Category Archives: Cancer Research

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.

Cancer Research, News

Researchers Find Unexpected Link Between Autism and Cancer

Mutated cancer or tumor genes.
Mutated cancer or tumor genes.

An unexpected link between autism and cancer has been discovered by researchers. While the cause of autism remains unknown in the majority of cases, mutated cancer or tumor genes appear to have caused the brain disorder in a small percentage of people. According to a New York Times review of the new findings:

  • 10% of children with mutations of the PTEN (P-10) gene have autism. PTEN has been linked to breast, thyroid, colon and other organ cancers.
  • 50% of children with the genetic disorder tuberous sclerosis have autism. Tuberous sclerosis has been linked to brain and kidney cancer and brain and organ tumors.

Researchers noted that while the risk is considerably higher than for the general population, not everyone with these genetic mutations will develop either autism or cancer. Yet for those with autism who do have one of these genetic mutations, the discovery opens the door to new avenues of research and potential discovery of a cure. In fact, a clinical trial is already underway to see if autistic children who carry the targeted genetic mutation will respond to a drug used to treat tumors that share that same genetic footprint.

Both cancer and autism involve unregulated cell growth and both genes being studied act to halt cell growth. Genetic manipulation of cell growth is proving to be a fertile field for cancer research and treatment. Issels integrated immunotherapy utilizes targeted cell therapies in our cancer vaccine program to target and manipulate the tumor microenvironment that triggers the progression or regression of cancer. For many of our patients, Issels cancer treatments have resulted in long-term cancer remission.

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research

Diet Change Could Protect Against Fatal Prostate Cancer

Avocado halves with seed isolated on black.
Substitute to healthy choices in your diet.

Making a small dietary change could protect men against fatal prostate cancer:

Substitute healthy vegetable fats — such as olive and canola oils, nuts, seeds and avocados — for animal fats and carbohydrates.

By increasing their consumption of healthy fats, a recent U.S. study found that men could decrease their risk of dying from prostate cancer by nearly a third! For 8 years, researchers at the University of California-San Francisco tracked the fat consumption of nearly 4,600 men with non-metastatic prostate cancer. The results:

“Men who replaced 10% of their total daily calories from carbohydrates with healthy vegetable fats had a 29% lower risk of developing lethal prostate cancer.” 

The nutritional benefit of including healthy fats in your diet is not new news. High levels of monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, avocados and nuts contain important antioxidants and fat-soluble vitamins that strengthen the immune system, helping it fight cancer. But the discovery that increasing consumption of healthy fats could significantly decrease the potential fatality of prostate cancer is a ground-breaking revelation.

Researchers found that a little goes a long way. A single daily serving of olive or canola oil (1 tablespoon) decreased the risk of dying from prostate cancer by 29%; a single serving of nuts (1 ounce), by 18%. While more research is required, study leader Erin Richman of UCSF believes the findings “support counseling men with prostate cancer to follow a heart-healthy diet in which carbohydrate calories are replaced with unsaturated oils and nuts.”

Nutritional counseling is just one aspect of Issels’ integrative immunotherapy treatment for prostate cancer. Visit our website to find out more.

 

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.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Probiotics May Mitigate Deadly Effects of Chemotherapy

Probiotics May Help Lessen Chemo Side Effects
Probiotics May Help Lessen Chemo Side Effects

In what is being heralded as a “cancer breakthrough,” a new study revealed that maintaining a healthy intestine could be the key to surviving chemotherapy. As explained on NaturalNews.com, University of Michigan researchers have discovered that naturally produced cells found in the intestine are integral to the body’s ability to survive chemotherapy’s onslaught of poisonous chemicals.

The problem with chemotherapy and radiation in cancer treatment is that the patient is likely to die before he is cured. In a study with mice, Michigan researchers found that a naturally-occurring intestinal substance — called Rspo1 or R-spondon1 — triggers the production of stem cells.

The body’s building blocks, stem cells carry the genetic code vital to tissue creation and regeneration. When activated during chemotherapy, R-spondon1 triggered the repair of damaged intestinal tissues faster than tissues were being destroyed by chemotherapy, thus increasing chemo survival rates in experiments with mice. In the Michigan study, 50% to 75% of the mice that received R-spondon1 survived a fatal dose of chemotherapy.

Michigan researchers believe that since human and mouse intestines behave in much the same way, humans should respond in a similar manner. The key to making the system work is good intestinal health which is promoted by healthy gut bacteria. Probiotics, which promote the growth of healthy natural intestinal bacteria, create an intestinal environment that supports cell regeneration, enhancing your body’s ability to survive chemotherapy.

Probiotics could spark a new wave of body-boosting alternative cancer treatments. Just as Issels’ cancer vaccine program enhances the body’s immune system, increasing its ability to fight cancer; probiotics enhance the natural immune response of the intestinal tract, boosting the body’s ability to survive chemotherapy.