Category Archives: Cancer Research

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

TGen Study Looks at Cancer Tumor Cloaking Materials

image of cells
Tripping Down To The Cancer

Treating cancer is difficult enough without the cancer cells hiding behind an extra layer of cellular material called stroma. Researchers at Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) believe drugs that strip away that stroma could improve the effectiveness of cancer drugs. At Issels® Integrative Immuno-Oncology, we understand complexities of effective cancer treatment. That is why our personalized, non-toxic treatments are based on extensive clinical and scientific research.

The TGen study

The TGen researchers state that breaking down that stroma could significantly extend the life of cancer patients, even those with late stage cancer that has already spread to some of their other organs. The stroma is made up of hyaluronan and various other types of collagen. It impedes anti-cancer drugs from finding their targeted cancer cells. The TGen researchers noticed a correlation between higher levels stroma and poor survival rates among patients with pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer

The pancreas is located behind the stomach. It is responsible for producing essential digestive juices and other necessary hormones. Each year, approximately 49,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Over 40,000 will die, making it the fourth deadliest cancer in America. The median survival time for people with advanced pancreatic cancer is 6 months from diagnosis. Less than six percent live five or more years after the diagnosis.

Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff, who authored the TGen study, believes therapies that target stroma could lead to much better survival rates.

We want to keep you updated on the latest cancer research and provide the information you need to make informed decisions about your cancer treatment. Visit the Issels® website and sign up for our free e-Newsletter.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, News

Bayer Give $1 Million to Aid in Cancer Information Technology Platform

Stack of Money
Big Donations

Here at Issels® whenever we hear a great piece of cancer news, we’re always excited to share it. According to a recent news article, Bayer HealthCare, one of the giants in the world of healthcare, has contributed one million dollars toward funding for CancerLinQ.

Advances in technology have paved the way for improved cancer treatments in recent years, and CancerLinQ is no exception. Experts believe that this technological platforms is going to be very instrumental in unlocking information about patients who are living with cancer. This information can then be used to alter the quality of care cancer patients receive, as well as work towards developing more personalized treatments for them.

Once data has been captured from current cancer patients, as well as from their caregivers, CancerLinQ goes to work on their individual needs and experiences. This is a revolutionary concept that has the ability to improve care for everyone who is affected by a cancer diagnosis.

Bayer Healthcare has been committed to cancer research for years. Their oncology franchise includes three products and many compounds that are currently being developed. It is exciting to see that they have partnered with the Conquer Cancer Foundation and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and it will be even more exciting to see how CancerLinQ changes the quality of care for cancer patients in the years ahead.

A cancer diagnosis can change so many parts of your life, but your road to remission doesn’t have to be paved with uncertainty and pain. Here at Issels®, we view cancer treatment and patients very differently. We would love to talk to you about alternative treatment options. Please contact us.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Brain Cancer Immunotherapy Boosted by Tetanus Vaccine

Doctor
Brain Cancer Discoveries

Cancer vaccines train the body’s immune system to target and kill cancer cells, often requiring a boost to the patient’s immune power. A recent study has found a surprising teammate for brain cancer vaccines: the tetanus shot.

The same tetanus vaccine used to prevent bacterial infections associated with rusted metal has a powerful effect of activating and alerting the body’s immune system overall. Because of this, the boost from a tetanus shot may be an extremely effective tool in increasing the success of immunotherapy treatments.

Doctors at Duke University Medical Center recently administered a cancer vaccine trial to patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain tumor. In patients who first received the tetanus shot to awaken their immune response, survival rates increased significantly.

Here’s what the 12-patient trial study found:

  • Patients given tetanus and cancer vaccines survived 4 to 8 more years, with one patient still surviving. Patients without the tetanus vaccine survived up to 11 months.
  • The tetanus vaccine sounds a warning call to the body’s immune system. This increases the chances that the cancer vaccine will be successfully received by the lymph nodes — where the cancer vaccine must go to train the immune system.
  • The cytomegalovirus — present in most people but inactive — becomes reactivated in brain cancer cells. The dendritic cells cancer vaccine can identify brain cancer cells by looking for active cytomegalovirus.

Researchers hope that the tetanus vaccine can not only be a successful tool to fight glioblastoma brain cancer, but also teach us how to boost other kinds of cancer immunotherapy.

Contact us at Issels® Integrative Immuno-Oncology to find out about cancer vaccines and other innovative forms of immunotherapy.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Expensive Biologic Drugs May Face Competition from the FDA and Biosimilars

Cancer Drug Research
Cancer Drug Research

Biologic drugs are often used to effectively treat serious, life threatening diseases. The downside, however, is cost – on average 20 times more than traditional chemical drugs – hundreds of thousands per year, per patient, annually. It’s not surprising that these costs are neither sustainable for the average household – or the government. At Issels® we know access to affordable medication, such as biologics, can be essential to your cancer treatment success, so we wanted to let you know about the latest efforts in making these medicines more reasonable for consumers.

Step in biosimilars…
Expensive to produce, biosimilars are to biologics what generics are to name brand chemical drugs. The hope is by allowing competition in the market through the production of biosimilars, a more affordable option will be available to consumers than current high-cost biologics.

What’s the holdup?
The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) granted the FDA authority to develop a mechanism for approval of biosimilars, but guidelines have yet to be finalized. Interestingly, the FDA accepted its first application last week despite this fact. Many would-be manufacturers are dragging their feet, however, unwilling to take an investment risk without definitive guidelines and knowledge delays caused by biologics – the inventors of these medications – will halt development and approval.

How much will it save?
Similar programs in the E.U., who unlike the U.S. also regulates prices, have resulted in an average savings of about 30 percent less than branded biologics, keeping tens of billions in the pockets of the government and consumers.

Looking for an affordable, effective alternative to your cancer treatment medications?  Contact Issels® today.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Could the Sea Cucumber be an Alternative Cancer Treatment?

Immune Cells
Whats So Special About The Sea Cucumber

There are many treatments for cancer and one that is leading the way for patients is immunotherapy. At Issels®, holistic integrative immuno-oncology treatment programs is their specialty.

With alternative cancer treatments the main focus at Issels®, the on-going research of sea cucumbers as an additional treatment for several types of cancer is good news.

The sea cucumber is a marine animal with a soft, pliable body and shaped like a cucumber. They range in size from several inches to several feet. Over one thousand species call all of the ocean’s of the world home.

Although extract from the sea cucumber has been used as folk remedies in the Asian culture for centuries, according to the American Cancer Society, “there is little reliable scientific evidence to support claims that the sea cucumber is effective in treating cancer, arthritis, and other diseases.”

With that said, research and studies have been on-going for many years with results indicating the extract from sea cucumbers has a dual effect on cancer patients. Studies are showing that the extract serves as a stimulant to the immune system and kills cancer cells.

Research shows the extract is effective in eradicating cancer cells in the colon, breast, pancreatic, lung, liver, and prostate due to a frondoside A, a triterpenoid glycoside from the sea cucumber and formulated into a compound.

Information about frondoside A, its effects on cancer cells and the immune system, and its future as a potential therapeutic option, is available in an article from the from the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

For more information about integrative immuno-oncology, call or contact Issels® about admission and the treatment programs we have available.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research

Vitamin D Plays a Role in Pancreatic Cancer Unlocking New Potential Treatments

Vitamin D To Reduce Risks of Cancer
Vitamin D is Essential

At our Issels® clinics, our focus is providing treatment programs that work with the patient’s immune system and defense mechanism to naturally eliminate cancer cells.

New treatments on the forefront in the fight against cancer are always good news and when a vitamin is found to be playing a significant role in the treatment of difficult tumors, that makes the news even better.

Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with a very low estimated survival rate of five years. A big part of the problem in treating the tumor has been the lack of a complete understanding of a pancreatic tumor’s resistance to current standard treatment.

It is understood that the tumor has the ability to send signals to surrounding cells, called tumor microenvironment. When the cells receive a signal from the tumor, a “shield” surrounds the pancreatic tumor protecting it from drugs and healthy immune cells. With the barrier in place, the tumor can continue to grow.

A study by the Salk Institute has found that a derivative from vitamin D weakens and collapses the shield protecting the tumor. The findings from the study have resulted in both human and animal clinical trials.

The outlook for vitamin D as a positive influence on weakening protective cells surrounding tumors may also mean other difficult tumors, such as those found in the liver, kidney, and lungs, will also be susceptible to treatment.

At Issels®, we are dedicated to providing quality programs and treatments for our patients. If you would like more information about our clinics and our locations in the U.S. and abroad, please contact us by phone or use our convenient online form.