Category Archives: Living with Cancer

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Survivors, Cancer Treatment, Living with Cancer, Uncategorized

Issels Out-Patient Apartments in Santa Barbara, California

There Truly is Nothing More Relaxing nor Refreshing than Focusing on Getting Better By the Beach.
There Truly is Nothing More Relaxing nor Refreshing than Focusing on Getting Better By the Beach.

Lifestyle and environment are two major factors that affect your health and well-being. When you receive out-patient immunotherapy for cancer at our Issels® Medical Center in Santa Barbara, relax and focus on healing with a stay at one of several charming apartments nearby.

Fully Furnished Ocean View Apartments

Issels® Medical Center is located in downtown Santa Barbara, with close proximity to shopping, restaurants and personal services. We’re pleased to offer our patients special rates on a number of exclusive, fully furnished one- and two-bedroom apartments in the area.

  • Enjoy ocean views and convenient direct access to the beach.
  • Upscale features include hardwood-style floors, ceiling fans, king-size beds and balconies and patios.
  • Each apartment has a generously sized, fully equipped gourmet kitchen.

The apartments are a perfect complement to our personally tailored immunotherapy for cancer programs. You’ll love returning from a treatment session to relax in luxurious and comfortable surroundings.

Additional Living Options

If you’re interested in other living arrangements, discounted rates are available at several suite-style hotels in the area that can accommodate any preferences. You can also choose from the variety of vacation rental apartments found throughout Santa Barbara.

Issels® Leads the Way in State-of-the-Art Immunotherapy for Cancer

At Issels®, you’re more than just a patient. Our caring and compassionate team is focused on every aspect of your healing and recovery.

Get first-hand accounts of why the Issels® difference makes us a leader in modern immunotherapy treatment. Visit our website to hear and read testimonials from patients of all ages and stages of cancer who have achieved long-term remission at Issels®.

Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy, Living with Cancer, Uncategorized

Cancer News: Cancer Can Metastasize Without Involvement of the Lymph System

Metastatic cancer, where tumors spread from the original site to other parts of the body, presents a significant challenge for cancer treatment. Current research is causing scientists to rethink the conventional model of metastasis.

The Role of Lymph Nodes in Cancer Metastasis

A team of researchers led by Dr. Rakesh Jain of Massachusetts General Hospital studied 213 tissue samples from 17 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The focus was on relationships between cells from the primary tumor, lymph nodes and remote sites of metastasis.

The scientists were surprised to discover that only 35 percent of the patients presented the traditional path of cancer moving via lymph nodes to more distant sites. In these cases, cancer cells from both metastases matched cell types in the original tumor.

In the other 65 percent of patients, both metastases matched different cells within the primary tumor, indicating separate origins. These results demonstrate that cancer may metastasize without involvement of lymph nodes, contradicting previously-held beliefs.

Applications for Future Cancer Treatment

According to Dr. Jain, lymph node metastases were generally considered forerunners of more distant metastases. Scientists were therefore puzzled why complete surgical removal of lymph nodes didn’t always improve survival rates.

Dr. Jain went on to explain that the typing assay his team developed can be a valuable way to analyze cancer’s path in certain patients. The information can then be used for better clinical management of metastatic cancer treatment.

Individualized Treatment for Patients at All Stages of Cancer

Issels® has an impressive track record of successfully treating cancer patients at all stages, including stage IV or metastatic cancer. Contact us for more information.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Living with Cancer

Exciting New Treatment Possibilities for Hard to Treat Cancers

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Do you Have or Know Someone Who is Currently Experiencing a Hard to Treat Cancer? There is Hope!
Do you Have or Know Someone Who is Currently Experiencing a Hard to Treat Cancer? There is Hope!

Cancer cells have the ability to hijack healthy cells, which is one of the reasons tumors are so difficult to treat. A team of British scientists recently found a way to counteract this process, in effect hijacking the hijacking.

How Healthy Cells Aid Tumor Growth

For healthy people, fibroblasts are cells that help to hold different organs together. Cancer cells transform them into cancer associated fibroblasts, or CAFs, that aid in a tumor’s growth and spread.

Higher levels of CAFs are found in many bowel, neck and head cancer cases that have poor survival rates. Despite this knowledge, scientists had been unsuccessful at targeting CAFs.

Halting Pro-Cancer Activities

A team at the University of Southampton identified an enzyme called NOX4 that is essential for CAFs to work with cancer cells. Using a developmental drug that treats organ fibrosis, the team was able to halt pro-tumor actions by CAFs.

When mice were treated with the drug, the size of their tumors was reduced by up to 50 percent. Cancer Research UK is now funding the Southampton team as they explore the use of this approach in immunotherapy for cancer.

Professor Gareth Thomas, lead researcher of the Southampton team, said that targeting CAFs can offer new possibilities for patients whose cancer has been unresponsive to traditional treatments.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Harnessing the Power of Your Own Immune System

Immunotherapy for cancer programs at Issels® boost the power of your own immune system to target and attack cancer cells. Contact us to learn more about cancer vaccines, NK cells, hyperthermia and other individually tailored immunotherapy treatments.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Living with Cancer

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This Month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Support those Going Through Treatment Today!
This Month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Support those Going Through Treatment Today!

Nearly one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer, which has the highest death rate for females after lung cancer. Beginning in 1985, October has been designated as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month to educate the public and raise funds for research.

Raising Global Awareness of Breast Cancer

American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical division of Imperial Chemical Industries, now known as Astra Zeneca, co-founded NBCAM to encourage women to get mammograms. Eight years later, Evelyn Lauder of Estee Lauder Companies established the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and popularized the symbolic pink ribbon.

NBCAM Activities

During the month of October, organizations around the world stage promotions and fundraisers to support NBCAM. Some of their major activities include:

• The National Football League integrates pink both on and off the field.

• Landmark buildings such as the White House and Tokyo Tower are lit up in pink.

• Race for the Cure, a series of 5K runs and fitness walks, originated in Dallas but is now held throughout the world.

• Susan G. Komen sponsors a three-day event where participants walk an average of 20 miles per day. 3-Day for the Cure® is held in major American cities such as Atlanta, Chicago and San Francisco.

• The third week of October is now dedicated to raising awareness of male breast cancer, which is less common but equally important.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Treating Men and Women of All Ages

Both men and women diagnosed with breast cancer, leukemia and all other forms have been successfully treated with personally developed immunotherapy for cancer programs at Issels®. Contact us to learn more.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Treatment, Living with Cancer

Tips for Lowering Your Stress Levels While in Cancer Treatment

Taking a Deep Breath and Seeking Help Can Really Help Take Stress Down a Notch.
Taking a Deep Breath and Seeking Help Can Really Help Take Stress Down a Notch.

If you have been diagnosed with cancer, stress relief is more important than ever for your quality of life. A recent study found that relaxation techniques such as yoga and meditation actually produce molecular changes that counteract depression.

The Immune System in Overdrive

When stress triggers the familiar “fight-or-flight” reaction, it also boosts production of a molecule called NF-kB. This molecule in turn stimulates genes to produce cytokines, which are proteins that cause inflammation as part of the immune system response.

In the short term, this process is helpful in battling infections and other common ailments. Problems arise when the pro-inflammatory gene expression is chronic, leading to higher cancer risk along with accelerated aging and mental disorders such as depression.

Exploring the Mind-Body Connection

The study from the Universities of Coventry and Radboud, published in Frontiers in Immunology, examined gene behavior in 846 participants over a span of 11 years. Principle focus was the effect of mind-body interventions (MBIs) such as yoga, tai chi and meditation.

Results showed that regular practice of MBIs caused reduced production of NF-kB and cytokines. This decrease reversed the pro-inflammatory gene expression pattern, with a corresponding reduction in the risk of inflammation-related conditions.

According to lead researcher Ivana Buric, the process leaves a “molecular signature” that reverses the effects of stress and anxiety. MBIs can change the genetic code to follow a path toward health and well-being.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: A Personalized Approach

No two cases of cancer are the same. Contact us to learn how Issels® uses individually developed immunotherapy for cancer programs to help patients of all ages and all forms of cancer.

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Caregivers, Living with Cancer, Uncategorized

Cancer Caregiver Tips: Talking About Cancer with Your Loved One

Cancer Caregiver Tips: Talking About Cancer with Your Loved One
Cancer Caregiver Tips: Talking About Cancer with Your Loved One

Are you a cancer caregiver who’s tiptoeing around your loved one because you’re afraid of saying the wrong thing? Use these tips to guide your conversations in positive and helpful directions.

Tips for Talking to a Cancer Patient

  • Don’t stress about coming up with the perfect words. This is a new situation for both of you. If you don’t know what to say, be honest about it. Your loved one will let you know what he or she needs.
  • Keep the focus on the patient. You’re there to help them, not the other way around. Talk to another friend or family member if you need a sounding board.
  • Avoid clichés or dismissive comments like “You’ll be fine” or “At least you got the ‘good’ cancer.” Of course you don’t want to be a source of doom and gloom, but minimizing the situation doesn’t make the patient feel any better.
  • Every case of cancer is different. Don’t bring up friends, family members or acquaintances and compare their situations.
  • Don’t ask for details about their cancer treatment such as blood test results or possible side effects. Let them share information if they like, but respect their personal boundaries.
  • Sometimes no words are necessary. Your loved one might want you to provide a sympathetic ear, or may prefer a period of silence. Be willing to graciously accommodate their wishes.

Personalized Cancer Treatment from Issels®

Your experience with cancer is unique, so your treatment should be also. Visit our website to learn more about cancer vaccines and other individually tailored and integrative immunotherapy for cancer treatments.