Tag Archives: Advanced Cancer Research

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer

Cancer May Be Carried in Your DNA – Should Testing Be Offered?

Cancer Can Be Caused at The DNA Level

Lifestyle choices, such as smoking and poor diet, can affect your chances of developing cancer, but some people carry a high risk for the disease

in their DNA. The medical community is currently debating whether widespread genetic testing will do more harm than good.

Would Lower-Cost Tests Mean Greater Accessibility?

BRCA-related cancers occur when the genes that produce tumor-preventing proteins mutate to the point where they lose that ability. These genetic changes result in higher risk of breast, prostate, ovarian and pancreatic cancers as well as melanoma.

Testing can normally run into thousands of dollars, making it generally available only via insurance coverage to individuals with a strong family history of cancer. But biotech companies have come up with viable tests that cost less than $500.

When Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing

Experts such as Mary-Claire King, the award-winning geneticist who originally identified the BRCA1 gene, think that the new testing methods should be considered routine like Pap smears and mammograms. Others are not convinced.

Why is caution needed with the new genetic testing?

• Genetics is not a cut-and-dried specialty, and not all variations can be interpreted correctly.

• Some companies sell these tests directly to consumers without clear information about limitations and risks.

At this point, knowing your family history is still the best indicator of a possible genetic link to cancer.

Genomic Testing and Immunotherapy for Cancer

At Issels®, our immunotherapy for cancer treatments are personally developed to allow for individual factors such as genetic predisposition and lifestyle. Visit our website to learn more about our state-of-the-art protocols such as cancer vaccines and NK cells.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Off Label Drug Use Rises in Fight against Cancer

Repurpasing Cancer Drugs
Repurposing Cancer Drugs

In recent years, drug repositioning or repurposing has become a valuable strategy in immunotherapy for cancer as researchers find previously unknown uses for approved drugs.

“Multitasking” Drugs

A research team at the University of Bergen in Norway has been searching for chemical compounds that can shut down a tumor’s signaling system, preventing continued growth and spread. Over a five-year period, the researchers scanned thousands of compounds ranging from Chinese herbs to FDA-approved drugs.

While testing current drugs, the team discovered that axitinib, a drug used on kidney cancer, has properties that knock out communication paths between mutant cells. Since 90 percent of all cancers are caused by mutations, researchers are hopeful that the drug can be put to use on breast, prostate, colorectal and other forms of cancer.

A New Direction for Cancer Treatment

With the development of new pharmaceuticals taking up to 10 years, repurposing has become a popular cost- and time-effective strategy. The University of Bergen team has also identified a handful of other promising compounds for testing. Lead Professor Karl-Henning Kalland believes that axitinib holds strong potential for use in combination with immunotherapy for cancer.

Issels® Is on the Cutting Edge of Immunotherapy for Cancer

Whether it’s repurposing drugs, cancer vaccines or NK cells, you can be sure that Issels® will be a leader in the use of personally developed, non-toxic immunotherapy treatments. Contact us to read and hear real-life testimonials from patients with all forms of cancer, including lung, melanoma and leukemia, which have been successfully treated at Issels®.

Cancer Research, News

University Researchers Show How Wearable Technology Can Fight Cancer

Can Wearable Technology Change How Cancer is Fought?
Can Wearable Technology Change How Cancer is Fought?

Wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers have been at the forefront of the latest wave of technology. Thanks to researchers at the University of Southern California, wearable technology could be the next step in more effective cancer treatment.

Cancer Moonshot Launches ATOM-HP

“South by South Lawn” (SXSL) is a White House-based festival patterned after the ground-breaking SXSW annual event in Austin, TX. SXSL gathers and celebrates innovators and visionaries who are creating ways to improve lives, both domestically and globally.

The USC project, called Analytical Technologies to Objectively Measure Human Performance (ATOM-HP), is part of the Cancer Moonshot initiative started by Vice President Joe Biden. ATOM-HP uses wearable devices to provide doctors with real-time data that was previously unavailable.

The ATOM-HP Difference

Even during cancer treatment, doctors and patients have only sporadic contact. Decisions are based on the doctor’s observations and self-reporting by the patient, which can result in an incomplete picture of the illness. ATOM-HP lets the doctor “see” effects of treatment and its impact on the patient’s everyday life.

As explained by Jorge Nieva, co-lead on ATOM-HP, the process humanizes treatment by allowing doctors to observe patients beyond the controlled confines of the hospital or clinic. Nieva refers to it as a “safety net for patients” who may be struggling with cancer treatments.

Co-lead Peter Kuhn stressed the importance of ATOM-HP for cancer research. Instead of relying on previously collected data, researchers will have the benefit of real-time information.

Personalized, Non-Toxic Immunotherapy for Cancer

At Issels®, we incorporate the most up-to-date technology and methods in our immunotherapy for cancer. Contact us today for more information.

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.

Cancer Care Tips, Immuno-Oncology, News

July is Bladder Cancer Awareness Month – Do You Know the Bladder Cancer Risk Factors?

Men Are More Likely to Get Bladder Cancer Than Women... Are You at Risk?
Men Are More Likely to Get Bladder Cancer Than Women… Are You at Risk?

This July, you may see people sporting a yellow ribbon for Bladder Cancer Awareness Month. What do you know about the risks for this type of cancer that accounts for five percent of all new diagnoses in the United States each year?

Demographic Factors

  • Bladder cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer in men. According to projections by the American Cancer Society, in 2016 new diagnoses of bladder cancer in men will outnumber women three to one.
  • Approximately 90 percent of bladder cancer occurs in people over the age of 55.
  • Caucasians are twice as likely as African-Americans and Hispanics to develop bladder cancer. Occurrences are also lower in Asian-Americans and American Indians.

Lifestyle Factors

  • Smoking is the most serious risk factor, tripling your chances of developing bladder cancer. In addition, roughly half of all bladder cancer cases with both men and women are caused by smoking.
  • The diabetes medicine Actos, along with certain dietary supplements, has been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer.

Medical Factors

  • Previous chemotherapy or radiation treatment can increase your risk of developing bladder cancer.
  • While direct cause-and-effect of bladder cancer has not yet been established, a link has been found with chronic urinary tract infections or bladder and kidney stones.

Issels® Offers Non-Toxic Immunotherapy for Bladder Cancer

Patients at Issels® have been successfully treated with immunotherapy for bladder cancer as well as other common forms such as lung cancer, breast cancer and melanoma. Contact us to learn more about our cancer vaccines and other personalized, integrative treatment programs.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology

BBC Reviews the “Right” Way to Fight Cancer

Stop Cancer Sign
It’s Time to Stop Cancer!

Cancer is the #2 cause of death in the United States. Untold amounts of time and money have been spent researching treatments, such as the non-toxic protocols used at our immuno-oncology center. But is the fight against cancer going in the right direction? Four experts recently spoke with BBC News about ways to improve the approach toward cancer research.

1. Relax government regulation

Dr. Vincent DeVita, instrumental in discovering the cure for Hodgkin’s disease, points to restrictive rules enforced by the Food and Drug Administration. He says it took three years for his team to develop their program, but today’s gauntlet of hurdles would stretch that time to 15 years.

2. Focus on early-stage treatments

According to MIT assistant economics professor Heidi Williams, shorter clinical trials for late-stage treatments result in more funding. Private funding is usually directed toward this research, suggesting that public funding could be allocated more for early-stage treatments studies.

3. Allocate more resources toward prevention

Political and economic considerations make cancer prevention efforts a lower priority, states Dr. Christopher Wild of WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. He estimates that 40 to 50 percent of cancers could be prevented if knowledge was applied to prevention as well as treatments.

4. Educate the public

Professor Pekka Puska led a landmark experiment to reduce heart disease by educating a Finnish community about the dangers of high-risk habits. A similar campaign could be used to inform the public about the connection between cancer and individual behaviors.

Cancer treatments at our Issels® immuno-oncology center are personally tailored to focus on each patient’s particular needs. Contact us for more information.