Tag Archives: Cancer Vaccines

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Survivors, Cancer Treatment, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Stage Four Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

July is Bone Cancer Awareness Month – What to Know

Picture of a bone cross section
Bone Cancer or Sarcoma is in the focus in July

What are the types of bone cancer? Can it be treated with immunotherapy for cancer programs? July is Bone Cancer Awareness Month, making it a good time to share some facts about the disease from the National Cancer Institute.

Basics of Bone Cancer

As the name implies, bone cancer is a malignant tumor that forms in bone tissue. The majority of bone tumors are benign, which means they’re non-fatal and don’t spread.

On the other hand, bone cancer CAN spread to other parts of the body. Regardless of the location of the metastasis, or spread, the disease is still referred to as bone cancer based on its original site.

Types of Bone Cancer

– Osteosarcoma, usually found in the knee or upper arm, develops in hard bone tissue.

– Chondrosarcoma forms in cartilage, which is the tough but resilient tissue that cushions joints.

– The Ewing Sarcoma Family of Tumors, or ESFTs, are thought to arise from primitive nerve tissue in bone or soft tissues.

Bone Cancer Symptoms

Chronic pain or swelling in or near a bone are the most common symptoms of bone cancer, but they could also be indicative of other conditions, so it’s important to be tested.

Treatments for Bone Cancer

Traditional treatments such as surgery and chemotherapy are often used with bone cancer patients. The NCI and other organizations also sponsor frequent clinical trials to investigate immunotherapy for cancer treatments.

Help for Patients with Stage IV Bone Cancer

Visit our website for testimonials from patients with metastasized bone cancer and other forms who have achieved long-term remission with immunotherapy for cancer at Issels®.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Cancer Vaccine, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Uncategorized

Cancer Gets Fuel From Fat Cells – How to Starve Tumors

It's Time to Cross Out Cancer!
It’s Time to Cross Out Cancer!

Cancer research is now going beyond the genetic aspect to explore how the disease interacts with the body’s systems. Recent studies of the relationship between cancer and fat cells may have implications concerning immunotherapy for cancer.

Feeding the Growth of Cancer Cells

While the precise causes are not yet known, obesity has been identified as a risk factor for prostate cancer, which is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men. As a result, research into the link between cancer and fat cells has focused on this form of the disease.

Previous tests involved mice who were fed a high-fat diet. In contrast, researchers at Sanford Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in San Diego conducted a study using mice who lacked a protein called p62, causing them to become obese on a normal diet.

According to co-author Dr. Jorge Moscat, this control was necessary to get a clear understanding of the communication pathways between cancer and fat cells. The team discovered that p62 suppresses another protein known as mTORC1, which in turn inhibits energy use by fat cells.

Can Cancer Cells Be “Starved” to Death?

With metabolism halted in fat cells, nutrients are then available to fuel development of tumor cells. Lack of p62 also triggers production of proteins found at high levels in particularly aggressive forms of prostate cancer.

As explained by Dr. Moscat, these findings can help identify specific substances to be targeted by immunotherapy for cancer treatments with the goal of “starving” cancer cells.

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

Contact Issels® for information about our non-toxic, personally developed immunotherapy programs to treat advanced and therapy-resistant cancers.

Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Cancer Vaccine, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Uncategorized

Swiss Group Studies Dendritic Cell Vaccines with Artificial Receptors

New Cancer Research Is Improving Treatment
New Cancer Research Is Improving Treatment

One of the challenges doctors face with cancer treatment is designing a program to meet a patient’s unique needs. Immunotherapy for cancer is helping to provide solutions to this problem, such as recent improvements to dendritic cell vaccines.

Immunotherapy: Priming the Body’s Immune System

While the body’s immune system is extremely capable when it comes to fighting viruses, bacteria and other invaders, cancer cells often demonstrate a remarkable ability to evade detection. Immunotherapy works by enhancing the immune system’s power to target and destroy cancer cells.

Dendritic cells are one of the immune system’s “messengers” that present antigens to killer T-cells for destruction. Researchers in Switzerland began looking for a way to improve the effectiveness of dendritic cell vaccines.

Helping the Immune System Recognize Cancer Cells

Prof. Michele De Palma and his team created artificial receptors known as EVIRs, which are inserted in dendritic cells extracted from a patient. Once reintroduced into the patient’s system, the EVIRs are engineered to recognize exosomes that transport molecules between cells, sometimes assisting in the spread of cancer.

As EVIRs capture exosomes, it allows dendritic cells to present antigens on their outer surface, simplifying recognition and attack by killer T-cells. De Palma and his team have dubbed this phenomenon “cross-dressing,” and they’re hoping that the process will improve the specificity of cancer treatment.

Issels®: A Successful Legacy of Immunotherapy for Cancer

At Issels®, we are exclusively focused on immunotherapy for cancer with patients who have advanced or therapy-resistant cancers. Contact us to learn more about our dendritic cell vaccines and other non-toxic, personally tailored immunotherapy treatment programs.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Uncategorized

Personalized Dendritic Cell Vaccines As Effective Immunotherapy Make the News

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Sharing the Opinions of the Future
Sharing the Opinions of the Future

One of the benefits of immunotherapy for cancer is that treatments can often be tailored to address a patient’s individual needs. Scientists in Switzerland have now developed a method of modifying dendritic cell vaccines that makes them easier to personalize.

Aiding the Body’s Own Immune Response

Dendritic cell vaccines are normally created by force-feeding dendritic cells with tumor antigens. Scientists at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research have developed a modification that allows dendritic cells to acquire antigens from a patient’s tumor.

Prof. Michele De Palma, winner of the 2017 Swiss Cancer League award, led the team of researchers in creating an extracellular vesicle (EV)-internalizing receptor, referred to as EVIR. The EVIR has been optimized to enhance dendritic cells and their ability to selectively uptake cancer cell-derived EVs.

Antigen-laden exosomes and other extracellular vesicles are released by tumors in sizable quantities. The EVIR helps dendritic cells target the exosomes more precisely and present them to killer T-cells for a more efficient immune response.

Streamlining the Job of Dendritic Cells

De Palma explained the phenomenon of cross-dressing, in which dendritic cells display the acquired antigens directly on their surface. The process simplifies the immune response by eliminating the need for more complex interactions within the dendritic cell itself.

Dendritic Cell Vaccines and Immunotherapy for Cancer at Issels®

Dendritic cell vaccines are only one of the non-toxic cancer treatments available at Issels®. Our individually developed programs are created to maximize the ability of your own immune system to fight cancer.

Contact us to learn more about why Issels® has long been a groundbreaking leader in immunotherapy for cancer.

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

Issels and the Dendritic Cell Vaccine for Cancer

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It's Time to Cross Out Cancer!
It’s Time to Cross Out Cancer!

For decades, Issels® has been a leader in non-toxic immunotherapy for cancer treatments. The dendritic cell vaccine is one of the most potent weapons in our cancer-fighting arsenal, succeeding in many late-stage patients for whom other treatments had failed.

The Power of Dendritic Cells

Immunotherapy for cancer focuses on boosting the power of the body’s own immune system to fight tumors. Dendritic cells are part of the immune system, serving as advance sentries that recognize the presence of foreign antigens.

Once the dendritic cells process the antigens, they are presented to T cells, another part of the immune system. T cells are effectors that provide a response to stimulus such as bacteria, viruses and other invaders.

Individually, dendritic cells are extremely potent, but the problem is that they’re not usually present in large enough quantities. Dendritic cell vaccines are an effective method of increasing their numbers.

Issels® and the Dendritic Cell Vaccine

In a process called extracorporeal photophoresis, a patient’s blood passes through an ultraviolet light chamber, which provides an immune boosting effect. White blood cells are harvested and cultured into active dendritic cells, then re-injected into the body to trigger an immune response.

Traditional cancer treatments often have side effects because they attack healthy cells along with tumor cells. Dendritic cells can distinguish normal dying cells from cancer cells so the immune system refrains from attacking them.

Personalized Immunotherapy for Cancer at Issels®

Dendritic cell vaccines are only one of the innovative treatments we use for patients with all forms of cancer. Contact us to read and hear testimonials from our many patients who have successfully achieved long-term remission.

Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Immuno-Oncology, Immunotherapy, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Uncategorized

Immunotherapy the Cancer Treatment Disrupter

Join Us in the Fight Cancer
Join Us in the Fight Against Cancer

During the last few years, respected political leaders Joe Biden and Jimmy Carter have become active in raising awareness of cancer immunotherapy and the need for research. Now a major figure in the social media and technology field has added his voice and his funding to these efforts.

From Social Networking to Social Responsibility

Sean Parker first made his name as the founder of music-sharing service Napster before serving as the first president of social networking giant Facebook. While that might be enough for most people, Parker has begun a new project that will affect even more individuals in a personal way.

Over the last decade, Parker has generously supported organizations such as Stand Up to Cancer and Cancer Research Institute Immunotherapy Dream Team. Early in 2016, Parker earmarked $250 million from his charitable foundation for a grant to establish the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

The Institute is comprised of seven academic medical centers working in conjunction with more than 50 partners in pharma and biotech. According to Parker, the intent was to “cut down the barriers” that limit the free exchange of information.

Aligning Research and Medicine

Parker was inspired to found the Institute when he noticed a disconnect between academic science and the process of actually bringing treatments to patients. He specifically sees cancer immunotherapy as the “opportunity to disrupt” the gap between what’s possible through technology and what’s actually being accomplished.

Issels®: A Champion for Immunotherapy

Our founder, Dr. Josef M. Issels, was ahead of his time in recognizing the power of cancer immunotherapy. Contact us for more information about our non-toxic integrative programs.