Category Archives: Cancer Treatment

Colon Cancer and Crohns Disease Share a Link Between Inflammation and a Cellular Process

New Research Is Unlocking the Mystery of Cancer
New Research Is Unlocking the Mystery of Cancer

Here at Issels®, it’s always exciting when we learn of new breakthroughs in cancer treatment. Research that was done by the University of Warwick shows that colon cancer (among other gut-related illnesses) could be better treated, or even prevented.

Understanding the Gut Process

Science has uncovered a lot of new information regarding the role of the gut in maintaining good health. For example, the process of autophagy triggers cells to break down damaging materials in the gut. These materials are then eliminated or re-used within the body. When this process malfunctions, it can lead to chronic diseases that impact your health. Inflammation is to blame, leading to colon cancer, Crohn’s disease, and other serious diseases.

Avoiding and Treating Colon Cancer

The foods we eat play a major role in maintaining good gut health. There are several that can activate autophagy, even when it is currently in a dysfunctional state. These foods include:

– Pomegranates

– Mushrooms

– Soybeans

– Green peas

– Red grapes

– Pears

This research has shown that the human body doesn’t always have the proper mix of amino acids necessary to keep autophagy in a functional state all of the time. However, more research is needed to better understand this important process. This may lead scientists to discover new forms of cancer treatment, perhaps even in the near future. So far, they’ve found that the addition of a protein called Kenny can be added, which includes the correct amino acids profile.

Immunotherapy as Cancer Treatment

Here at Issels®, we’re always looking for advancements in immunotherapy for treating cancer. If you’ve recently been diagnosed, please contact us today. We can help with recovery.

Focusing on a Cancer’s Host Tissue May Bring a Prognosis into Better Focus

State of the Art Treatment with Cancer Immunotherapy
State of the Art Treatment with Cancer Immunotherapy

Thanks to innovations in testing methods and proactive awareness campaigns, doctors are able to diagnose cancer earlier then ever, increasing the chances of successful cancer immunotherapy. The second part of the equation, predicting the degree of malignancy, is a puzzle that remains to be solved.

When Is a Patient Truly Free of Cancer?

After treatment, a patient who shows no signs of cancer cells is classified as “no evidence of disease.” While the patient may display no visible tumors, doctors have no way of knowing if the cells have metastasized to other areas of the body where they may later resurface.

Chemotherapy and other treatments are often prescribed to decrease the chance of metastasis. Doctors tend to err on the side of caution, assuming that all patients are vulnerable, so many endure grueling rounds of treatment that end up being unnecessary.

“Focus on the Soil, Not the Seed”

For the most part, researchers have concentrated on unraveling the mysteries of cancer cells themselves to understand how they grow and spread. In keeping with that approach, scientists believed that metastasis was caused by cells spreading outward from their original location.

Based on that theory, all cancer patients would be expected to have metastasis. Many researchers are now shifting to a view that the spread of cancer cells is caused by a pathological relationship between the diseased cells and the host environment.

State-of-the-Art Cancer Immunotherapy from Issels®

Cancer immunotherapy at Issels® is directed at the cancer cells along with the underlying causes for the development of tumors. Contact us to learn more about how Issels® has helped patients achieve long-term remission.

New Test Could Find Esophageal Cancer Up to 8 Years Earlier

There is New Hope to Find Esophageal Cancer Early
There is New Hope to Find Esophageal Cancer Early

Patients with esophageal cancer are often diagnosed in the later stages of the disease, presenting a challenge for cancer immunotherapy and other treatments. Researchers in the U.K. have developed a genetic test for esophageal cancer that could help identify the disease up to eight years before symptoms are presented.

Are There Early Signs of Esophageal Cancer Risk?

A team of scientists at the University of Cambridge conducted a study of tissue samples from 90 patients with Barrett’s esophagus. Approximately five percent of people with this condition go on to develop esophageal cancer.

Since there has been no way to predict which cases of Barrett’s esophagus would progress to cancer, routine endoscopies have been standard treatment. Samples included in the study came from endoscopies performed over a period of 15 years. Half of the patients involved eventually developed esophageal cancer.

The researchers were able to identify predictive gene markers in 94 percent of the patients who ultimately showed signs of esophageal cancer. Even more promising is the fact that they could spot the markers in samples that predated the symptoms by several years.

Applications for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

According to Professor Rebecca Fitzgerald, lead researcher of the study, the next step is to conduct clinical trials using the genetic test. If the approach proves successful, it could make early diagnosis and treatment more effective and reduce the number of people who undergo unnecessary endoscopies.

Issels®: The Leader in Cancer Immunotherapy Treatment

We have helped patients with advanced esophageal cancer and other forms of the disease achieve long-term remission. Contact us for more information about our personally developed cancer immunotherapy programs.

Immunotherapy the Cancer Treatment Disrupter

Join Us in the Fight Cancer
Join Us in the Fight Against Cancer

During the last few years, respected political leaders Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter have become active in raising awareness of cancer immunotherapy and the need for research. Now a major figure in the social media and technology field has added his voice and his funding to these efforts.

From Social Networking to Social Responsibility

Sean Parker first made his name as the founder of music-sharing service Napster before serving as the first president of social networking giant Facebook. While that might be enough for most people, Parker has begun a new project that will affect even more individuals in a personal way.

Over the last decade, Parker has generously supported organizations such as Stand Up to Cancer and Cancer Research Institute Immunotherapy Dream Team. Early in 2016, Parker earmarked $250 million from his charitable foundation for a grant to establish the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

The Institute is comprised of seven academic medical centers working in conjunction with more than 50 partners in pharma and biotech. According to Parker, the intent was to “cut down the barriers” that limit the free exchange of information.

Aligning Research and Medicine

Parker was inspired to found the Institute when he noticed a disconnect between academic science and the process of actually bringing treatments to patients. He specifically sees cancer immunotherapy as the “opportunity to disrupt” the gap between what’s possible through technology and what’s actually being accomplished.

Issels®: A Champion for Immunotherapy

Our founder, Dr. Josef M. Issels, was ahead of his time in recognizing the power of cancer immunotherapy. Contact us for more information about our non-toxic integrative programs.

What’s the Deadliest Cancer of All? Lung Cancer. Find out Why.

Find Out Why Lung Cancer is the Deadliest Cancer
Find Out Why Lung Cancer is the Deadliest Cancer

While advances in cancer treatment have improved survival rates for many of its forms, lung cancer continues to be the deadliest type of the disease. Despite alarming statistics, lung cancer remains a lower priority for medical researchers.

Lung Cancer Accounts for One-Quarter of Cancer Deaths

Approximately 14 percent of new cancer cases are lung cancer, but it makes up a disproportionate 26 percent of cancer deaths. According to the Lung Cancer Alliance, that averages out to 427 deaths from lung cancer each day in America, which is more than the number of deaths from breast, prostate and colon cancer combined.

Despite these numbers, less funds are allocated to lung cancer research than the other three leading forms. In 2016, the National Institute of Health spent only $1,500 per lung cancer death as opposed to $19,250 for breast cancer, $9,400 for prostate cancer and $5,800 for colon cancer.

Does Lung Cancer Merit Less Attention?

Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, but nearly 18 percent of cases are found in non-smokers. Four years ago, former educator Ginny Hicks found herself in the latter group when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer.

As Hicks undergoes treatment in a clinical trial of an immunotherapy drug, she has become an advocate for lung cancer research and education. According to Hicks, lung cancer has a stigma attached due to a common perception that smokers bring the disease on themselves.

Non-Toxic Cancer Treatment at Issels®

We have helped patients with Stage 4 lung cancer and other metastatic tumors achieve long-term remission with personally tailored immunotherapy programs. Contact us for more information.

New Device Helps to Accurately Detect Cancer in Tissue Biopsies

New Advances in Early Cancer Detection
New Advances in Early Cancer Detection

One of the biggest roadblocks to successful cancer treatment is the difficulty of differentiating between healthy and diseased tissue. Cancer immunotherapy helps to address this problem, and researchers have announced development of a new device that may also improve outcomes.

Removing Cancer While Sparing Healthy Tissue

Surgery is a primary tool in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, but there’s a risk that some of the cancerous tissue may be left behind. Surgeons sometimes use cryosection, in which a frozen tissue sample is evaluated by a pathologist, but the method is time-consuming and not always accurate.

A study published in Science Translational Medicine reveals how a team of researchers in Texas created the MasSpec Pen to detect cancer in human tissue. This device uses the dysfunctional metabolism of cancer cells to differentiate them from normal cells.

Identifying Cancerous Cells Within Seconds

Once a molecular fingerprint has been drawn, the cells are analyzed using software that has been “trained” by processing hundreds of healthy and cancerous human tissue samples. Within 10 seconds, the sample is flagged as “Normal” or “Cancer.”

The research team tested 253 samples of both normal and cancerous tissue with an accuracy rate of more than 96 percent. When the device was tested on mice, it again proved accurate without causing damage to healthy tissue. Testing in human cancer surgeries is expected to begin in 2018.

Cancer Immunotherapy at Issels®: A Personalized Treatment Program

No two cases of cancer are identical. At Issels®, we create a cancer immunotherapy program based on your specific needs. Contact us for more information.