Category Archives: News

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy, News

National Cancer Institute Advances Research on Cancer Diagnosis

Advances In Fighting Cancer
Advances In Fighting Cancer

Diagnosing cancer goes far beyond simply confirming its existence. The effectiveness of immunotherapy for cancer and other forms of treatment improves greatly with timely and accurate information from high-tech diagnostic tools.

National Cancer Institute Spearheads Diagnostic Research

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) supports development of sophisticated equipment and testing through its Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis. Ongoing programs maintained by the division include:

  • Program for the Assessment of Clinical Cancer Tests (PACCT), which aims to break down barriers that hinder accurate diagnostic testing.
  • Strategic Partnering to Evaluate Cancer Signatures (SPECS), which looks for ways to use data from molecular analyses to improve care and treatment of cancer patients.
  • Cancer Imaging Program (CIP), which focuses on non-invasive imaging techniques to diagnose cancer along with specific subsets.

Why Diagnostic Procedures are Important

In addition to identifying the presence and extent of cancer, diagnostic tools are useful throughout the course of a patient’s treatment. Healthcare teams use them to recognize and classify specific genetic changes, determine the best course of treatment, and monitor patients for recurrence of cancer cells.

Ironically, as the effectiveness of tools and techniques has increased, so has the number of over-diagnosed tumors that are unlikely to have serious consequences. Researchers are also concentrating on ways to more accurately evaluate the data being provided by diagnostics.

Issels® is in the Forefront of Modern Diagnostic and Treatment Techniques

Our Issels® team stays up-to-date on the most advanced diagnostic methods as well as state-of-the-art immunotherapy for cancer treatments. Contact us today to learn how our personally tailored treatment protocols have helped patients with all forms of cancer.

Cancer Research, News

World Cancer Research Fund: Your Weight Does Impact Cancer Risk

Maintaining a Healthy Weight Reduces Cancer Risk
Maintaining a Healthy Weight Reduces Cancer Risk

Maintaining a healthy weight is beneficial mentally and emotionally as well as physically. Excess weight is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many other serious health problems. In addition, statistics show that obesity presents the strongest cancer risk of any lifestyle factors.

The Link between Cancer and Lifestyle

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, 20 percent of cancer cases in the United States are at least partially attributable to one or more of these lifestyle factors:

  • Obesity
  • Lack of physical activity
  • Excessive alcohol consumption
  • Inadequate nutrition

Out of these four elements, excess body weight contributes to 20 percent of all cancer-related deaths.

How Excess Weight Affects Cancer Risk

Excess body fat creates a number of imbalances that can lead to the development or growth of cancer cells, such as:

  • Interference with the immune system response
  • Skewed levels of hormones, as well as the proteins that help the body process them
  • Improper levels of substances that control cell growth

Does Weight Loss Help?

While studies regarding weight loss and cancer are still limited, growing evidence suggests that it can reduce the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer and more aggressive forms of prostate cancer. Ongoing tests are examining the relationship between weight loss and other forms of cancer.

The weight per se is not the contributing factor. It’s the physical changes weight loss brings, such as normalizing hormone levels that help reduce cancer risk.

Immunotherapy for Cancer Includes Lifestyle Considerations

Cancer Research, News

Very Hot Beverages Classed as Cancer Causing by WHO

Coffee Is Unlikely To Cause Cancer
Coffee Is Unlikely To Cause Cancer

If you’re a coffee drinker, you’ll be happy to hear that the World Health Organization (WHO) has downgraded coffee as a cancer risk. But make sure you’re not drinking it at excessively high temperatures, as hot beverages are now classified as carcinogens.

Coffee is “Unlikely to Cause” Cancer

WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), composed of 23 scientists from 10 countries, put coffee on its list of possible cancer risks in 1991, when studies revealed a link to bladder cancer. Modern, more sophisticated tests have shown there is no way to prove a definitive connection.

Further review of current studies has led IARC to conclude that coffee most likely does not cause breast cancer, prostate cancer or pancreatic cancer, while risks of liver cancer and endometrial cancer may actually be reduced. Coffee beans contain antioxidants, which are believed to protect against cancer, but increased consumption of caffeine can lead to other health problems, including insomnia and migraines.

Link between Cancer and Excessively Hot Beverages

Studies of hot beverages focused on consumption of mate, a caffeine-rich tea popular in South America. A link was found between mate and esophageal cancer, but the drink is traditionally served at temperatures above 149°F, while in the United States coffee and other hot drinks are served at lower temperatures.

Immunotherapy for Cancer Fights Bladder, Esophageal and All Forms of Cancer

Our Issels® center, a longtime leader in state-of-the-art immunotherapy for cancer, has successfully treated patients with all forms of cancer, ranging from bladder and esophageal to breast and lung. Contact us to learn more about our non-toxic personally developed immunotherapy treatments.

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, News

Thyroid Cancer the 8th Most Common Cancer in the United States

Thyroid Cancer Most Likely Occurs in Middle Aged Women, But Can Affect Anyone at Any Age
Thyroid Cancer Most Likely Occurs in Middle Aged Women, But Can Affect Anyone at Any Age

Here at Issels®, we treat many types of cancer with immunotherapy, including thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer diagnoses have risen over the last 30 years and it is now the 8th most common cancer in the United States.

Role of the Thyroid

The thyroid gland is found in the front of the throat area and is very important. Its multiple tasks include producing several hormones, which work to control the heart rate and regulate body temperature. The thyroid also aids in controlling the amount of calcium in the bloodstream and regulating metabolism.

Risk Factors

Cancer of the thyroid is most commonly found in middle-aged white females, but it also occurs in both men and women of all ages. It is a slow-growing cancer and is markedly treatable. People with exposure to radiation also have an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer.

Symptoms

A hoarse voice, neck pain and lymph nodes that are enlarged are some of the early signs of thyroid cancer. Thyroid nodules are not common in children or teens but become more prevalent as people get older.

Types

While the papillary and mixed papillary/follicular thyroid cancer is the most prevalent type, there are three other types, including follicular/Hurtle cell, medullary and anaplastic. The most common types are the most curable, with a cure rate of over 97%.

At Issels®, we can help you find the right combination of thyroid cancer immunotherapy treatment that will help you flourish. Contact us to learn more about our immunotherapy cancer treatment breakthrough.