Tag Archives: Cancer Treatment

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment

New T Cell Tracking May Improve Immunotherapy Treatments

Another Step in Stopping Cancer
New T Cell Tracking May Improve Immunotherapy Treatments

T cells are in the front line of your immune system, multiplying rapidly to attack invading cells throughout your body. Immunotherapy for cancer took a big step forward with a study that found ways to track T cells in order to harness their specific tumor-fighting abilities.

Finding a Needle in a Haystack

Adoptive T cell transfer is a method of treatment in which T cells are harvested from a patient’s body and “groomed” to target cancer cells. They were then multiplied and placed back in the patient’s system where they could attack the tumor.

Unfortunately, there are a couple of roadblocks to this process. It’s difficult to know which of the thousands of different types of T cells are most effective against cancer, and cloning the cells can dilute or alter the tumor-killing properties of the originals.

Solving the Identification Problem

Researchers at Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have discovered a process to help solve the former problem. A method called high throughput T cell receptor sequencing allowed the scientists to tag each T cell receptor with a “barcode,” enabling them to be tracked throughout the body.

The team gained valuable data when they applied the method to 10 patients with metastatic melanoma. Trials are now underway in search of more effective ways to extract and multiply T cells.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Boosting Your Body’s Natural Defenses

For decades, Issels® has been a pioneer in the use of vaccines, NK cells and other non-toxic immunotherapy for cancer treatments. Visit our website to learn more about our individually tailored programs.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Treatment, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer

Dr. Josef M. Issels Predicted the Future of Immunotherapy

Dr. Josef M. Issels, Our Founder
Dr. Josef M. Issels, Our Founder

Over the last few years, immunotherapy for cancer has become increasingly embraced by the medical community. But it was more than 20 years ago when our founder, Dr. Josef M. Issels, predicted the future of immunotherapy as an integrative and interdisciplinary approach.

A Groundbreaking Approach to Cancer Treatment

In a practice that spanned more than 40 years, Dr. Issels conducted research involving patients in the end stages of cancer, most of whom had exhausted all traditional methods of treatment. Results led to his pioneering a “holistic concept” of fighting cancer.

While traditional treatments focused on cancer as a disease unto itself, Dr. Issels believed it was a symptom of a larger disease affecting the entire person, body and mind. In such cases, the immune system is unable to perform its usual duties of defending against chronic development of malignant cells.

The breakdown of normal immune system functions centers on T-cells including Natural Killer (NK) Cells, which have the job of detecting and identifying foreign substances that enter the body. Without this normal barrier, malignant cells are free to multiply and form tumors.

Immunotherapy: An Integrative Method

Dr. Issels’ approach went beyond destruction and removal of tumors to address the main underlying causes of malignant cell development and immune system suppression in order to achieve long-term tumor remissions.

Traditional methods such as radiation and chemotherapy merely focus on the cancer cells and tumors. When they become part of an integrative treatment, including non-toxic immunotherapy, they can achieve better results with fewer side effects.

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

Our highly personalized non-toxic immunotherapy programs include Cancer Vaccines, Natural Killer (NK) Cells, Lymphokine-Activated Killer (LAK) Cells and Cytokines.

Contact us today to learn more about why immunotherapy for cancer is one of the hottest topics in modern healthcare.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy for Cancer

Twenty-three Genes Discovered that Affect the Spread of Cancer

The 23 Genes that are Responsible for Cancer

Metastasis is the process by which tumors spread to different parts of the body, making cancer even more difficult to treat. Researchers in the United Kingdom recently made an exciting discovery about how metastasis occurs, which holds promise for developing a cure.

Investigating the Science behind Metastasis

Up to 90 percent of cancer deaths are a result of metastasis. Unfortunately, scientists were unable to get a clear understanding of how cancer cells travel to other parts of the body.

Last year a team at the UK’s Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute conducted a study of how tumors spread in genetically engineered mice. After screening for 810 genes, they were able to identify 23 that either positively or negatively affected the spread of skin cancer to the lungs.

The most effective change came upon removing the Spns2 gene. After finding that metastasis to the lungs was reduced by approximately four times, the researchers repeated the procedure with breast, colon and lung cancers with similar results.

Positive Implications for Immunotherapy Research

This discovery is particularly relevant for the continuing development of immunotherapy for cancer. Scientists already knew that the Spns2 gene affects the immune system, but they had no idea it was a factor in metastasis. They found that the mice in the study that lacked the Spns2 gene had a ratio of immune cells that varied from the normal amount.

Immunotherapy for Cancer and Tumor Metastasis

Our integrative immunotherapy treatments have been used successfully on patients with metastasis involving various types of cancer, including lung, liver and bone. Contact us for more information about the history of Issels® and our immunotherapy programs.

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

Highlighting the Issels Cancer Vaccine Treatment Program

Explaining Cancer Vaccines

Vaccines have played a landmark role in medical history, helping to control or eradicate major diseases such as smallpox, measles, flu and polio. This effective form of treatment is also a significant part of our Issels® integrative immunotherapy for cancer programs.

How Do Vaccines Work?

The science behind vaccines may sound counterintuitive. Many vaccines are made from a weakened form of the microorganism that it’s being developed to fight. Once introduced into your system, the vaccines “teach” your immune system to recognize the microorganism as a threat to be attacked and destroyed.

The Issels® Vaccine Program

Our personalized cancer vaccines and cell therapy protocols are created from the patient’s own immune cells and combined with the immunobologic core treatment to target the tumor and its specific microenvironment to optimize their results.

We offer specialized cancer vaccines at the Issels® immuno-oncology center, including Autologous Dendritic Cells Cancer Vaccine, Prostate Cancer Vaccine, as well as the Issels Autologous Vaccine and combine them with the Lymphokine-Activated Killer (LAK) Cell and Natural Killer (NK) Cell protocols.

These vaccines and cell therapies are autologous, meaning they are created from the patient’s own blood. Since the blood cells provide information about the patient’s internal environment, the vaccines can be tailored to target the patient’s unique cancer-fighting properties.

Immunotherapy for Cancer: Boosting Your Body’s Natural Defenses

Cancer vaccines are only one of the non-toxic protocols we use to activate your body’s own immune response against tumors. Contact us today to learn why Issels® has been a leader in immunotherapy for cancer treatments for more than 50 years.

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.

Immunotherapy

National Cancer Institute Weighs in on Cancer Screening

Early Cancer Detection
Are All Cancer Screenings Effective? Necessary?

It makes sense to play it safe and get the cancer screenings recommended by your doctor. However, are they always necessary? How do you know whether each and every cancer screening is safe, necessary, and effective?

At Issels®, we offer Immunotherapy for cancer as the best method of treatment, but we always make it a point to be sure that you’re informed about what you should and shouldn’t do to protect yourself from cancer. Recently, Dr. Barry Kramer from the National Cancer Institute shared his thoughts in an interview, and we’re confident that you’ll find them quite enlightening.

Success with Cancer Screenings

Dr. Kramer makes it a point to talk about how successful some types of cancer screenings can be. He discusses the importance of pap smears for women, testing for blood in the stool, and how both of these procedures have been shown to be effective in decreasing the risk of death.

Mammograms (depending on your age) have also been shown to be effective. Even so, there is a common belief that all cancer screenings are vital for early detection and diagnosis, but that’s not always true.

The Downsides of Screening

There are downsides to getting cancer screenings as well, and Dr. Kramer lists several. Among them are the risk of false positives, which can trigger invasive tests and anxiety. False negatives are also a serious problem, and there is also a risk of over diagnosis that can result in non-essential testing.

Immunotherapy is a highly effective method of cancer treatment once you have been diagnosed. At Issels®, we want you to properly get screened for cancer. To learn more, contact us.