Tag Archives: Cancer Immunotherapy

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy for Cancer

Blocking Cystine May Starve a Hard to Treat Breast Cancer

A Unique Perspective
Block Cancer

Cancer cells have a high-powered metabolism that demands a steady stream of nutrients for fuel. Scientists may have discovered a way to “starve” a hard-to-treat form of breast cancer by depriving the cells of a crucial substance.

Feed a Cold, Starve Cancer?

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a particularly aggressive and treatment-resistant form. In a study performed at Duke University, researchers found that the cells have an “addiction” to a nutrient called cystine, and deprivation causes them to die off quickly.

Further examination showed that the addiction is triggered by a mechanism used by the cells to migrate to other parts of the body, a process known as metastasis. According to Jen-Tsan Ashley Chi, associate professor at Duke University School of Medicine and lead author of the study, the metastasized cells are the primary target of treatment.

What’s Next?

Chi’s group had previously published a study showing that the cells in a stubborn form of kidney cancer are also subject to the cystine addiction. The next step is to test cystine-blocking molecules on tumors and look for biomarkers that will signal cancer cells that are receptive to the treatment.

As Chi explains, tumor cells use this programming to move rapidly around the body. The researchers’ goal is to take advantage of the same process for a cure.

State-of-the-Art Immunotherapy for Cancer at Issels®

Our personally-tailored immunotherapy for cancer treatments are developed using genome testing and other cutting edge methods. Contact us for testimonials from patients who have been successfully treated for all forms of cancer, ranging from lung cancer to melanoma to leukemia.

Cancer Research, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, News

Could the X Chromosome Hold a Key to Cancer Incidence?

New Cancer Research
New Cancer Research

High school biology teaches that the Y chromosome is what distinguishes males from females, who have two X chromosomes. Cancer researchers are exploring the possibility that the additional X chromosome may hold a key to why women have a lower incidence of cancer than men.

Genetic Gender Bias?

The so-called “male bias” runs across all types of cancer. In the past it was thought to be caused by men’s greater exposure to environmental factors such as cigarette smoke and chemicals, but that didn’t explain a similar bias in juvenile cancers like pediatric leukemia.

According to Dr. Andrew Lane of Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, lead author of the study, everyone carries tumor suppressor genes that protect cells from cancer. When cancer develops, these genes lose functionality.

Strength in Numbers

The study revealed the genes that were mutated more frequently in male cancers occurred on the X chromosome. While this sounds counterintuitive, there’s more to the story.

One copy of the X chromosome is shut down in all cells, a process known as X inactivation. But approximately 50 of the 800 genes on the X chromosome are spared, leaving women with two sets of those particular genes. As a result, any cancer that develops must mutate twice as many of the genes in women as in men.

Genomic Testing and Immunotherapy for Cancer

Each patient’s cancer is unique, which is why genomic testing is one of the special methods we use at Issels®. Contact us for more information about our personally tailored immunotherapy for cancer treatments that destroy cancer cells while strengthening your body’s own natural defenses.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Breast Cancer, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy for Cancer

New Medication May Effectively Treat Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Cancer Survivors: A Unique Perspective on Hope
Breast Cancer Research

The term “breast cancer” encompasses several subtypes of the diseases, including triple-negative breast cancer, a more aggressive form that occurs frequently in younger women. Scientists in Ireland recently made a discovery that holds promise as an more effective treatment than chemotherapy, which is currently the only available option for this cancer subtype.

What Is Triple-Negative Breast Cancer?

Breast cancer is usually categorized by the presence or absence of three different receptors that fuel the growth of tumors. Triple-negative breast cancer lacks all three receptors, making it unresponsive to the targeted treatments often used with breast cancer.

BREAST-PREDICT is the Irish Cancer Society Collaborative Cancer Research Centre where the recent study was conducted. Researchers identified a drug called APR-246 that can prevent the growth of certain cancer cells.

APR-246 Can Mean New Hope for Breast Cancer Patients

Results of the study were published last year in the International Journal of Cancer. Naoise Synnott, the PhD student who performed the research, said she decided to focus her efforts on triple-negative breast cancer because of the lack of effective treatment for the disease.

Currently, chemotherapy is the only form of treatment available to patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Unfortunately, many of them don’t respond, leaving them to suffer the side effects of chemotherapy with no positive outcome.

Approximately one in six cases of breast cancer worldwide is diagnosed as triple-negative. The next step with APR-246 is conducting clinical trials to evaluate real-life results.

Is Immunotherapy for Cancer Right for You?

For decades, Issels® has been in the forefront of cutting-edge immunotherapy for cancer treatments. Contact us for testimonials from patients we have successfully treated for breast cancer, leukemia and other forms.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer

Big Pharma’s Specialized T Cell Treatment May Be Too Toxic for Some Patients

Using the Body to Fight Cancer
T Cell Engineering

CAR-T is a remarkable new immunotherapy for cancer treatment that has been described as “heroic medicine” for patients who have exhausted all other resources. As Big Pharma begins taking steps toward bringing CAR-T to the market, certain toxic side effects have given some investors pause.

Pros and Cons of CAR-T

Your immune system includes T cells, which are a subtype of white blood cells. CAR-T involves harvesting a patient’s T cells, engineering them to recognize cancer then returning them to the patient’s system where they are now better equipped to fight cancer cells.

So far CAR-T has had particular success against leukemia and lymphoma, with one study resulting in leukemia completely disappearing from 90 percent of the participants. The bad news is that some test subjects have developed serious side effects such as cytokine release syndrome, which can result in organ failure.

The Search for a Safer Treatment

While experts believe the dramatically positive results greatly outweigh the potentially negative ones, researchers are at work exploring ways to make CAR-T safer for cancer patients. One promising approach is standardization of T cell doses by maintaining specific proportions.

Some researchers use a so-called “suicide switch,” which is a drug that causes T cells to self-destruct in the presence of high toxicity levels. Doses of the activation drug can be adjusted so it reduces toxic effects but leaves some T cells intact.

The Non-Toxic Alternative: State-of-the-Art Immunotherapy for Cancer at Issels®

While immunotherapy is a hot buzzword in the medical community, Issels® has been a leader in the field for decades. Contact us to learn more about the success of our personally-tailored non-toxic immunotherapy for cancer treatment programs.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer

Rare Cancers Still Plague Vietnam Veterans

Get The Treatment You Need
Get The Treatment You Need

More than 40 years after the end of the Vietnam War, the conflict continues to have both physical and emotional effects on those who served. Several vets are fighting a rare form of cancer that stems from food they ingested overseas.

When Food Becomes Deadly

Residents of Vietnam and other parts of Asia have long known about the dangers of eating raw or poorly cooked river fish. It often holds parasites known as liver flukes that latch onto the lining of the bile duct, causing inflammation and scarring over time.

Decades later, the afflicted patient can develop a rare cancer called cholangiocarcinoma. Sadly, the symptoms usually don’t present themselves until the later stages after the tumor has advanced.

Vietnam Vets Struggle for Assistance

According to Ralph Erickson, head of post-deployment health services for the Department of Veteran Affairs, roughly 700 cholangiocarcinoma patients have gone through the agency’s medical system. However, less than half of them submitted claims because it never occurred to them that the cancer was linked to their military service.

Michael Baughman, a 64-year-old veteran from Danville, VA, is one of the patients who was diagnosed with bile duct cancer. He acknowledged the bitter irony that he survived combat but is likely to die due to eating a fish.

Immunotherapy for Cancer Offers Hope to Many Patients

Today immunotherapy for cancer is regarded as the most advanced of current treatments. Our individually tailored non-toxic protocols may be used alone or in conjunction with more traditional methods. Contact us to learn why Issels® is the leader in state-of-the-art immunotherapy for cancer.

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Caregivers, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer

What Are the Healing Benefits of the Human Touch for Cancer Patients?

Human Touch

If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, “the human touch” is more than just a figure of speech. Hands-on therapies can help reduce stress, boost your spirits, and reduce physical pain.

How “Healing Hands” Boost the Fight against Cancer

There is scientific research to back up the positive claims of touch therapy. One widely publicized study involved a group of married women who were threatened with a mild electric shock, but their anxiety levels dropped instantly with a touch from their husbands’ hands.

Chronic stress and depression inhibit your body’s immune system, making it more vulnerable to invading cancer cells. Touch therapy can improve your overall wellness so you’re better equipped to fight the disease.

3 Popular Touch Therapy Techniques:

  • Body psychotherapy goes beyond talk therapy, helping you tune in to bodily sensations that uncover deep emotional traumas. Methods focus on various elements such as muscle contraction, breathing and posture.
  • Physical therapy addresses pain and limited movement in muscles, joints and other tissues. According to one study, women who had undergone breast cancer surgery and worked with a physical therapist had less pain and better quality of life than others who exercised on their own.
  • Massage therapy may seem like a luxury, but it actually triggers brain activity that increases serotonin, a mood-elevating chemical, and reduces the stress hormone cortisol.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: An Integrative Approach

At Issels®, our innovative immunotherapy for cancer uses a comprehensive mind-body approach to attack cancer cells while restoring your natural immune response. Visit our website for more information about our non-toxic, personally tailored treatment programs.