Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

What Every Person Should Know About Melanoma

Fighting Melanoma
Fighting Melanoma

The word “cancer” is something everyone dreads hearing, but in the case of a type of cancer known as melanoma, it can feel like a death sentence. Here at Issels®, we have had great success in treating our patients with immunotherapy; even those who have received late diagnoses and feel like they’ve lost hope. Even so, there are some things you should be aware of about melanoma and how it can progress.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer, and most of the time, patients are the first ones to detect that there is something abnormal about their skin. As you can probably guess, there are different types of melanomas, but the most serious is called melanoma IQ. This type of cancer can metastasize and spread to various parts of the body, including to internal organs.

In order to identify a case of melanoma, doctors use the ABCDE method prior to doing a biopsy. They check for:

A – Asymmetry

B – Border irregularity

C – Colors that change throughout a mole

D – Diameter that’s larger than 6mm

E – Evolving over time

These indicators are enough to cause most physicians to seek out a biopsy.

Prevention is always the answer when it comes to any type of cancer. Immunotherapy for cancer offers us much hope, but it’s important to know your risk factors so that you can detect it early on. For example, if you are Caucasian, and you have light skin, hair and eyes, you are at an increased risk. You’re also at risk if you spend a lot of time in the sun. Issels® can help you with immunotherapy for cancer.

Find out more about the Issels cancer treatment programs using cutting-edge immunotherapy programs today.

Cancer Survivors, Living with Cancer, Stress Management

Tips for Returning to Work after Cancer Treatment

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Getting Back to Work
Getting Back to Work

Resuming normal activities after immunotherapy for cancer is a good way to re-establish your sense of self and reduce the sense of isolation that may accompany treatment. Returning to work allows you to feel productive while interacting with others.

No matter how long you’ve been away from work, the transition back can be a little bumpy. Use these tips to prepare yourself for a smooth re-entry.

  • Talk to your supervisor about a more flexible structure as you become adjusted. Possible options include job-sharing or working from home.
  • You’re under no obligation to give your co-workers full disclosure. Decide how much and with whom you want to share.
  • Not all reactions will be positive. Some people feel uncomfortable in the face of illness, while for others it may trigger painful memories of a loved one who was diagnosed with cancer. A few co-workers may even be resentful about taking on additional responsibilities in your absence. Take some time to plan your responses to the various reactions.
  • Legislation like Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) protects the workplace rights of individuals with cancer and other health problems. Consult your company’s human resources department for more information.
  • Unfortunately, legal protection doesn’t guarantee an absence of discrimination. Document any workplace conversations you have about your illness and save copies of performance reviews in case problems should arise.

Our Issels® personalized immunotherapy for cancer is focused on your individual needs so there is a minimum of disruption to your lifestyle. Visit our website to learn more about our comprehensive non-toxic treatments.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Survivors, Living with Cancer

What Office Managers Need to Know About Staff with Cancer

Information For Managers Dealing With Cancer Patients
Information For Managers Dealing With Cancer Patients

As treatments such as immunotherapy for cancer become more effective, the number of survivors continues to increase. If you are an office manager, chances are you will have an employee dealing with a cancer diagnosis at least once during your tenure.

Maintaining a professional but supportive workplace environment can be a fine line to walk. Some elements are covered in company policies, but many are less defined. Here are some tips to help you strike a balance between business and personal needs.

Focus on the employee

When you sit down for the initial conversation with your employee, concentrate on their needs first.

  • Find a private location without distractions.
  • Let your employee do most of the talking while you listen carefully. This approach preserves their privacy and allows them to establish a comfort level.
  • Provide encouragement, but avoid agreeing or disagreeing with anything they say.
  • Finish with a summary of the main points to make sure you are both on the same page.

Respect their privacy

Some people are open about their health status while others prefer to limit how much they make public. Find out where your employee stands and respect their wishes either way.

Help them understand their options

Information about medical leave, health insurance and other human resource issues can be difficult to navigate. Help your employee understand the options or recruit someone who can.

At Issels®, our immunotherapy for cancer is aimed at allowing patients to resume and maintain their normal activities with as little interruption as possible. Visit our website for more information about our innovative treatments, including cancer vaccines and gene-targeted therapies.

Living with Cancer

May is Melanoma Awareness Month – Wear the Black Ribbon

Melanoma Awareness
Melanoma Awareness

Do you believe that melanoma is a “lesser” form of cancer? Maybe you think monitoring and removing moles is sufficient defense against this disease.

The truth is that immunotherapy for cancer is often needed to fight these tumors, which can be more serious than you realize. As people don black ribbons in May to support Melanoma Awareness Month, it’s a good time to present some facts that may surprise you.

  1. Melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer.

While melanoma occurs less frequently than carcinoma, survival rates are much lower. The American Academy of Dermatology estimates that one American dies of melanoma each hour, but the good news is that it’s highly treatable with early detection.

  1. Melanoma frequently affects young adults.

Some people mistakenly associate cancer with old age. In the case of melanoma, it’s the most common form of cancer among young adults between 25 and 29, and the second most common in ages 15 to 29.

  1. Melanoma can develop independent of moles and sun exposure.

Having a lot of moles may increase your risk for melanoma, but it can also occur in the absence of moles. Melanoma is sometimes found between fingers and toes, in the underarm, and other areas that get little or no sun exposure.

If you have been diagnosed with melanoma, Issels® offers immunotherapy for cancer that is tailored to meet the needs of your individual case. Contact us today for information about our cancer vaccines, gene-targeted therapies and other non-toxic treatments.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy for Cancer Explained

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Building Your Immune System to Fight Cancer
Building Your Immune System to Fight Cancer

While our Issels® center has been using immunotherapy to treat cancer for years, the term has come into mainstream use fairly recently. How much do you understand about this cutting-edge treatment and the science behind it? Here’s a helpful look at the definition of immunotherapy along with how and why it works.

What is immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy is simply summed up by its name: it involves cancer treatment by way of stimulating your body’s own immune system to fight the tumors. This can be done with methods that directly target the system, or via man-made substances that supplement the system’s natural tools.

How your immune system works

When bacteria and other foreign cells enter your body, it triggers a response from your immune system, which begins producing substances to fight the invading cells. This reaction can be seen in a number of symptoms, from the redness of a sore throat to the blemishes of acne.

Unfortunately, cancer cells have ways to “trick” the immune system. One is by creating cells that aren’t different enough from normal cells to be recognized as foreign. Another is by producing alternative substances that neutralize the immune response. Immunotherapy for cancer is designed to help your immune system target these cells and giving it sufficient strength to fight them.

Fighting cancer with non-toxic immunotherapy

Vaccines and Cell Therapies prepared from the patient’s own immune cells are just two of the non-toxic immunotherapy approaches available at Issels®. Visit our website for more information about our center, along with testimonials from the many patients we have successfully treated.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Living with Cancer

Eating Tips for All Phases of Cancer Care

Eating Tips for Cancer Patience
Eating Tips for Cancer Patience

Proper nutrition is the foundation of good health, and it becomes even more important if you have received a diagnosis of cancer. Unfortunately, side effects of the disease and its treatment interfere with your eating plan at a time when you need it the most.

How can you overcome the challenges of eating well during cancer care? Here are some tips to guide you through each phase.

Before treatment

  • Talk to your doctor or a nutritionist about recommended foods and dietary supplements.
  • Start following a healthy diet immediately to boost your strength and reduce chances of infection.
  • Stock your kitchen with easy-to-prepare foods, including items like soup and broth that you can eat even when you’re not feeling well.

During treatment

  • Consume as much as you can during times when you have the greatest appetite. This will help sustain you during the periods when you don’t feel like eating.
  • Enlist help if you don’t feel up to cooking.

After treatment

  • Introduce a variety of foods back into your diet as much as possible for well-rounded nutrition.
  • Cook large batches of meals and freeze the extras for future use.
  • Reduce or eliminate your consumption of processed foods. Use low-fat preparation methods such as broiling, steaming and roasting.

At Issels®, we take your lifestyle and other individual factors into consideration when developing our personalized immuno-oncology cancer care programs. Contact us for more information about genomic testing, cancer vaccines and other elements of our non-toxic immunotherapy treatments.

Individualized Cancer Treatment