Category Archives: Cancer Research

Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Uncategorized

Why Is It Taking So Long to Find a Cure for Cancer?

Ideas on finding a cure for cancer.
Ideas on finding a cure for cancer.

At Issels®, we know that many of our readers wonder about research being done to find a cure for cancer. Many impatiently wait for progress as cancer leaves an indelible mark on anyone who has ever had cancer or known and/or loved someone who has had cancer.

Why is a cure taking so long?

Scientists are still trying to understand all of the complex processes that turn cells into the many types of cancers that exist.

How Does Cancer Form?

As Dr. Craig Thompson, CEO of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, pointed out in a recent article about this topic, family genetic inheritance, the formation site, immune system responses and cellular changes all factor into the complex puzzle that is cancer. We know that the last two items have the most influence:

  • The immune system isn’t perfect. Severe allergies and asthma are conditions that often happen when the immune system becomes confused about what it should or should not fight off to protect the body. Cancer is another example.
  • Many cells mutate into cancer because of natural aging changes we don’t yet completely understand. Sometimes there are errors during growth that repeat when new cells form. Lastly, cells can experience DNA damage from microorganisms, radiation, toxins and poor habits like smoking and tanning.

As Thompson noted, the key is to understand the “biology of cancer” and then use that knowledge to prevent it in those who don’t have it and create new treatments that precisely deal with causation in those who do.

At Issels® Immuno-Oncology, we have integrated many of the most recent precision techniques into our non-toxic, customized cancer treatment plans. For more information, contact us today.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Uncategorized

Researchers Predict a Rise in Breast Cancer

Cancer Detection
Researchers Predict A Rise In Breast Cancer

At Issels® Integrative Immuno-Oncology, we pay close attention to research about cancer trends from around the world to help us improve our precision treatment methods.

According to research results announced in April by Dr. Philip Rosenberg, Ph.D of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer, Epidemiology and Genetics, Americans will see several new breast cancer trends by 2030.

Age Matters

Longer lifespans will result in more breast cancer cases:

  • Dr. Rosenberg predicts a more than 50 percent rise in breast cancer cases, including an estimated 11 percent increase in older women.
  • Women who live into their 70’s and early 80’s are at a higher risk of getting ER-positive in situ cancer (i.e. tumors caused by estrogen that are confined to the breasts).
  • ER-positive in situ cases will increase overall by an estimated 10 percent.

Hopeful News

Whether you have cancer or not, it’s important to remember the following:

  • These predictions were based on other predictions and assumptions — for example, that mammography will remain a major detection method.
  • The predictions were also based on incomplete and old data, including U.S. Census Bureau data, aggregate details about 500,000 patients diagnosed with cancer in the years up through 2010 and total cancer case numbers from 2011.
  • If the predictions are accurate, at least one group will deal less with certain breast cancers: a 10 percent decrease in overall cases for those ages 50 to 69.
  • Dr. Rosenberg also predicts an 8 percent decrease in the number of ER-negative in situ and invasive cancers that are difficult to treat.

To learn more about this study, cancer trends and/or our treatment options, contact our expert and caring Issels® staff today.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Uncategorized

Promising New Treatments Use Molecular Cancer Classifications for Melanoma

Cancer Treatment in Tijuana
Preventing Melanoma

In a groundbreaking effort that could lead to improved strategies even for stage four melanoma treatment, researchers have gathered national data to better determine cancer risk of four major molecular subtypes of cancer. What does this mean for your cancer treatment efforts? Issels® wants you to know.

Improved classification of data = better treatment.
Broken down by age, race/ethnicity, poverty level, and other factors, the data gathered will help researchers more accurately determine the degree of risk, and cancer patients better understand health implications based on their breast cancer subtype, as each of the four major molecular subtypes responds differently to treatment and has varying survival rates.

More access = better treatment.
Also improving strategies for stage four melanoma treatment, the data gathered has been recorded by cancer registries nationwide, making widely available medically important information to guide therapeutic strategies for these cancer subtypes.

Faster identification = better treatment.
The new diagnostic categories identified by researchers will further support the prevention and treatment of multiple types of cancer, as well as monitor their incidence and outcomes, providing further necessary data for the use in stage four melanoma treatment.

Promising findings = a better future for you.
The findings, as well as the statistical analysis of the most common types of cancer, were reported in “The Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2011,” which also confirmed encouraging trends in cancer mortality among men, women, and children alike, reflecting the progress made over the years in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment.

Struggling with stage four melanoma treatment? Issels® help you on the path to recovery. Contact us today.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Uncategorized

Designer Cancer Therapies using Your Body to Fight Cancer

Alternative Lung Cancer Treatment
Fighting Cancer With Your Body

Dealing with the challenges of stage four cancer treatment can feel overwhelming and isolating, but there is good news. Doctors, scientists and researchers are working hard to make advances in cancer prevention and treatment and their efforts are paying off. The latest breakthrough involves creating a personalized vaccine that is designed to target each patient’s cancer.

Immunotherapy

Research shows that one of the best ways to fight cancer is to harness the power of the body’s own immune system. A personalized vaccine does this by telling your immune system to target a tumor. The result is a more focused treatment that isn’t as hard on the rest of your body as radiation or chemotherapy.

No Two Cancers are Alike

Every cancer patient experiences tumors behave differently. That is why a one-size-fits-all approach to stage four cancer treatment simply won’t be as effective as a more concentrated and personalized effort. Immunotherapy actually identifies the genes that are causing mutations and creates a vaccine that will specifically target those cells. This minimizes side effects and produces better results.

Developing Vaccines

A this stage in the process, scientists are still collecting data and trying to streamline all the various components involved in creating a vaccine. It takes time for them to produce a personalized vaccine. Cutting down on turnaround time could significantly increase the number of patients who are able to benefit from this specialized type of therapy.

Immunotherapy and personalized vaccines are just two components of an individualized treatment plan. At Issels®, we have many years of experience in preparing and administering personalized vaccines and also incorporate new methods as they are available. We take a comprehensive individualized approach to treatment because we know that cancer is a very complex systemic disease and every patient is different. Contact us today to find out more.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer, Uncategorized

New Breast Cancer Gene Plaguing Polish and French Canadians Discovered

Cancer Gene
The Breast Cancer Gene

One of the biggest challenges associated with preventing and curing breast cancer is that there appears to be several genes that are associated with the mutations that cause this cancer. Scientists and researchers have been working to identify all the potential causes and have recently made a real breakthrough. At the University of Toronto, researchers discovered that the gene RECQL is responsible for mutations in both Polish and French Canadian women.

Hereditary Breast Cancer

This research study has been focused on types of breast cancer that are inherited, which represent about 10% of all cases. By looking closely at over 20,000 cases, scientists were able to find a strong pattern of occurrence in these two populations. This information provides valuable insight into the behavior or cancer and the role of genetics. In fact, the study revealed that Polish women with the mutation are five times more likely to get breast cancer and the risk for French Canadian women is multiplied 50 times.

Targeted Treatment

While this information has yet to be used to change treatment methods, it does provide hope for future innovations. Not only can women be tested for the gene, in order to identify the likelihood that they will get breast cancer, but scientists anticipate being able to design targeted treatments around each specific genetic mutation.

This individualized approach to creating a treatment plan falls in line with Issels® philosophy about patient care. Not every woman acquires cancer through the same route, so why would everyone receive the same type of treatment? Continued research on the role of genetics in specific populations of people could lead to more effective treatment methods in the future, so stay tuned.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Uncategorized

Battling Cancer with IBM Watson’s Computer and Big Data

Fighting Cancer With Computers
Fighting Cancer With Computers

The IBM Watson computer has offered breakthrough diagnostic services to oncologists looking for better and faster ways to battle cancer.

The problem in the past has been how to handle, disseminate and extrapolate the hundreds of thousands of bits of data associated with different cancers. In its huge data base, Watson has stored all this data as well as having the capacity to store future data as it becomes available. In effect, Watson is a centralized data bank exclusively dedicated to the treatment of cancer.

The introduction of Watson has been embraced by a combination of 14 U.S. and Canadian cancer institutes. The scientists charged with using this valuable information are encouraged by the possibilities, and hopeful they will be able to make a substantial difference in the treatment and care of patient’s battling a diagnosis of cancer.

Watson provides a wealth of information related to the disease that can be filtered, sifted through, and input into other programs. Previously, curating this amount of data research on this level would take doctors weeks to conduct. Now, with the help of International Business Machines Corp.’s Watson computer, the data can be output in minutes.

The outcome remains to be seen, but with this kind of dedicated computing power in the hands of those who are best able to analyze it – oncologists, scientists and cancer caregivers—hope for more personalized treatment and perhaps even an eventual cure, is better than ever before.

Watson made its television debut on the popular quiz show “Jeopardy.” Now it will be charged with a higher purpose, possibly influencing the outcome of the thousands of cancer patients’s prognosis.