Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Survivors, Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy: a Miracle Cure for Many

Let Issels Help You Survive Fighting Cancer!
Let Issels Help You Survive Fighting Cancer!

Chemotherapy and radiation are common forms of treatment for cancer, but they are not always effective. These forms of treatment can also cause unpleasant side effects or long-term effects.

Issels immunotherapy for cancer offers a nontoxic treatment method that is effective and doesn’t cause adverse side effects. Our personalized treatment programs have helped patients completely recover, even from aggressive forms of cancer.

Miracle Cure

While she was in her 40s, Lori Alf battled multiple myeloma, a blood cancer with a grim outlook. With the help of Dr. Carl H. June, Alf underwent an experimental treatment that used her body’s own immune system to fight the cancer cells. As part of this treatment, researchers took white blood cells from Alf’s body and turned them into cells that were able to target and destroy cancer cells.

These white blood cells were combined with a protein known as chimeric antigen receptor to help them recognize myeloma cells. Within two months of undergoing immunotherapy, Alf’s body was free of cancer.

One of the advantages of immunotherapy is that it does not carry the risk of graft-versus-host disease, a condition that can be life-threatening. This occurs when the body rejects transplanted stem cells that come from a donor. Since the cells used in immunotherapy are from the patient, there is no risk of rejection. Researchers believe that immunotherapy can be used to effectively and safely treat more than two dozen cancers.

If you would like more information on the Issels non-toxic immunotherapy for cancer, please contact Issels. We offer care for many different types of cancer.

Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, News

Could this be an Accidental Miracle for the Treatment of Breast Cancer?

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Breast Cancer Myths BustedAwareness Month
Promising Immunotherapy Treatment Protocol for Breast Cancer

Researchers in the United Kingdom recently made an exciting breakthrough in breast cancer immunotherapy treatment. Ironically, the discovery they made was neither sought after nor expected.

An accidental miracle?

A group of surgeons at the University of Manchester set out to test the use of a two-drug combo on tumors between the times of diagnosis and surgical excision. The drugs in question, traztusumab (Herceptin) and lapatinib (Tyverb) had previously been used individually in treatment.

While the intent was to study the effects of the drugs on tumor biology, the surgeons were stunned at the dramatic but unanticipated results. After only 11 days, 87 percent of the 257 participants experienced a significant reduction in cancer cells, while 11 percent showed no cancer cells at all.

Implications for future breast cancer treatments

Each of the women participating in the study had a form of breast cancer known as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, also referred to as HER2 positive breast cancer. Herceptin works by blocking growth signals to HER2 receptors on the surface of the cancer cells, while Tyverb does the same from within the cells.

According to lead researcher Nigel Bundred, the results are a promising sign for tailoring individual treatments with breast cancer patients. The team is “cautiously optimistic” about indications that taking the drugs immediately after diagnosis may eliminate the need for chemotherapy.

At our Issels® center, we consider factors such as lifestyle and environment to create personalized breast cancer immunotherapy treatment. Visit our website to learn more about our cancer vaccines, cell therapies and other non-toxic immuno-oncology protocols.

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

What is Biotherapy Treatment for Cancer?

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It's Time to Stop Cancer!
It’s Time to Stop Cancer!

You may sometimes hear immunotherapy for cancer referred to as biological therapy, or biotherapy for short. The prefix “bio” relates to living organisms, as opposed to “chemo,” which indicates chemicals. Biotherapy makes use of natural, living substances that assist your body’s own immune system in fighting cancer.

Biotherapy vs. chemotherapy

Traditional chemotherapy uses drugs to directly attack cancer cells. The main drawback is that chemo drugs can’t differentiate between cancer cells and healthy cells. As a result, damage to normal cells can result in nausea, fatigue, hair loss and other side effects associated with this type of treatment.

While your immune system does a good job at fighting bacteria and other foreign bodies, it has a hard time identifying and eliminating cancer cells. Biotherapy uses protocols developed from elements of the immune system, such as T-cells, cytokines and NK or natural killer cells, to harness and increase its cancer-fighting power.

How biotherapy affects the immune system

Biotherapy treatments can aid your immune system either directly or indirectly.

  • Direct assistance boosts the immune system’s ability to fight cancer cells by enhancing its power or making diseased cells easier to recognize.
  • Indirect assistance results from stopping or suppressing the process whereby healthy cells are transformed into cancer cells, as well as preventing cancer cells from spreading to other parts of the body.

Issels® is in the forefront of biotherapy cancer treatments

Personalized immunotherapy for cancer used at our Issels® center is based on special testing methods to determine each patient’s specific needs. Visit our website for more information about our individualized non-toxic therapies.

After Cancer, Cancer Survivors, Living with Cancer

June is National Cancer Survivor Month – Wear the Purple Ribbon

Diverse Hands Holding The Word Cancer
June 5th is Cancer Survivor Day!

We tend to think of National Cancer Survivor Day as a day that’s set aside to honor all of those who have beaten this dreadful disease. However, here at Issels® we feel that it’s also important to remember the unsung heroes. These are the people who have worked hard by their loved ones’ sides to ensure that they receive the best possible care during their treatments.

National Cancer Survivor Day is June 5. On this day, we want to remember everyone who has fought, or who is still fighting cancer and celebrate them and their journey.

The Effects of Cancer

Unless you’ve been through it, it’s hard to completely understand the effects of cancer. Many patients live their lives in a constant state of fear from one treatment to another, and the side effects that are usually experienced after their treatments can have life-long impact. Their caregivers struggle with knowing if they’re making good decisions, and whether or not their friends and family members are comfortable and pain-free.

Providing Support to Patients and Caregivers

If you know a cancer patient or a cancer caregiver, there are many ways you can honor them; not just on National Cancer Survivor Day, June 5, but all year long. Providing a listening ear helps more than you know, and offering to do tasks such as running errands, cleaning the house, and paying bills is very much appreciated. Cancer patients and their caregivers need to know that they are supported and loved, and you can play a major role in making sure that happens.

This year, on National Cancer Survivor Day, June 5, wear your purple ribbon and show your support!

Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, News

Hard to Fight Pancreatic Cancer Responds to Immunotherapy

New Cancer Treatment For Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer Treatment News: Chemotherapy Plus Immunotherapy

Pancreatic cancer is one of the more difficult forms to diagnose, resulting in a low survival rate. A recent study found that immunotherapy for cancer holds great promise for more effective treatment.

Current treatments for pancreatic cancer

Surgery is the best option for pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, the tumors are often discovered too late for surgery to be feasible. Doctors are left to use chemotherapy and other methods to control the cancer.

Medical breakthrough with immunotherapy

Researchers at University of Rochester Medical Center in New York set out to find a treatment that could make pancreatic cancer more receptive to surgery. The test involved use of PF-0416309, an immunotherapy drug that targets immune cells in pancreatic tumors.

Subjects included 47 patients whose pancreatic cancer had begun to spread. Eight received chemotherapy alone, while the others received a combination of chemotherapy and the immunotherapy drug.

Most of those who received the combination experienced a halt in the tumor’s growth, which was double the rate projected by the research team. Some saw their tumors shrink, while in one patient the cancer disappeared.

What’s next?

Side effects forced three patients to drop out, but otherwise no one had side effects more serious than those with chemotherapy alone. The researchers now plan to extend the scope of the test with phase 2 trials.

Issels® is the leader in immunotherapy for cancer

For years, our Issels® center has been ahead of the curve on immunotherapy for cancer. Our treatment programs are created individually,

based on each patient’s specific needs. Visit our website to learn more about cancer vaccines and other non-toxic immunotherapy treatments.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Learn More about Immunotherapy a Type of Biotherapy

Harnessing The Body to Fight Cancer
Harnessing The Body to Fight Cancer

Thanks to cutting-edge advances and high-profile recipients like Jimmy Carter, immunotherapy for cancer has been in the spotlight over the last few years. Have you wondered what makes it different from other cancer treatments?

Harnessing your body’s natural resources

Immunotherapy is a form of biotherapy, which means that the treatments use living organisms to fight cancer. It works by giving your body’s immune system a helping hand in targeting and fighting cancer cells.

Cancer cells can trick your immune system by appearing similar enough to healthy cells that they aren’t recognized as a threat. The mutant cells then multiply so rapidly that the immune system can’t react and catch up.

Some immunotherapies work by making cancer cells more visible to your immune system so they can take action. Others work directly with your immune system to boost its response to cancer cells.

Different types of immunotherapy

  • Monoclonal antibodies are used for treatment called targeted therapy. They mark cancer cells to make them more easily recognizable to your immune system.
  • Cytokines are naturally created proteins that have a significant role in normal immune responses and the immune system’s ability to seek out and fight cancer.
  • Vaccines are normally thought of as preventive treatments, but cancer vaccines play an active role in strengthening the immune response.

Using state-of-the-art immunotherapy treatments

Our Issels® center uses these forms and other types of immunotherapy for cancer based on your own individual needs. Contact us for more information about our non-toxic treatment protocols.

Individualized Cancer Treatment