Tag Archives: Cancer Treatment

Cancer Research, News

New Developments in Treatment for Blood Cancer Drug Resistance

New Blood Treatment
New Blood Treatment

Recently you may have seen some promising cancer research in the news concerning treatment for blood cancer drug resistance. Scientists at the University of Southampton have developed a drug that has the potential to reverse this resistance. Preliminary testing has shown great promise and may potentially be used for patients that have certain types of leukemia and lymphoma. These drugs are made from chemically engineered immune proteins that are considered to be antibodies. As these antibodies stick to the proteins on cancer cells, the immune system is directed to kill the cancer cells.

The reason these new drugs are working for people who have experienced resistance is that many of these drugs can be developed to prevent cancer cells from being able to hide from the immune cells, according to a study published in the Cancer Cell journal. This research was done by scientists located at the University of Southampton as well as professionals at BioInvent International. These studies were funded by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Research Foundation in the UK.

A new antibody that is called BI-1206, has also been discovered and it can prevent tolerance by binding to a certain molecule that is called FcyRIIB; this allows for cancer cells to be destroyed. A six year plan is being put into place by a team of professors and scientists in Southampton and Sweden to build on this exciting research. With more information and newly developed treatment options, blood cancer drug resistance may see great changes in the near future.

At Issels we want to help you stay abreast of cancer research news. For more breaking news please subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

Cancer Care Tips, Testimonials

The Secret Tips on Beating Cancer from Survivors

Its Good
Beating Cancer

For cancer patients, advice and knowledge from people who have experienced the same anguish, pain, and worry that they are currently experiencing can be some of the most important medicine they receive. It can make the difference between giving in to the disease or finding the necessary strength within themselves to overcome cancer. At Issels® Integrative Immuno-Oncology, part of our mission is to empower cancer patients by providing them with the information they need to make informed choices about their treatment and to live their life to the fullest.

UPLIFT

UPLIFT: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors is a collection of interesting and sometimes amusing anecdotes from women who have experienced and survived breast cancer. They are various ages and come from different backgrounds, but they are all part of the sisterhood that has faced a cancer diagnosis, dealt with the harsh side effects of treatment, and overcome this horrible disease. They share the same goal of empowering other women by sharing the strategies and tips that helped them find the right support groups, cope with hair loss, and manage their relationships with family and friends.

Remain positive

Well meaning friends and family often make it is easy to slide into a negative frame of mind and focus on the worst aspects of your situation. This book maintains a consistently upbeat tone. Each breast cancer survivor in UPLIFT serves up encouragement and inspiration. They know firsthand that wallowing in self-pity is a pointless waste of time and energy for every cancer patient.

View testimonials from our Issels® family of cancer survivors and contact us to learn more about our personalized immuno-oncology treatments.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

The Tumor Micro Environment Plays a Role in the Spread of Liver Cancer

Tumor Studies
Tumor Studies

Despite recent advancements in cancer treatments, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of only a few forms that has seen a steady increase in occurrences over the past few years. Scientists have identified a significant difference in this form that could hold the key to reversing that trend.

What is HCC?

HCC is the most common form of liver cancer. Close to 750,000 new cases are reported worldwide each year and it ranks as the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. In addition, large numbers of patients develop metastases or suffer from reoccurrence of the tumors.

HCC’s Link to Liver Diseases

While most cancers arise within relatively healthy tissues, HCC most frequently develops in livers that are chronically diseased due to hepatitis, inflammation or cirrhosis. This hepatitis-B virus (HBV)-associated HCC creates a microenvironment that contributes toward tumor growth.

Three scientists from the United States and China teamed up for a report on the topic that was published in the Beijing-based National Science Review. The article is a summary of the complex interaction in the HBV-associated HCC microenvironment and how it impacts the onset, progression and metastasis of the cancer.

What Does the Future Hold?

HBV in effect acts as a traffic cop for the intricate network of cells that make up the microenvironment. Scientists are encouraged that this function can be harnessed to help create a more effective treatment for HCC.

Many of the patients receiving our alternative cancer treatment have experienced remission of liver cancer as well as several other forms. Please contact us for more information about the Issels® difference.

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

Does Your Age Impact Your Recommended Cancer Treatment? Some Say Yes

Does Age Affect Cancer?
Does Age Affect Cancer?

Cancer is a devastating disease that affects thousands of new patients every year. Conventional treatment methods like chemotherapy, radiation and surgery are the most common in the United States, however, research from the United Kingdom has shown that there might be a little bit of bias when it comes to the people who qualify for life-saving surgeries.

According to an article on DailyMail.com, surgery is rarely offered to patients who are age seventy-five or older. This is especially true for men who suffer from prostate cancer, or women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. There is speculation that these patients are considered to be “unworthy” to undergo surgery, and so the option is never even discussed with them. In fact, statistics show that when prostate cancer was detected in men who were age fifty to fifty-four, 29% of them had the surgery to remove it. Only 0.1% of men age fifty-five to eighty-four had the surgery, and no one who was eighty-five or older had it.

Although more women in the age range of seventy-five to eight-four were offered surgery (37%), almost 90% of younger women had surgery for ovarian cancer. Again, not one woman age eighty-five or older was offered this option.

The survival rates for these and other types of cancer in the UK are quite low because of these practices. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as though anything will be changing any time soon.

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with cancer, here at Issels®, we understand how you feel, and we’re dedicated to not discriminating against any of our patients because of their age. We would love to help you. Contact us.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips

Five Cancer Caregiver Tips for the Holidays

Grandparents posing with grandchildren
Take Time to Enjoy Your Caregivers This Holiday

Holidays are often a bittersweet occasion for cancer patients and their caregivers. It’s a time of celebration with friends and family, but it can also create nostalgia and even sadness over the memories of previous illness-free holidays.

If you are a caregiver, it’s important for both you and your loved one that you maintain an emotional and physical balance. These tips will keep things in perspective so you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

• Be honest about your feelings. It’s natural to feel a sense of loss based on the realities of cancer. However, burying those emotions will serve only to intensify them, not eliminate them. Share your thoughts with someone you trust, whether it’s a family member or counselor.

• Modify your expectations. You probably demand more of yourself than anyone else does. Scale back your activities or ask for help when it’s needed.

•Create new traditions. Sharing time with friends and family is the focus of the holidays, no matter what form it takes.

•Ask your loved one about his or her preferences for celebrating the holiday. You may be projecting your own anxieties on them, and you’ll discover that their wishes are simpler than you anticipated.

• Give yourself a pat on the back. You’re making every effort to create a special holiday for your loved one and he or she appreciates it more than you know.

As a caregiver for a cancer patient, you should have your own support system for advice and encouragement. Subscribe to our e-newsletter for medical updates and helpful tips on cancer care.

After Cancer, Living with Cancer, Stress Management, Testimonials

Three Tips to Understanding your Cancer’s Prognosis

Understanding Cancer
Understanding Cancer

Cancer is the giant bugaboo that eventually invades everyone’s life if they live long enough. Still, if caught early and treated agressively, a prognosis of cancer is not necessarily an untimely death sentence. Here are the most important things to know about your prognosis once you have defintively been diagnosed with cancer:

It is Fact Based

Though it may mystify the patient to some extent, a doctor’s cancer prognosis is thoroughly grounded in his own and his peer’s medical experience. The doctor will look at such things as the type and location of the cancer, its metastatic stage – that is, how much it has actually spread – and the cancer’s grade – how abnormal it looks and how likely it is to spread even more.

It’s Mostly Statistics

While Mark Twain facetiously opined that there are “lies, damn lies and statistics,” the actual truth is that stats really do tell you a lot about your prognosis. By analyzing various factors such as the specific characteristics of the patient’s disease, the available treatment options and any other health issues, the doctor will make an educated guess as to what will happen.

It is Not Completely Certain

While your prognosis is your doctor’s “best guess” as to the likely course and outcome of your disease, it is by no means 100% certain. Remaining positive throughout the process is always the best medicine.

As you can see, a prognosis is as much art as it is science and the best doctors combine both when making a prognosis. For more detailed information, please contact us at Issels® or you can reach us directly at 1-888-437-7357.