Category Archives: Alternative Cancer Treatment

Alternative Cancer Treatment

Holistic Approach to Cancer Treatment Needed to Address Tumor Complexity

image of DNA
Tumor complexity is tied to unexpected diversity at the cellular level.

“Tumors evolve on a very simple principle; it is all about the survival of the nastiest,” Paul Workman of the British Institute of Cancer Research in London recently told The Guardian.

Their killer survival instinct may be what allows cancer tumors to eventually overwhelm traditional cancer treatments – typically within 6 months — and find new ways of replicating cancer cells. As noted in our previous post, achieving long-term remission of advanced cancer tumors and standard therapy-resistant tumors requires multiple attack paths to counteract the surprising  ability of cancer cells to change attack mode when cancer treatment interferes with their ability to reproduce.

Cancer-causing agents initiate tumor growth in several ways:

  • Trigger cells to divide and spread uncontrollably;
  • Turn off cell mechanisms that normally halt cell division; or
  • Block the DNA repair mechanisms that maintain cell health.

Given the flexibility of cancer cells to change behavior when denied their preferred method of attack, study researchers believe that a multi-pronged treatment program must be employed to effectively counteract all possible growth methods. For many cancer researchers, including those involved in the London study, this means developing new cancer drugs and chemotherapy protocols that could deliver multiple drugs simultaneously or in rapid succession in a manner similar to that used to fight HIV.

The problem with limiting cancer treatment to drugs is one of scope. Of the 23,000 human genes mapped 150 have been identified as cancer-causing agents; but drug treatments are available for only 15. Issels integrative immunotherapy looks beyond drugs, employing a variety of treatment methods that work with the body to effectively attack cancer on multiple fronts.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Unexpected Cancer Tumor Complexity Requires New Treatment Protocols

DNA
Cancer tumors are considerably more genetically complex than thought.

Unlocking the body’s genetic code has led to myriad discoveries that are transforming medicine. One unexpected discovery is that cancer tumors are considerably more genetically complex that previously believed, causing researchers to rethink current traditional methods of treating cancer.

“Until recently, it was assumed cancer cells were more or less identical clones of each other. We have found this is not true. Cells, taken from a single tumor from one person, can have many different genetic alterations within them,” Chris Jones of the Institute of Cancer Research in London told The Guardian.

Mapping of the human genome opened the door to targeted cell therapy. Of the body’s 23,000 genes, scientists found 150 genes with mutations that could trigger cells to create cancerous tumors. Scientists found that the various triggering mechanisms could be targeted and tumor growth slowed or halted using new cancer drugs that redefined chemotherapy. Now instead of a blanket approach that killed healthy cells along with the cancerous ones, specific drugs could be used to target cancer cells without harming healthy cells.

Initially, patient response to these new targeted drug treatments was impressive. However, in many cases cancer returned 6 months after treatment; but this time tumors were drug-resistant. What scientists discovered surprised them. When drugs blocked one path to tumor development, cancer cells demonstrated their genetic complexity by finding a new path.

The problem may be that traditional chemotherapy, even when targeted, is a destructive force designed to tear down the body. Issels personalized integrated immunotherapy, on the other hand, uses targeted cell therapies designed to build up the body’s immune system, strengthening its ability to fight cancer.

To be continued

Alternative Cancer Treatment

Innovative Cell Imaging Could Improve Personalized Cancer Care

Doctor looking through a microscope.
New Cancer Breakthoughs

One of the most challenging aspects of treating cancer is that, while there are commonalities, each person’s response to cancer and cancer treatments is unique. When cancer cells attack, some people are able to fight off cancer’s devastating effects and recover; others are not. Likewise, a cancer treatment that is effective in achieving long-term remission in one person may not be successful with another.

Biodynamic Imaging, an innovative cell imaging technique created by Purdue University researchers, may allow physicians to accurately determine the efficacy of cancer treatments on an individual. As Purdue research leader David Nolte told R&D Magazine:

“Technicians can use BioDynamic Imaging to measure tumor response to cancer therapy, such as metabolism and cell division. This can tell how well the drug is working and if there are side effects. Our approach is called phenotypic testing, which is more pertinent than genetic testing because it captures the holistic response of cancer to chemotherapy.”

The ability to determine individual response to chemotherapy, cancer vaccines and other cancer therapies could allow treatment teams to evaluate and identify more quickly treatment protocols that most benefit individual patients.

Early to recognize the uniqueness of each person’s response to cancer and cancer treatment, Issels Integrative Oncology began developing our innovative program of individualized immunotherapy more than 60 years ago. In six decades of successful practice, Issels cancer treatment teams have refined personalized cancer care and treatment using a holistic approach to boost immune response and fight cancer on multiple fronts. The success of our immunotherapy-based approach is evident in the many patient testimonials and documented case studies posted on our website.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Birth Defects Linked to Higher Cancer Risk

Smiling young doctor holding a beautiful newborn baby.
Certain types of birth defects are linked to a higher cancer risk.

Children born with major birth defects face many challenges as they move through life. A new study adds cancer to the hurdles they and their families must overcome. University of Utah researchers have found that children with certain types of birth defects have a somewhat greater risk of developing cancer, a risk that could impact the 120,000 (3%) of American children born with major birth defects every year.

The study found that non-chromosomal birth defects double cancer risk for children under the age of 15, although risk was greatest during the first 5 years of life. However, increased cancer risk was not universal and was not associated with the most common birth defects. According to study findings, increased cancer risk was limited to specific birth defects: cleft palate, eye defects, microcephaly and certain heart and kidney defects. All of the cancers associated with these birth defects were linked to immature cells that develop in early childhood.

While previous studies have documented increased cancer risk for children with Down’s syndrome, which is a genetic birth defect caused by the presence of an extra chromosome, this study focused on cancer risk for children born with structural birth defects unrelated to chromosomal abnormalities. It is hoped that study results will lead to improved treatment and long-term outcomes for children with birth defects.

Traditional medical treatments for children with cancer carry their own risks. As we reported earlier, one study found that children who undergo chemotherapy have a high risk of developing life-threatening chronic diseases during their adult years. Issels’ integrated immunotherapy cancer treatments offer effective alternatives to chemotherapy and radiation.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Cells’ Sugar Appetite Could Lead to New Alternative Treatment for Breast Cancer

Image of cells under a microscope.
Cells and how they process sugar.

Interesting new cancer research into the way cells process sugar may lead to new alternative cancer treatments for chemotherapy-resistant breast cancer. British researchers at the University of Southampton have discovered some intriguing links between sugar processing within cells and cell division and growth.

Researchers hope to halt the division and growth of breast cancer cells by targeting cancer’s “sweet tooth.” Cancer cells have a surprising appetite for the sugars found in human blood, using the sugars to fuel rapid growth. If researchers are able to harness that appetite for sugar, they may be able to stop breast cancer and tumor cells from multiplying and spreading without damaging surrounding healthy cells. The indiscriminate damage chemotherapy inflicts on healthy cells is a major drawback to its use in battling cancer.

In ground-breaking research funded by the Breast Cancer Campaign, News Medical reported that University of Southampton scientist Dr Jeremy Blaydes has shown “that chemicals called cyclic peptide inhibitors can stop ‘sweet toothed’ cancer cells from growing and multiplying by blocking proteins in the cells called CtBPs (C-terminal binding proteins).”

Targeted cell therapy is one of the most promising new research tracks being used to develop revolutionary alternative cancer treatments that rely on basic cell function and the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer.

Issel’s 60-year track record with immunotherapy-based alternative cancer treatments has produced remarkable long-term remission and recovery from chemotherapy and radiation-resistant breast cancer and many other types of cancer. It is hopes that this new discovery will in time give cancer patients an additional beneficial alternative cancer therapy option to the destructive side effects of traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Probiotics May Help Prevent Cancer, Slow Tumor Growth

Probiotics may suppress the growth of bacteria that convert procarcinogens into carcinogens.
Probiotics may clinically suppress the growth of bacteria that convert procarcinogens into carcinogens.

Probiotics are live microorganisms, the “good” bacteria, that live in our digestive tract. Available in foods, notably yogurt and cheese, and supplements, probiotics are believed to not only help mitigate the deadly effects of chemotherapy, as discussed in our previous post; but may also help prevent cancer and slow the growth of cancerous tumors.

The human gut is home to more than 500 strains of bacteria whose primary role is to assist in food digestion and maintain a healthy intestinal tract. But probiotics also seem to play a role in boosting the immune system, aiding it in fighting invasive bacteria and rogue cancer cells.

One of numerous international studies linking probiotics to cancer prevention, particularly colon cancer and breast cancer, an Argentine study concluded:

“Probiotics may suppress the growth of bacteria that convert procarcinogens into carcinogens, thereby reducing the amount of carcinogens in the intestine.”

Separate Australian research that supports that finding also found:

“Probiotic bacteria and prebiotics suppress tumour development in animals” indicating a possible similar reaction in humans.

On Heal Thyself, Pat Robinson provides a comprehensive review of research linking probiotics and cancer available on PubMed.gov, the online publication of the U.S. National Library of Medicine maintained by the National Institutes of Health.

Probiotics are classed as a dietary supplement and are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. If you are considering adding a probiotics supplement to your diet, choose a supplement made by a well-known company that lists the names and amounts of the specific bacteria it contains. Current cancer patients should talk to their Issels cancer treatment team about including probiotics in their immunotherapy treatment plan.