Monthly Archives: October 2017

Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy, Living with Cancer, Uncategorized

Cancer News: Cancer Can Metastasize Without Involvement of the Lymph System

Metastatic cancer, where tumors spread from the original site to other parts of the body, presents a significant challenge for cancer treatment. Current research is causing scientists to rethink the conventional model of metastasis.

The Role of Lymph Nodes in Cancer Metastasis

A team of researchers led by Dr. Rakesh Jain of Massachusetts General Hospital studied 213 tissue samples from 17 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The focus was on relationships between cells from the primary tumor, lymph nodes and remote sites of metastasis.

The scientists were surprised to discover that only 35 percent of the patients presented the traditional path of cancer moving via lymph nodes to more distant sites. In these cases, cancer cells from both metastases matched cell types in the original tumor.

In the other 65 percent of patients, both metastases matched different cells within the primary tumor, indicating separate origins. These results demonstrate that cancer may metastasize without involvement of lymph nodes, contradicting previously-held beliefs.

Applications for Future Cancer Treatment

According to Dr. Jain, lymph node metastases were generally considered forerunners of more distant metastases. Scientists were therefore puzzled why complete surgical removal of lymph nodes didn’t always improve survival rates.

Dr. Jain went on to explain that the typing assay his team developed can be a valuable way to analyze cancer’s path in certain patients. The information can then be used for better clinical management of metastatic cancer treatment.

Individualized Treatment for Patients at All Stages of Cancer

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Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy, Uncategorized

NCI Studies Disparities in Cancer Treatment in Rural Communities

If You and Your Family Does Choose to Live Out in the Country, Make Sure You Live Close to a Location with Good Healthcare Providers.
If You and Your Family Does Choose to Live Out in the Country, Make Sure You Live Close to a Location with Good Healthcare Providers.

Does where you live affect your chances of surviving cancer? Recent studies are putting a focus on the disparities of cancer treatment between rural and urban communities.

Equal Access to Health Care?

Overall, cancer death rates in the United States have declined over the last 40 years. Unfortunately, two studies from the National Cancer Institute and Centers for Disease Control have revealed that cancer death rates are higher in rural areas and declining at a much slower pace.

NCI has a history of promoting cancer control in Appalachia, with efforts directed at prevention and early detection. Issues surrounding last year’s presidential election have further raised the visibility of questions about access to quality health care.

As research methods and tools become more sophisticated, scientists have the advantage of more granular data. This allows for more detailed plotting of disease patterns and trends as they apply to specific geographic regions.

Healthcare Organizations Rise to the Challenge

Growing acknowledgement of the problem is also raising the sense of urgency. Researchers at the University of Washington found that differences in life expectancy by county are large and growing even larger.

NCI, along with federal agencies such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, are joining forces to collaborate on research and implementation. The next big step is a May 2018 meeting that NCI is convening among major organizations in the cancer community.

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Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Survivors, Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

Multiple Myeloma Patients React Positively to CAR T Cells Treatment

New Discoveries for Making Cancer Easier to Bear Are Sprouting Up!
New Discoveries for Making Cancer Easier to Bear Are Sprouting Up!

CAR T cells, engineered from a patient’s own immune cells, have proved to be a valuable weapon in immunotherapy cancer treatment. Now, recent trials demonstrate that CAR T cells may be effective against advanced multiple myeloma.

Global Testing of CAR T Cells

Earlier this year, two groups performed tests on CAR T cells designed to target B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA), a protein specific to myeloma.

  • Researchers in China conducted a study in which 33 of 35 patients went into complete remission within two months of treatment.
  • A team in Tennessee administered different doses of the CAR T cells to 21 patients. Beyond the first-level dose, patients experienced a 100 percent response rate, with 27 percent achieving a stringent complete response indicating no presence of the disease.

In another encouraging result, patients in both trials who experienced side effects were able to be successfully treated.

How CAR T Cells Fight Cancer

Unlike more traditional forms of cancer treatment, CAR T cells fall under the umbrella of immunotherapy. A patient’s individual immune cells are harvested from their blood, then engineered to target antigens, which are foreign bodies that trigger an immune response.

The CAR T cells are multiplied until they reach a quantity in the billions, then reintroduced into the patient. According to Dr. James Kochenderfer, lead author of the U.S. study, the key is targeting antigens that aren’t expressed in healthy tissues.

Immunotherapy at Issels®: State-of-the-Art Cancer Treatment

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Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy, News, Uncategorized

Gold Nano Particles May Boost Lung Cancer Treatment

Gold Nano-particles Can be Introduced into the Bloodstream to Help Fight Cancer.
Gold Nano-particles Can be Introduced into the Bloodstream to Help Fight Cancer.

Gold may have a value that goes well beyond financial gain. Researchers have discovered that the shiny element can enhance the effectiveness of drugs used to treat lung cancer.

Cancer Treatment as Good as Gold

Testing was conducted at the University of Edinburgh, where Scientists took nanoparticles, which are microscopic particles of gold, and encased them in a chemical device. The object was then used on zebrafish to successfully accelerate their chemical reactions.

Dr. Asier Unciti-Broceta from Cancer Research U.K.’s Edinburgh center participated in the study. He explained that the team’s goal was to find a way to reduce side effects of current chemotherapy methods.

Lessening the Side Effects of Traditional Cancer Treatment

Side effects of cancer treatment are usually the result of drugs attacking healthy cells as well as diseased ones. According to Dr. Unciti-Broceta, their findings indicate that gold could possibly be used to safely release drugs inside tumors.

Immunotherapy for cancer is effective because it helps the immune system’s ability to target cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. Researchers are continuing tests with nanoparticles in the hopes of applying a similar method with humans.

Dr. Aine McCarthy, also of Cancer Research U.K., expressed optimism that incorporating gold in immunotherapy for cancer could improve the outlook for hard-to-treat cancers such as brain tumors.

Issels®: The Gold Standard of Immunotherapy for Cancer

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Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, News

What’s Happening in Colorectal Cancer Research?

 

Cancer Research is Making Progress Every Day. Here is the Latest for Colorectal Cancer.
Cancer Research is Making Progress Every Day. Here is the Latest for Colorectal Cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States, but there are currently more than one million survivors in the country. The National Foundation for Cancer Research has some information you should know about this preventable disease.

Rates and Risks of Colorectal Cancer

• Overall risks of developing colorectal cancer are marginally higher for men. Approximately one in 21 is diagnosed with the disease, while the numbers for women are one in 23.

• Health factors that increase the risk of colorectal cancer include inflammatory bowel disorders, family history and genetics, and personal history of polyps or another form of cancer.

• Poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, obesity and high-fat diets, heavy alcohol use and physical inactivity also contribute to colorectal cancer risk.

• Regular screenings can help prevent colorectal cancer.

Colorectal Cancer Research in the News

Genomics and immunotherapy for cancer are the main focus points of today’s colorectal cancer research.

• Dr. Wei Zhang and his NFCR-funded team are continuing their promising studies into biomarkers and their use in improving colorectal cancer prognosis and predicting responses to treatment.

• NFCR has also supported the work of Dr. Yung-Chi Cheng, who is on the cusp of producing one of the first FDA-approved oral herbal immunotherapies for cancer. When applied in combination with chemotherapy, PH906 has been found to ease gastrointestinal side effects that accompany treatment for colon and rectal cancers.

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Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment

New Cancer Treatment Targets Protein Found in Tumors

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Links to Cancer are Being Identified Everyday! There is Hope.
Links to Cancer are Being Identified Everyday! There is Hope.

Immunotherapy continues to be a major focus in cancer treatment research. Scientists in the United Kingdom recently began early-phase clinical trials of an experimental drug that targets a protein found in many solid tumors.

Using the Immune System to Attack Cancer Cells

Cancer Research UK and Biotecnol Limited are collaborating on development of a first-in-class Fdrug known as Tb535H. Arising from Trisoma®, Biotecnol’s antibody development platform, the drug targets the 5T4/WAIF1 antigen that is believed to contribute to the spread of cancer cells.

As with most immunotherapy treatments, Tb535H works by harnessing the immune system’s T cells and directing them to attack and kill cancer cells. Biotecnol has been instrumental in partnering with top cancer institutions to develop promising immune-oncology therapies.

Targeted Cancer Treatment

The discovery of the WAIF1 antigen also occurred as a result of studies at Cancer Research UK’s Manchester Institute. While it may ultimately be a target for a number of cancer types, current testing will be limited to cancers with low survival rates, including mesothelioma and small-cell lung carcinoma.

Dr. Nigel Blackburn, director of drug development for Cancer Research UK, acknowledged that the partnership with Biotecnol will accelerate the path of bringing Tb535H to cancer patients. Blackburn also stressed the need for more effective treatment for lung cancer, the cause of 20 percent of cancer deaths in the UK.

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