Category Archives: Cancer Research

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, News

What’s Happening in Immunotherapy Research – Part One

What's New in Immunotherapy
What’s New in Immunotherapy

As immunotherapy for cancer continues to gain traction in the medical community, researchers around the globe are directing their efforts toward finding new treatment methods and improving existing ones. Here’s a look at some of the exciting developments in immunotherapy treatments that are making news today.

Refining Monoclonal Antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, are proteins that take advantage of the difference between cancer cells and normal cells. Scientists are exploring ways to make mAbs even more powerful, such as attaching them to drugs or other substances, while making them less likely to trigger an immune response. They are also working on combining mAbs for a more focused attack on tumors.

CAR T-Cells

T-cells, which are part of the immune system, have long been a major subject of immunotherapy research. Recent trials involve removing T-cells from a patient, genetically adding CARs (chimeric antigen receptors), then returning them to the patient’s blood, where they can more precisely target cancer cells. This method has shown particularly promising results in cases featuring advanced forms of leukemia and lymphoma.

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes

Another approach using T-cells centers on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) found deep within tumors. The TILs are removed from tumor samples and treated with interleukin-2 so they multiply rapidly. Once injected back into the patient, the TILs are better equipped to fight cancer cells.

Issels®: A Pioneer in Immunotherapy Treatments

In our next post, we’ll continue our look at the latest updates on research centering on immunotherapy for cancer. Contact us to learn more about how Issels® has been a leader in personalized, non-toxic immunotherapy protocols.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Monoclonal Antibodies – The Role They Play in Cancer Immunotherapy

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Fighting Cancer with Monoclonal Antibodies

Researchers have developed many new ways to treat cancer, and immunotherapy for cancer has played a large role in their discoveries. Here at Issels®, we’re proud to provide immunotherapy for cancer to our patients as a treatment alternative to chemotherapy and radiation.

In recent discoveries, extensive research has been conducted on Monoclonal Antibodies (MAbs) and the important role they play in treating cancer.

Understanding Antibodies and Their Role in the Body

When your body detects a foreign substance – whether it’s cancer cells or a common infection – your immune system immediately goes to work creating antibodies to fight what doesn’t belong in its environment. The foreign substance is called an antigen, and antibodies will search until it’s been found. Once it’s found, your immune system attacks it.

Researchers have found that by isolating certain antibodies and then reproducing them in a laboratory setting, they are able to target specific cancer cells.

How Monoclonal Antibodies are used in Immunotherapy for Cancer

Just as there are many different types of antigens, there are many types of cancers. MAbs have been shown to be effective against certain types of cancer. The challenge has been that the MAbs must be tailored to go after the right antigen, and that is causing a delay in using this treatment for all types of cancer.

Even so, research is ongoing and experts are hopeful that this new protocol might bring us one step closer to finding a cure.

Here at Issels®, we’re committed to providing you with the best immunotherapy treatment for cancer. If you would like to learn more about how this type of cancer treatment can help you, contact us.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy

Higher Genetic Mistakes in Tumors May Predict a Better Result for Immunotherapy Treatment

Immunotherapy Can Expand Options for Those With Limited Cancer Treatment Options
Immunotherapy Can Expand Options for Those With Limited Cancer Treatment Options

For many patients with difficult-to-treat tumors, immunotherapy for cancer has successfully expanded their previously limited options. According to a study recently presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference, a new immunotherapy drug has shown promise for treatment of advanced bladder cancer.

The Power of Checkpoint Inhibitors

Researchers speaking at the ASCO conference in Chicago last June reported on the results of clinical trials for atezolizumab, marketed under the name Tecentriq. Atezolizumab is one of a growing number of treatments referred to as checkpoint inhibitors.

Cancer cells often get a foothold by flying under the radar of immune cells, which are your body’s main line of defense against bacteria, viruses and other “invaders.” Checkpoint inhibitors target a molecule called PD-L1, thereby releasing immune cells to attack and kill the rogue cancer cells.

Tumors with “High Mutational Burden” Respond to Immunotherapy

A follow-up analysis to the bladder cancer trials indicated that tumors with a “high mutational burden,” which refers to the number of genetic faults in the cells, appear to be more receptive to immunotherapy. Dr. Jonathan Rosenburg of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC explained that it was made easier for the immune system to identify the mutated cells in such tumors.

Issels®: A Leader in Immunotherapy for Cancer

Our state-of-the-art non-toxic immunotherapy treatments have been used successfully on patients with all forms of cancer, including bladder, breast and melanoma. Visit our website to learn more about our cancer vaccines, gene-targeted therapies and other protocols individually designed to address your specific needs.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy

Pancreatic Cancer: Hijacking the Immune System to Hide Its Growth

Pancreatic Cancer: Hijacking the Immune System to Hide Its Growth
Pancreatic Cancer: Hijacking the Immune System to Hide Its Growth

With a five-year survival rate of only three percent, pancreatic cancer is one of the more difficult types of cancer to treat. Scientists from Cancer Research UK, in collaboration with scientists from pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, recently announced their discovery of a promising method to help defeat these tumors.

Pancreatic Cancer’s “Stealth Attack”

The immune system is your body’s first line of defense against cancer cells and other foreign bodies that threaten your health. In the case of pancreatic cancer, once the cells make it past the initial gauntlet, they move on to hijack parts of the immune system to facilitate their growth.

The UK study, published in Cancer Cell, reported the team’s discovery of CXCR2, which is a protein that serves as the gatekeeper for pancreatic tumors, guarding them from attack by immune cells. Use of an experimental drug that blocks CXCR2 allowed T-cells to enter the tumor, making it more vulnerable to treatment.

Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer

Until now, the shielding process has made pancreatic cancer particularly resistant to immunotherapy. Professor Peter Johnson, chief clinician at Cancer Research UK, said their study suggests that using the new drug in concert with immunotherapy treatments could create “a powerful weapon” in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

Using the Body’s Natural Defenses to Defeat Cancer

For more than 60 years, our Issels® center has been the leader in the use of immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer and many other types. Contact us today for more information about our personalized non-toxic treatments, including cancer vaccines, hyperthermia and gene-targeted therapies.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Gut Flora and Cancer – the Important Connection

Using Gut Flora in Treatment Has Benefits Comparable to Anti-Cancer Drugs
Using Gut Flora in Treatment Has Benefits Comparable to Anti-Cancer Drugs

When it comes to your health, the term “bacteria” usually inspires a negative reaction. You may be surprised to learn that your body actually harbors “good” bacteria that boosts your immune system and plays a role in preventing cancer.

The Role of Gut Flora

Your body’s microbiome is a network containing trillions of organisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. Some are positive and some are not, but they all work together to maintain a balance that keeps your system in good working condition.

In the late 1990s, scientists began to discover the crucial value of the group of organisms centered in your colon, referred to as “gut flora.” Research has found that healthy gut flora contributes to a strong immune system, which is your body’s first line of defense against foreign organisms that cause illness and disease.

Gut Flora and the Fight against Cancer

Cancer cells can often evade detection by your body’s immune system, allowing them to grow unchecked. Traditional therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy are effective, but they end up destroying healthy cells as well.

Researchers from the University of Chicago, encouraged by positive results from testing on mice, included gut flora as part of integrative immunotherapy treatments. The successful results were comparable to the beneficial effects of anti-cancer drugs.

State-of-the-Art Integrative Immunotherapy at Issels®

Integrative immunotherapy programs used at Issels® are focused on harnessing your body’s own natural defenses to destroy cancer cells. Visit our website to learn more about our cancer vaccines, immune enhancement protocols and other personalized non-toxic treatments.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, News

July is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, Will You Be Wearing the Yellow Ribbon?

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New Immunotherapy Drug Can Help Fight Bladder Cancer
New Immunotherapy Drug Can Help Fight Bladder Cancer

If you or someone you love has received a diagnosis of bladder cancer or is in stage four and have exhausted treatment options, NBC news reports that there may be new hope for immunotherapy treatment for bladder cancer. This information is timely as July is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month.

Immunotherapy treatments

Immunotherapy for bladder cancer works by treating a person’s immune system so it has the ability to fight cancer.

According to the NBC news article, “more successful approaches, involve training immune cells to recognize a patient’s specific tumors, or finding and amplifying a patient’s own tumor-specific immune cells.” Immunotherapy now appears to be the best course of cancer treatment for many patients.

New drug, new hope

Hope now lies in a drug newly-approved by the FDA called atezolizumab (brand name Tecentriq) that boosts the immune system to slow the spread of tumors in patients in the advanced stages of bladder cancer. It’s the latest development in immunotherapy for bladder cancer treatments and it has shown promising results.

In a study of 119 patients who received the drug as treatment revealed that growth stopped in the tumors in 24% of those patients in the advanced stages of bladder cancer. The drug also shrank the tumors by 30%. According to the research team, 21 of the original patients from 2014 who received the immunotherapy for bladder cancer are still in remission today.

Learn more about our non-toxic immunotherapy for bladder cancer by contacting Issels® Integrative Immuno-Oncology.