness to approve most cancer drugs, their actions have no affect whatsoever on the effectiveness of these drugs.

  1. Analysis and application of past successes

Some have suggested working backwards to study individuals with a positive response to treatment and extrapolating those findings to other patients. The problem lies in proving a direct correlation between their improvement and the drugs that were used as opposed to other unrelated factors.

  1. Immunotherapy

Therapies that boost a patient’s own immune response to cancer, such as those used at our immuno-oncology center, were cited by Biden as a promising answer. But several immunotherapy drugs have already been developed, with many more studies in progress, so that’s hardly a novel suggestion.

You can count on receiving state-of-the-art treatments at our Issels® immuno-oncology center. Visit our website for more information about our non-toxic individualized protocols.