Monthly Archives: May 2018

News

No More Biopsies – MRI Recommended for Prostate Cancer Screening

No More Biopsies - MRI Recommended for Prostate Cancer Screening
No More Biopsies – MRI Recommended for Prostate Cancer Screening

The collaborative efforts of a multi-institutional study published by JAMA Oncology is changing prostate cancer treatment protocols. Potential prostate cancer patients may no longer need to line up for biopsies. Instead, MRI-based prediction models are offering a new risk assessment option.

Bye-Bye Biopsy
In the study, researchers from the National Cancer Institute, University of Chicago, and University of Alabama at Birmingham found evidence that the inclusion of an MRI for prostate cancer patients can be used as a biomarker to decrease unnecessary biopsies. It was also determined that the MRIs helped maintain a high rate of diagnoses for clinically significant prostate cancers.

Hello MRI
Based on the data collected, the research points to MRI-based models as further offering the benefit of lower false-positive rates than the baseline model. This means 18% fewer men would be subject to unnecessary biopsies subsequent to false-positive diagnosis.

Next Destination: Improved Cancer Treatment
Co-Author of the study, UAB Department of Urology Assistant Professor and UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Associate Scientist Soroush Rais-Bahrami, M.D., points to the data’s far-reaching implications. The imaging biomarker is expected to optimize patient selection, as well as allow for the more accurate determination of risk factors and stratification.

What’s more, it will provide physicians with the opportunity to potentially reduce prostate cancer morbidity by enabling a more timely and accurate diagnosis, and thus a faster, more individualized treatment response for prostate cancer treatment patients.

Looking for an alternative approach to cancer treatment? Issels® has you covered. Contact us to learn more about our individualized, non-toxic immunotherapy options. Bring your body back to health with the help of Issels® today.

Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, News

New Cancer Treatments May Be Studied After Gene Breakthrough Research for Breast Cancer

New Cancer Treatments May Be Studied After Gene Breakthrough Research for Breast Cancer
New Cancer Treatments May Be Studied After Gene Breakthrough Research for Breast Cancer

In the most comprehensive breast cancer treatment study of its kind to-date, scientists may have uncovered the potential for new breast cancer treatment therapies, and possibilities for the development of new drugs aimed at preventing the disease.

More than 100 Genes Linked to Breast Cancer Revealed
After discovering a bounty of genes linked to breast cancer, scientists may soon be able to develop new genetic tests for predicting breast cancer risk, and using the data obtained, ensure targeted cancer treatment for patients.

Genes Linked to Survival Could Aid in Prevention
Thirty-two additional genes, linked to survival in those with receptor-positive breast cancer, were also uncovered. These are hoped to be used to test new treatments, as well as for providing targeted prevention protocols for those most at-risk of developing breast cancer.

Super Sleuths
In the study, funded by Breast Cancer Now, scientists from the Institute of Cancer Research in London used a new genetic technique called ‘Capture Hi-C’ to analyze how genes interacted with 33 DNA regions known to play a role in breast cancer. Of the 110 genes identified in the study, the majority had not been previously linked to breast cancer, providing fresh new insight for those striving to develop improved cancer treatment regimens.

A Vital Piece to Puzzling Out the Disease
The findings are seen as integral to unraveling how genetic changes in the building blocks of the body’s DNA influence breast cancer risk, providing a key piece to solving the cancer puzzle.

Puzzling out your cancer treatment options? Discover the path to improved health with Issels® individualized cancer treatment protocols today.

Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, News

Prostate Screening Using PSA Tests Appears to Miss Many Aggressive Cancers

Prostate Screening Using PSA Tests Appears to Miss Many Aggressive Cancers
Prostate Screening Using PSA Tests Appears to Miss Many Aggressive Cancers

The healthcare community has long promoted early detection as one of the keys to successful cancer treatment. In the UK, where prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in men, experts are referring to the corresponding PSA test as a “blunt tool” that has no life-saving benefit.

The Merits and Drawbacks of PSA Testing

A PSA test measures a specific protein in the blood that increases when cancer cells are present. Any man over the age of 50 in the UK can currently request a PSA test from his general practitioner.

In response to a debate about whether or not the country’s National Health Service should institute a national prostate cancer screening program, Cancer Research UK funded a study to evaluate the effectiveness of PSA testing. Subjects included 400,000 men between the ages of 50 and 69.

Results showed that death rates among men in the group were identical, regardless of whether or not they received a PSA test. The screening failed to detect several cases of aggressive prostate cancer while causing unnecessary stress by flagging benign tumors.

Should Men Undergo Prostate Cancer Screening?

Dr. Emma Turner, a member of the research team, stated the need for more accurate testing that would facilitate early prostate cancer treatment. In the meantime, Heather Blake of Prostate Cancer UK suggests that men over 50 discuss the pros and cons with their GP before opting for a PSA test.

Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer at Issels®

Men with prostate cancer are among the many patients who have achieved long-term remission after cancer treatment at Issels®. Contact us to learn more.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, News

Medicare Will Now Cover FDA-Approved Genomic Testing for Cancer Treatment

Medicare Will Now Cover FDA-Approved Genomic Testing for Cancer Treatment
Medicare Will Now Cover FDA-Approved Genomic Testing for Cancer Treatment

Genomic testing is an important tool that helps doctors determine whether or not a patient is a candidate for cancer immunotherapy treatment. Last month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) made the announcement that Medicare will now cover FDA-approved genetic tests to evaluate cancer.

Giving Patients Access to “Innovative Diagnostics”

Discussion on the issue began several months ago when Foundation Medicine received FDA approval for F1CDx, the first broad genomic cancer test of its kind. The current cost for for F1CDx is $5,800.

At the time of the announcement, CMS administrator Seema Verma issued a statement explaining the decision. CMS believes that it will give cancer patients “enhanced access and expanded coverage when it comes to innovative diagnostics.”

Coverage for genomic and molecular cancer tests that are still in development and not yet FDA-approved does not change with the new policy. U.S. regional Medicare administrative contractors will retain discretion in regards to payment for such testing.

Opening the Door to Accurate Evaluation

For the time being, Foundation Medicine will likely see a surge in the number of specimens submitted to them for testing. In the big picture, the CMS decision will encourage researchers to gather the evidence needed for FDA approval of additional tests.

Experts predict that within a few years another half-dozen companies will join Foundation Medicine in offering FDA-approved testing. One scientist called the decision a “major advancement for precision medicine.”

Genomic Testing and Cancer Immunotherapy from Issels®

At Issels®, we use genomic testing in creating individualized cancer immunotherapy programs that address each patient’s unique needs. Contact us today for more information.

Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, News

Consumer DNA Screening for Cancer by “23 and Me” Wins FDA Approval

Consumer DNA Screening for Cancer by "23 and Me" Wins FDA Approval
Consumer DNA Screening for Cancer by “23 and Me” Wins FDA Approval

What if you could check your cancer risk in the comfort of your own home? One popular DNA testing company recently won approval to offer the first consumer test for genetic mutations linked to breast cancer.

In-Home DNA Screening

At a cost of $199, 23andMe’s DNA test is considerably less expensive than testing in a medical office, which can run into thousands of dollars. Existing customers of 23andMe are expected to have access to the test within the next few weeks.

BRCA gene mutations have been linked to a higher risk of developing breast cancer. While there are more than one thousand known mutations, the DNA test from 23andMe screens for three specific mutations that are found primarily in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.

It’s estimated that one in 40 Ashkenazi Jews has one of the mutations, which results in a 45 to 85 percent chance of women developing breast cancer by the age of 70 as well as a higher risk of ovarian cancer. Men can also carry one of the mutations along with a risk of breast cancer.

How Effective Is Consumer Genetic Testing?

Geneticist Eric Topol of the Scripps Institute cautions that 23andMe’s test is a start, but testing needs to be more comprehensive. Topol adds that, since the test is limited to three mutations, people may get a false sense of security when they are actually carrying other mutations outside the scope of the test.

Cancer Immunotherapy for Advanced Breast Cancer

Patients with advanced forms of breast cancer and other tumors have achieved long-term remission with cancer immunotherapy treatments at Issels®. Contact us for more information.

After Cancer, Cancer Survivors, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, News

An Immunotherapy and Ovarian Cancer Success Story

1 Comment
An Immunotherapy and Ovarian Cancer Success Story
An Immunotherapy and Ovarian Cancer Success Story

What happens when a patient responds to cancer immunotherapy that, according to advanced medical knowledge, shouldn’t work? Scientists are studying four recent cases where cancer treatment “broke the rules.”

Exceptions to the Rule?

Four women in different countries, who knew each other only through an online support group, were diagnosed with the same rare form of ovarian cancer. Each one persuaded her doctor to use immunotherapy drugs, despite conventional wisdom that the treatment was useless against ovarian cancer.

Against all odds, the patients responded positively, with their tumors going into remission and the women returning to their normal lives. Researchers are hoping to gain insight that will help develop cancer immunotherapy treatments with a broader range of applications.

Why Doctors Were Caught by Surprise

Tumor cells have an ability to deflect attacks from the body’s immune system, allowing them to multiply freely. Immunotherapy is a way of helping the immune system identify and kill cancer cells.

So far immunotherapy has been successful primarily with lung cancer, melanoma and forms with many genetic mutations. By contrast, hypercalcemic ovarian cancer, which is the form that affected the four women, is driven by a single mutation.

The theory is that a lower number of mutations “tricks” the immune system into disregarding the threat posed by cancer cells. Based on the positive results in the women with ovarian cancer, scientists at Johns Hopkins and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center are conducting trials with the aim of further refining cancer immunotherapy.

Comprehensive Cancer Immunotherapy Treatments at Issels®

Our individually created immunotherapy programs are often successful where other conventional treatments have failed. Contact us for more information.