Category Archives: Immunotherapy for Cancer

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

High Doses of Vitamin C May Boost Cancer Treatment Results

Vitamin C Intensive Therapy for Cancer
Vitamin C Intensive Therapy for Cancer

Back in the 1970s, Nobel Prize-winning scientist Linus Pauling suggested the benefits of vitamin C as a part of cancer treatment. Recent studies have shown further evidence that supports Pauling’s findings.

Can Vitamin C Make Cancer Treatment More Effective?

Scientists at the University of Iowa conducted the first phase of a series of trials to investigate the results of combining high-dose vitamin C with traditional chemotherapy and radiation. The study monitors effects on patients’ lifespan and quality of life.

Subjects included 11 patients diagnosed with brain cancer. In addition to their standard treatments, each one received 800 to 1,000 times the recommended daily dose of vitamin C. Larger doses are required because the nutrient has a half-life of only two hours inside the body.

The patients experienced only minor episodes of side effects such as dry mouth. More importantly, they exceeded the average survival time of patients receiving conventional treatment alone by four to six months.

How Vitamin C Affects Cancer Cells

A cancer cell’s damaged metabolism results in abnormally high levels of redox active iron molecules, which join with vitamin C to create hydrogen peroxide along with hydrogen peroxide-related free radicals. Scientists hypothesize that this result weakens cancer cells, making them more susceptible to treatment and hastening their destruction.

Issels® and Nutritional Immunotherapy

At Issels®, we believe that maximizing the power of your own immune system is the key to successful cancer treatment. Our nutritional immunotherapy program is aimed at supporting immune mechanisms and improving the functions of cells, tissues and organs.

Contact us today to learn more about why Issels® is a leader in non-toxic immunotherapy cancer treatment.

 

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Living with Cancer, Uncategorized

The Cost of Some New Cancer Drugs Spiral Out of Reach for Some Patients

The Cost of Some Medications Is Rising
The Cost of Some Medications Is Rising

The last few years have brought exciting advances in immunotherapy for cancer, but innovation has come at a price … literally. Skyrocketing costs for cancer drugs are making them inaccessible for many who would benefit the most.

Cancer Drugs: The Price of Success

During the 10-year period between 2005 and 2015, Big Pharma’s pipeline of cancer drugs increased by 63 percent, with several reaching the market. As a result, the global market is projected to grow from $16.9 billion in 2015 to an astounding $75.8 billion in 2022.

But while competition generally serves to drive prices down, that’s not happening with the new cancer drugs. Factors such as market exclusivity, insurance plan structures and lack of head-to-head comparison studies combine to keep prices high.

One example is checkpoint inhibitors, which release the systemic “brakes” preventing the immune system from recognizing and attacking cancer cells. Bristol, Merck, Roche and Pfizer all have checkpoint inhibitors on the market, but each has an annual price tag approaching $150,000.

What’s the Answer?

Experts see no evidence that pharmaceutical companies, driven by the current free rein on pricing, are exploring more cost-effective solutions. President Donald Trump and lawmakers from both parties are prioritizing a search for methods to restrain spiraling cancer drug costs, ranging from more price negotiation to faster approval.

Issels® Leads the Field in Immunotherapy for Cancer

While the medical community and lawmakers grapple with the finances of immunotherapy for cancer, we have been successfully treating patients with individually developed non-toxic protocols for years. Contact us today to learn more about cancer vaccines, NK cells and other immunotherapy programs at Issels®.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Living with Cancer, News

Could Where You Live in Your Time Zone Affect Your Cancer Risk?

Does Your Time Zone Impact Cancer?
Tired When You Get Up? Could Your Time Zone Impact Cancer?

While the hour may be the same throughout a time zone, the degrees of sunlight and darkness are not. A recent study suggests that this quirk of nature may be linked to an increased cancer risk.

When Day Becomes Night

A research team at the National Cancer Institute was inspired by previous research showing slightly higher cancer risk among people who work the night shift. This finding was attributed to circadian disruption, which is a change in the body’s biological clock.

Shift workers experience extreme circadian disruption owing to almost complete reversal of day and night. The NCI researchers set out to see if the increased risk of cancer applied to minor disruptions in the body’s natural rhythms, referred to as social jet lag.

The most common example of social jet lag is rising at different times on work days and weekends, but the phenomenon also occurs with people living on either end of a time zone, where light and dark come at different times.

Effects of Social Jet Lag on Cancer Risk

After reviewing data from 4 million white adults who had been diagnosed with cancer, the NCI team found each five degrees of longitude toward the west resulted in an increased risk of three percent for men and four percent for women. Greater risk was also found specifically for breast cancer, prostate cancer and uterine cancer.

Issels®: Leading the Way in Immunotherapy for Cancer

Our Issels® clinic has been in the forefront of state-of-the-art immunotherapy for cancer treatments. Contact us to learn more about our personally tailored integrative programs.

Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Living with Cancer

In the News: Low Dose Aspirin Reduces Cancer Death Risk

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Low Dose Aspirin Therapy
Low Dose Aspirin Therapy May Reduce Cancer Death Risk

Could aspirin become a powerful weapon in immunotherapy for cancer? Researchers have found evidence that a daily regimen of low-dose aspirin may lower the mortality rate of cancer patients.

An Aspirin a Day

Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory drug that has been used as a pain reliever since the days of ancient Egyptians. In early April, attendees at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in Washington, D.C. learned why aspirin also holds promise for treating cancer patients.

Yin Cao, an instructor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, reviewed data from long-term health studies involving both men and women. While the overall risk of death was lower for individuals who took a daily dose of aspirin, Cao found that the risk of dying from cancer was 7 percent lower in women and 15 percent lower in men.

The connection was most dramatic with colorectal cancer, as women had a 31 percent lower risk and men’s risk was 30 percent lower. Significant reductions were also found among women with breast cancer and men with prostate or lung cancer.

Is Aspirin Treatment for Everyone?

Despite the encouraging results, Cao offered a note of caution for anyone considering this course of medication. Aspirin increases risk of ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, so Cao emphasized the importance of consulting with your doctor before undertaking a daily program.

Issels®: Fighting Cancer and Its Causes

Our immunotherapy for cancer treatment programs go beyond eliminating tumors to helping your immune system regain its natural defense mechanisms. Contact us to learn more about cancer vaccines and our other personally tailored integrative programs.

Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Living with Cancer

Transformative Impact of Immunotherapy Tops Cancer News

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Diverse Hands Holding The Word Cancer
Immunotherapy brings breakthroughs to cancer treatment.

For decades, cancer has been the main focus of innumerable medical researchers. During 2016, immunotherapy for cancer was designated the top advance in the field for the second consecutive year.

The Rapid Rise of Immunotherapy Treatment

The announcement was made in Clinical Cancer Advances 2017, the 12th annual report from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Dr. Daniel F. Hayes, president of ASCO, presented the report to Congress during a recent meeting to request continued funding for cancer research.

According to Dr. Hayes, immunotherapy was a “promising theoretical treatment” less than 10 years ago. In a relatively short span of time, it has become a “standard of care” that has positively affected thousands of patients.

“Immunotherapy 2.0”

Just how much progress has been made in immunotherapy for cancer? Since 2011, a total of 15 immune-targeted therapies have been approved. That success combined with continued improvements in identifying candidates and overcoming resistance mechanisms, led ASCO to dub it “Immunotherapy 2.0.”

Dr. Hayes also stressed the importance of federal funding in maintaining the momentum in cancer research. One prominent development that has made a significant impact is the Cancer Moonshot program. Former Vice President Joe Biden took up the cause after his son Beau’s death from brain cancer.

Issels®: Ahead of the Curve

While the rest of the medical community is embracing the value of immunotherapy for cancer, we have been in the forefront of successfully treating patients by boosting their own immune systems. Visit our website to learn more about cancer vaccines, NK cells and our other non-toxic, individually tailored programs.

 

Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Cancer Vaccine, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer

Is There a Link Between Gut Bacteria and an Immunotherapy Response?

Questions on How Immunotherapy Will Work for You?
Questions on How Immunotherapy Will Work for You?

Could the path to fighting cancer go through your stomach? Researchers have found a surprising link between immunotherapy for cancer and the bacteria found in your gut.

The Varied Responses to Immunotherapy

While scientists had previously made the connection with mice, a team at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center recently made a breakthrough with the first study involving humans. The subjects included 233 patients with advanced melanoma.

A subset of 43 patients was on checkpoint inhibitors, one of the primary methods of immunotherapy for cancer. Out of this group, 30 responded to the treatment while 13 did not.

What made the difference? The researchers discovered that the 30 patients who responded had a wider variety of gut bacteria, particularly a specific type called Clostridiales, along with a higher concentration of the immune cells that fight cancer.

Strengthening the Immune System

According to Fred Ramsdell, vice president of research at the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, it’s likely that exposure to a greater amount of bacteria during your lifetime results in a more robust immune system. Exactly why this happens is still a puzzle for now.

Experts are optimistic that this information will eventually be used to more effectively target patients who will respond to immunotherapy treatments. A clinical trial focusing on the microbiome is planned for later this year.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: The Issels® Approach

Our namesake, Dr. Josef M. Issels, pioneered non-toxic immunotherapy treatments and we carry on his legacy today. Contact us for more information about our individually tailored programs that are created to meet your individual needs.