Category Archives: Immunotherapy

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, News

What’s Happening in Immunotherapy Research – Part Two

Advances in Cancer Therapies
Advances in Cancer Therapies

There’s so much exciting news in research involving immunotherapy for cancer that we couldn’t cover it all in one post! Here’s a continuation of our look at new and improved ways scientists are finding to fight cancer.

Cancer Vaccines

Vaccines have long been a promising form of treatment for cancer. One roadblock limiting progress is the ability of cancer cells to fly under the radar of the immune system.

Armed with a growing body of knowledge gained through years of research, scientists are finding methods to boost the effectiveness of vaccines. For example, vaccines are sometimes given in tandem with substances called adjuvants that make the immune response more efficient.

Checkpoint Inhibitors

You may have seen advertisements for products such as nivolumab, which is referred to as an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Cancer cells often elude the immune system by “hiding” behind checkpoint proteins that prevent immune responses against normal cells. Inhibitors target the checkpoints, freeing the immune system to attack cancer cells.

Oncolytic Viruses

Viruses are normally something to avoid, but researchers have found ways to harness their ability to infect and kill cells. Specific modifications alter certain viruses, creating oncolytic viruses that direct their attacks toward cancer cells, while also alerting the immune system to take action.

Is Immunotherapy for Cancer the Answer for You?

For years, Issels® has been a leader in immunotherapy treatments such as cancer vaccines and gene-targeted therapies. Contact us for more information about our non-toxic immunotherapy programs and how they are individually tailored to meet your specific needs.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, News

What’s Happening in Immunotherapy Research – Part One

What's New in Immunotherapy
What’s New in Immunotherapy

As immunotherapy for cancer continues to gain traction in the medical community, researchers around the globe are directing their efforts toward finding new treatment methods and improving existing ones. Here’s a look at some of the exciting developments in immunotherapy treatments that are making news today.

Refining Monoclonal Antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies, or mAbs, are proteins that take advantage of the difference between cancer cells and normal cells. Scientists are exploring ways to make mAbs even more powerful, such as attaching them to drugs or other substances, while making them less likely to trigger an immune response. They are also working on combining mAbs for a more focused attack on tumors.

CAR T-Cells

T-cells, which are part of the immune system, have long been a major subject of immunotherapy research. Recent trials involve removing T-cells from a patient, genetically adding CARs (chimeric antigen receptors), then returning them to the patient’s blood, where they can more precisely target cancer cells. This method has shown particularly promising results in cases featuring advanced forms of leukemia and lymphoma.

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes

Another approach using T-cells centers on tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) found deep within tumors. The TILs are removed from tumor samples and treated with interleukin-2 so they multiply rapidly. Once injected back into the patient, the TILs are better equipped to fight cancer cells.

Issels®: A Pioneer in Immunotherapy Treatments

In our next post, we’ll continue our look at the latest updates on research centering on immunotherapy for cancer. Contact us to learn more about how Issels® has been a leader in personalized, non-toxic immunotherapy protocols.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Monoclonal Antibodies – The Role They Play in Cancer Immunotherapy

Depositphotos_43643757_m
Fighting Cancer with Monoclonal Antibodies

Researchers have developed many new ways to treat cancer, and immunotherapy for cancer has played a large role in their discoveries. Here at Issels®, we’re proud to provide immunotherapy for cancer to our patients as a treatment alternative to chemotherapy and radiation.

In recent discoveries, extensive research has been conducted on Monoclonal Antibodies (MAbs) and the important role they play in treating cancer.

Understanding Antibodies and Their Role in the Body

When your body detects a foreign substance – whether it’s cancer cells or a common infection – your immune system immediately goes to work creating antibodies to fight what doesn’t belong in its environment. The foreign substance is called an antigen, and antibodies will search until it’s been found. Once it’s found, your immune system attacks it.

Researchers have found that by isolating certain antibodies and then reproducing them in a laboratory setting, they are able to target specific cancer cells.

How Monoclonal Antibodies are used in Immunotherapy for Cancer

Just as there are many different types of antigens, there are many types of cancers. MAbs have been shown to be effective against certain types of cancer. The challenge has been that the MAbs must be tailored to go after the right antigen, and that is causing a delay in using this treatment for all types of cancer.

Even so, research is ongoing and experts are hopeful that this new protocol might bring us one step closer to finding a cure.

Here at Issels®, we’re committed to providing you with the best immunotherapy treatment for cancer. If you would like to learn more about how this type of cancer treatment can help you, contact us.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy

Targeted Cancer Therapy – Why It Is an Important Breakthrough

Targeted Cancer Therapy Can Bring Patients New Hope!
Targeted Cancer Therapy Can Bring Patients New Hope!

One of the drawbacks of conventional chemotherapy treatments is that the drugs kill both cancer cells and healthy cells indiscriminately. Targeted cancer therapy has been a valuable breakthrough in focusing treatment directly on cancer cells while sparing healthy ones.

Targeted Cancer Therapy: A Major Step Forward

Standard chemotherapy drugs go after cells with rapid growth and division. Problems arise because that can also be a trait of certain normal cells, and the drugs can’t tell the difference between the two.

Targeted cancer therapy is technically a form of chemo, but the way it works is more closely aligned with immunotherapy for cancer, which aids the body’s natural immune response. Instead of attacking cells globally, targeted therapy zeroes in on the gene changes that distinguish cancer cells from healthy ones.

How Does Targeted Therapy Attack Cancer Cells?

Targeted drugs have a number of “weapons” in their cancer-fighting arsenal. Some essentially starve cancer cells by cutting off blood vessel production or altering proteins within the cells. Others work in tandem with the immune system, alerting it to the presence of cancer cells that might otherwise escape detection.

While targeted cancer therapy comes with some side effects, they are generally fewer and less serious than the ones that accompany chemotherapy. Targeted therapy is sometimes used on its own, but more often it’s used in combination with conventional chemo, radiation or other treatments.

State-of-the-Art Immunotherapy for Cancer at Issels®

At Issels®, our individually tailored treatment programs include targeted therapy, cancer vaccines and other cutting-edge techniques to work with your body’s immune system. Contact us to learn more about our non-toxic protocols.

Immunotherapy

National Cancer Institute Weighs in on Cancer Screening

Early Cancer Detection
Are All Cancer Screenings Effective? Necessary?

It makes sense to play it safe and get the cancer screenings recommended by your doctor. However, are they always necessary? How do you know whether each and every cancer screening is safe, necessary, and effective?

At Issels®, we offer Immunotherapy for cancer as the best method of treatment, but we always make it a point to be sure that you’re informed about what you should and shouldn’t do to protect yourself from cancer. Recently, Dr. Barry Kramer from the National Cancer Institute shared his thoughts in an interview, and we’re confident that you’ll find them quite enlightening.

Success with Cancer Screenings

Dr. Kramer makes it a point to talk about how successful some types of cancer screenings can be. He discusses the importance of pap smears for women, testing for blood in the stool, and how both of these procedures have been shown to be effective in decreasing the risk of death.

Mammograms (depending on your age) have also been shown to be effective. Even so, there is a common belief that all cancer screenings are vital for early detection and diagnosis, but that’s not always true.

The Downsides of Screening

There are downsides to getting cancer screenings as well, and Dr. Kramer lists several. Among them are the risk of false positives, which can trigger invasive tests and anxiety. False negatives are also a serious problem, and there is also a risk of over diagnosis that can result in non-essential testing.

Immunotherapy is a highly effective method of cancer treatment once you have been diagnosed. At Issels®, we want you to properly get screened for cancer. To learn more, contact us.

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

Higher Genetic Mistakes in Tumors May Predict a Better Result for Immunotherapy Treatment

Immunotherapy Can Expand Options for Those With Limited Cancer Treatment Options
Immunotherapy Can Expand Options for Those With Limited Cancer Treatment Options

For many patients with difficult-to-treat tumors, immunotherapy for cancer has successfully expanded their previously limited options. According to a study recently presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference, a new immunotherapy drug has shown promise for treatment of advanced bladder cancer.

The Power of Checkpoint Inhibitors

Researchers speaking at the ASCO conference in Chicago last June reported on the results of clinical trials for atezolizumab, marketed under the name Tecentriq. Atezolizumab is one of a growing number of treatments referred to as checkpoint inhibitors.

Cancer cells often get a foothold by flying under the radar of immune cells, which are your body’s main line of defense against bacteria, viruses and other “invaders.” Checkpoint inhibitors target a molecule called PD-L1, thereby releasing immune cells to attack and kill the rogue cancer cells.

Tumors with “High Mutational Burden” Respond to Immunotherapy

A follow-up analysis to the bladder cancer trials indicated that tumors with a “high mutational burden,” which refers to the number of genetic faults in the cells, appear to be more receptive to immunotherapy. Dr. Jonathan Rosenburg of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC explained that it was made easier for the immune system to identify the mutated cells in such tumors.

Issels®: A Leader in Immunotherapy for Cancer

Our state-of-the-art non-toxic immunotherapy treatments have been used successfully on patients with all forms of cancer, including bladder, breast and melanoma. Visit our website to learn more about our cancer vaccines, gene-targeted therapies and other protocols individually designed to address your specific needs.