All posts by Chris

Cancer Survivors, Cancer Vaccine, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, News

New Blood Test May Identify Early Cases of Pancreatic Cancer

1 Comment
Tests Have Found Blood Can Help Identify Signs of Pancreatic Cancer.
Tests Have Found Blood Can Help Identify Signs of Pancreatic Cancer.

While pancreatic cancer is relatively rare in the United States, it’s one of the more deadly forms of the disease. According to a recently published study, a new blood test may be able to detect pancreatic cancer during its earliest and most treatable stages.

Solving the Puzzle of Early Detection

Experts predict that pancreatic cancer will become the second leading cause of cancer deaths by 2020. The main problem is late detection, with five-year survival rates coming in at less than 10 percent.

Scientists working on methods of early detection ran into a catch-22. Studies to identify potential markers relied on tumor samples from patients who were already in advanced stages of pancreatic cancer.

A Biomarker Breakthrough

The recent study was conducted by a joint University of Pennsylvania/Mayo Clinic team. Senior investigator Dr. Ken Zaret explained that reprogrammed cells were transplanted into mice, where they developed into invasive pancreatic tumors.

Samples from the lesions and tumors were then taken from the mice and used to identify proteins they secreted. Elevated levels of one protein, called THB52, was found to accurately distinguish between the affected and healthy controls, as well as between pancreatic cancer and other forms.

Dr. Zaret and his team are continuing their research with larger samples and more cross-validation. Researchers are hopeful that their work will lead to a viable test for people at high risk for pancreatic cancer.

Immunotherapy for Cancer at Issels®: Treatment for All Stages

We have used personalized immunotherapy for cancer programs to successfully treat patients with all forms of cancer in early and late stages. Contact us for more information.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Living with Cancer

Exciting New Treatment Possibilities for Hard to Treat Cancers

1 Comment
Do you Have or Know Someone Who is Currently Experiencing a Hard to Treat Cancer? There is Hope!
Do you Have or Know Someone Who is Currently Experiencing a Hard to Treat Cancer? There is Hope!

Cancer cells have the ability to hijack healthy cells, which is one of the reasons tumors are so difficult to treat. A team of British scientists recently found a way to counteract this process, in effect hijacking the hijacking.

How Healthy Cells Aid Tumor Growth

For healthy people, fibroblasts are cells that help to hold different organs together. Cancer cells transform them into cancer associated fibroblasts, or CAFs, that aid in a tumor’s growth and spread.

Higher levels of CAFs are found in many bowel, neck and head cancer cases that have poor survival rates. Despite this knowledge, scientists had been unsuccessful at targeting CAFs.

Halting Pro-Cancer Activities

A team at the University of Southampton identified an enzyme called NOX4 that is essential for CAFs to work with cancer cells. Using a developmental drug that treats organ fibrosis, the team was able to halt pro-tumor actions by CAFs.

When mice were treated with the drug, the size of their tumors was reduced by up to 50 percent. Cancer Research UK is now funding the Southampton team as they explore the use of this approach in immunotherapy for cancer.

Professor Gareth Thomas, lead researcher of the Southampton team, said that targeting CAFs can offer new possibilities for patients whose cancer has been unresponsive to traditional treatments.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Harnessing the Power of Your Own Immune System

Immunotherapy for cancer programs at Issels® boost the power of your own immune system to target and attack cancer cells. Contact us to learn more about cancer vaccines, NK cells, hyperthermia and other individually tailored immunotherapy treatments.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Living with Cancer

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This Month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Support those Going Through Treatment Today!
This Month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Support those Going Through Treatment Today!

Nearly one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer, which has the highest death rate for females after lung cancer. Beginning in 1985, October has been designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month to educate the public and raise funds for research.

Raising Global Awareness of Breast Cancer

American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries, now known as Astra Zeneca, co-founded NBCAM to encourage women to get mammograms. Eight years later, Evelyn Lauder of Estee Lauder Companies established the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and popularized the symbolic pink ribbon.

NBCAM Activities

During the month of October, organizations around the world stage promotions and fundraisers to support NBCAM. Some of their major activities include:

• The National Football League integrates pink both on and off the field.

• Landmark buildings such as the White House and Tokyo Tower are lit up in pink.

• Race for the Cure, a series of 5K runs and fitness walks, originated in Dallas but is now held throughout the world.

• Susan G. Komen sponsors a three-day event where participants walk an average of 20 miles per day. 3-Day for the Cure® is held in major American cities such as Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco.

• The third week of October is now dedicated to raising awareness of male breast cancer, which is less common but equally important.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Treating Men and Women of All Ages

Both men and women diagnosed with breast cancer, leukemia and all other forms have been successfully treated with personally developed immunotherapy for cancer programs at Issels®. Contact us to learn more.

Cancer Treatment, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Uncategorized

Synthetic Biomarkers May Aid in Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer

Early Treatment of Ovarian Cancer is Important

Ovarian cancer is notoriously difficult to detect in the early stages, resulting in poor survival rates for patients. MIT engineers have developed a synthetic biomarker that could detect ovarian tumors five months earlier than current testing methods.

Early Cancer Treatment of Ovarian Tumors

Five-year survival rates surpass 90 percent when ovarian cancer is detected early. Unfortunately, the disease is usually asymptomatic in the earlier stages. Any symptoms that do present tend to be non-specific, such as fatigue and weight loss.

Current testing looks for the presence of blood biomarkers produced by ovarian tumors, but it can take eight to 10 years for them to reach a high enough concentration to be detected. Ultrasound imaging reveals only tumors that are at least one centimeter in diameter.

Synthetic vs. Natural Biomarkers

Synthetic biomarkers are nanoparticles that interact with tumor proteins. The process releases fragments that can be detected in a patient’s urine, resulting in a more accurate test than one conducted on natural biomarkers in the bloodstream.

Professor Sangeeta Bhatia and her team at MIT engineered a synthetic biomarker to be approximately 15 times better than a previous version. The nanoparticle was then tested against a blood biomarker in mice with ovarian cancer.

The synthetic biomarker was able to detect ovarian cancer composed of tumors as small as two millimeters in diameter. Researchers are now testing the possibility of using this method with other types of cancer.

Personalized Cancer Treatment at Issels®

Every case of cancer is unique, so we use specialized testing to determine the best approach for each patient. Contact us for more information about our immunotherapy cancer treatment programs.

Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Uncategorized

Targeted Cancer Drugs May Protect Fertility in Female Cancer Patients

There is New Hope for Cancer Patients.
There is New Hope for Cancer Patients to Have Children After Treatment

Women of child-bearing age who are undergoing cancer treatment are often vulnerable to infertility. Researchers recently discovered that a certain type of targeted cancer drug may block this unfortunate side effect of chemotherapy.

How Cancer Treatment Affects Fertility

Chemotherapy drugs work by targeting rapidly developing cells and damaging cellular DNA. Oocytes, or immature egg cells, are hypersensitive to DNA damage in order to “retain genomic fidelity.”

In addition, chemotherapy triggers a signaling pathway in the ovaries, resulting in premature maturation of primordial follicles. This process is often referred to as follicular burnout.

Currently there are two primary options for women to preserve their fertility while receiving chemotherapy:

• Goserelin (trade name Zoladex®) and leuprolide (trade name Lupron®) are drugs that temporarily shut down the ovaries.

• Cryopreservation involves harvesting eggs and freezing them for future use or fertilizing them outside the body and freezing the embryos.

Can Targeted Cancer Drugs Help to Preserve Fertility?

mTOR inhibitors have been approved for clinical use as they undergo continued testing for application as targeted cancer drugs. Since mTOR is a vital element in an ovary’s signaling pathway, researchers suspect that blocking the enzyme could protect the reserve of primordial follicles.

During the study, female mice who received chemotherapy only experienced follicular burnout, while those who received mTOR inhibitors as supplements maintained the reserves of primordial follicles. The latter also became pregnant at normal rates, while the former were primarily infertile.

What Is the Issels® Difference?

Immunotherapy boosts the ability of your body’s immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. Contact us for more information about our state-of-the-art, personally-tailored cancer treatment programs.

Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Cancer Vaccine, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Uncategorized

CAR T-Cells May Be an Effective Immunotherapy for Multiple Myeloma

Is Issels Genomic Testing for Personalized Treatment For You
Is Issels Genomic Testing for Personalized Treatment For You?

Researchers have been focusing on CAR T-cells as the basis for a promising immunotherapy cancer treatment. Recent trials show encouraging results for the use of CAR T-cells in fighting advanced multiple myeloma.

CAR T Cells: A New Approach in Cancer Treatment

Scientists are excited about CAR T-cell therapy because it uses a patient’s own immune cells to treat cancer. The cells are gathered from the patient’s blood, engineered to produce chimeric-antigen receptors (CARs), and multiplied in the lab to reach quantities in the billions.

At that point, the cells are reintroduced into the patient’s bloodstream, to where they attach themselves to specific targets on cancer cells. CAR T-cell products, currently awaiting FDA approval, target the CD19 antigen in leukemia and lymphoma.

Can CAR T-Cells Treat Different Cancers?

Two CAR T-cell trials were recently conducted in the United States and China. Results were presented last June at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.

Both trials examined the use of CAR T-cells that target B-cell maturation antigens (BCMA), which are proteins found in myeloma cells. Most of the patients in the studies achieved positive results, with many experiencing complete remission.

CAR T-cell research is still in the early stages. Testing will continue to validate these findings and determine whether CAR T-cell therapy is a viable treatment method for cancer patients.

Issels®: A Pioneer in Immunotherapy

We have a history of successful use of vaccines, NK cells and other cancer treatment methods. Contact us to learn more about why Issels® is the leader in personally developed immunotherapy programs.