Category Archives: Immunotherapy

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

Pancreatic Cancer: Hijacking the Immune System to Hide Its Growth

Pancreatic Cancer: Hijacking the Immune System to Hide Its Growth
Pancreatic Cancer: Hijacking the Immune System to Hide Its Growth

With a five-year survival rate of only three percent, pancreatic cancer is one of the more difficult types of cancer to treat. Scientists from Cancer Research UK, in collaboration with scientists from pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, recently announced their discovery of a promising method to help defeat these tumors.

Pancreatic Cancer’s “Stealth Attack”

The immune system is your body’s first line of defense against cancer cells and other foreign bodies that threaten your health. In the case of pancreatic cancer, once the cells make it past the initial gauntlet, they move on to hijack parts of the immune system to facilitate their growth.

The UK study, published in Cancer Cell, reported the team’s discovery of CXCR2, which is a protein that serves as the gatekeeper for pancreatic tumors, guarding them from attack by immune cells. Use of an experimental drug that blocks CXCR2 allowed T-cells to enter the tumor, making it more vulnerable to treatment.

Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer

Until now, the shielding process has made pancreatic cancer particularly resistant to immunotherapy. Professor Peter Johnson, chief clinician at Cancer Research UK, said their study suggests that using the new drug in concert with immunotherapy treatments could create “a powerful weapon” in the fight against pancreatic cancer.

Using the Body’s Natural Defenses to Defeat Cancer

For more than 60 years, our Issels® center has been the leader in the use of immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer and many other types. Contact us today for more information about our personalized non-toxic treatments, including cancer vaccines, hyperthermia and gene-targeted therapies.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Gut Flora and Cancer – the Important Connection

Using Gut Flora in Treatment Has Benefits Comparable to Anti-Cancer Drugs
Using Gut Flora in Treatment Has Benefits Comparable to Anti-Cancer Drugs

When it comes to your health, the term “bacteria” usually inspires a negative reaction. You may be surprised to learn that your body actually harbors “good” bacteria that boosts your immune system and plays a role in preventing cancer.

The Role of Gut Flora

Your body’s microbiome is a network containing trillions of organisms such as bacteria, fungi and viruses. Some are positive and some are not, but they all work together to maintain a balance that keeps your system in good working condition.

In the late 1990s, scientists began to discover the crucial value of the group of organisms centered in your colon, referred to as “gut flora.” Research has found that healthy gut flora contributes to a strong immune system, which is your body’s first line of defense against foreign organisms that cause illness and disease.

Gut Flora and the Fight against Cancer

Cancer cells can often evade detection by your body’s immune system, allowing them to grow unchecked. Traditional therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy are effective, but they end up destroying healthy cells as well.

Researchers from the University of Chicago, encouraged by positive results from testing on mice, included gut flora as part of integrative immunotherapy treatments. The successful results were comparable to the beneficial effects of anti-cancer drugs.

State-of-the-Art Integrative Immunotherapy at Issels®

Integrative immunotherapy programs used at Issels® are focused on harnessing your body’s own natural defenses to destroy cancer cells. Visit our website to learn more about our cancer vaccines, immune enhancement protocols and other personalized non-toxic treatments.

Cancer Care Tips, Immunotherapy, News

National Cancer Institute Launches Mole vs Melanoma Info Site

Are You at Risk for Skin Cancer?
Are You at Risk for Skin Cancer?

It’s important to understand the difference between common moles that often occur on the skin and melanomas. To the untrained eye, the two can look very similar, and they can result in people either worrying unnecessarily about the condition of their skin or overlooking skin irregularities that require immediate medical attention.

At Issels®, we’ve worked with many people who have been diagnosed with melanoma, and immunotherapy has been shown to be a very promising alternative to traditional cancer treatments. Even so, identification remains a serious challenge, and the National Cancer Institute has come up with a tool to help.

The Moles to Melanoma Tool

The Moles to Melanoma tool from the National Cancer Institute provides individuals with pictures that help to understand the three types of moles that can appear on the human body. They are:

  • Common Moles
  • Dysplastic Nevi (or DN)
  • Melanoma

Common moles are those that are non-cancerous, and their characteristics are not a cause for concern. Dysplastic Nevi moles are those that aren’t cancerous, but that possess qualities that would cause doctors to keep an eye on them for any changes that could indicate melanoma. Finally, melanoma is characterized by moles that fit into the ABCDE category of identification.

Are You Concerned About Melanoma?

If your family has a history of melanoma, or if you have moles that cause you to be concerned, this tool can be very useful for you. However, it’s important to remember that no diagnostic tool should ever take the place of a professional diagnosis from an experienced physician.

At Issels, melanoma can be treated with non-toxic melanoma immunotherapy. Contact us to learn more.

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

July is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month, Will You Be Wearing the Yellow Ribbon?

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New Immunotherapy Drug Can Help Fight Bladder Cancer
New Immunotherapy Drug Can Help Fight Bladder Cancer

If you or someone you love has received a diagnosis of bladder cancer or is in stage four and have exhausted treatment options, NBC news reports that there may be new hope for immunotherapy treatment for bladder cancer. This information is timely as July is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month.

Immunotherapy treatments

Immunotherapy for bladder cancer works by treating a person’s immune system so it has the ability to fight cancer.

According to the NBC news article, “more successful approaches, involve training immune cells to recognize a patient’s specific tumors, or finding and amplifying a patient’s own tumor-specific immune cells.” Immunotherapy now appears to be the best course of cancer treatment for many patients.

New drug, new hope

Hope now lies in a drug newly-approved by the FDA called atezolizumab (brand name Tecentriq) that boosts the immune system to slow the spread of tumors in patients in the advanced stages of bladder cancer. It’s the latest development in immunotherapy for bladder cancer treatments and it has shown promising results.

In a study of 119 patients who received the drug as treatment revealed that growth stopped in the tumors in 24% of those patients in the advanced stages of bladder cancer. The drug also shrank the tumors by 30%. According to the research team, 21 of the original patients from 2014 who received the immunotherapy for bladder cancer are still in remission today.

Learn more about our non-toxic immunotherapy for bladder cancer by contacting Issels® Integrative Immuno-Oncology.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Survivors, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Living with Cancer

Cancer Survivors: A Unique Perspective on Hope

Cancer Survivors: A Unique Perspective on Hope
Cancer Survivors: A Unique Perspective on Hope

Here at Issels®, we frequently encounter people who have been newly diagnosed with cancer, and their hope for a long healthy life seems gone. For the longest time, a cancer diagnosis has been linked with impending death, and while it’s true that some do lose their lives to this terrible disease, for the first time cancer patients can truly have hope.

There have been many advances in cancer treatment in recent years, and more patients are getting screened early on if they feel they are at higher risk. Early detections and improvements in treatment are saving lives, and the number of cancer survivors is expected to increase at an incredible rate in the months and years ahead. Currently, there are 15.5 million cancer survivors in the United States, and in just ten years that number is expected to hit 20 million.

Knowing these numbers is important, because cancer survivors have different needs than cancer patients; especially those who have undergone treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. These patients often have serious, long-standing effects from what we’ve always thought of as “conventional” cancer treatments, and experts are still trying to find a way to help them with the physiological and psychological effects that can last the rest of their lives.

There’s no question that chemotherapy and radiation have been life-saving for many cancer survivors. However, they have also caused significant problems, such as heart disease, osteoporosis, neuropathy, and other physical ailments.

At Issels®, our focus is on immunotherapy, which has been shown to have no devastating long-term effects. Please contact us to learn more about this breakthrough in cancer treatment.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Survivors, Immunotherapy, Living with Cancer

Cancer Survivors: Tips on Living Healthy After Treatment

Cancer Survivors: Tips on Living Healthy After Treatment
Cancer Survivors: Tips on Living Healthy After Treatment

Here at Issels®, whenever we talk with cancer patients about their fears, they’re most concerned about being told that their cancer has returned after being declared “cancer free.” There are actually a lot of things that can be done to reduce your risk of a recurrence and improve your overall health.

Risk Factors for Cancer Survivors

Staying healthy is very important for cancer survivors, and if you fall into certain high-risk groups, there is an elevated chance that your cancer will return. These groups include:

  • Those who are obese or overweight
  • Those who have a heart condition
  • Those who have high blood pressure
  • Those who have been diagnosed with diabetes

While it might seem as though you can’t really do much to change any of these physical ailments or conditions, making small changes to your everyday routine can help. Not only will you feel better overall, but your body will be more equipped to fight off cancer if it does attempt to make a comeback.

Help for Cancer Survivors: Getting Healthy

To get and keep your body in the best possible physical condition, you should consider making these changes to your lifestyle:

  • Start eating healthier foods, and talk with a nutritionist to find out what’s recommended.
  • Add exercise to your daily routine – even a small amount each day can work wonders.
  • Stop all tobacco use.
  • Find healthy ways to deal with stress.
  • Cut down or eliminate the amount of alcohol you drink.

At Issels®, we can help you find the right combination of changes that will help you thrive! Contact us to learn more about immunotherapy.