Tag Archives: Fighting Cancer

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Brain Cancer Immunotherapy Boosted by Tetanus Vaccine

Doctor
Brain Cancer Discoveries

Cancer vaccines train the body’s immune system to target and kill cancer cells, often requiring a boost to the patient’s immune power. A recent study has found a surprising teammate for brain cancer vaccines: the tetanus shot.

The same tetanus vaccine used to prevent bacterial infections associated with rusted metal has a powerful effect of activating and alerting the body’s immune system overall. Because of this, the boost from a tetanus shot may be an extremely effective tool in increasing the success of immunotherapy treatments.

Doctors at Duke University Medical Center recently administered a cancer vaccine trial to patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain tumor. In patients who first received the tetanus shot to awaken their immune response, survival rates increased significantly.

Here’s what the 12-patient trial study found:

  • Patients given tetanus and cancer vaccines survived 4 to 8 more years, with one patient still surviving. Patients without the tetanus vaccine survived up to 11 months.
  • The tetanus vaccine sounds a warning call to the body’s immune system. This increases the chances that the cancer vaccine will be successfully received by the lymph nodes — where the cancer vaccine must go to train the immune system.
  • The cytomegalovirus — present in most people but inactive — becomes reactivated in brain cancer cells. The dendritic cells cancer vaccine can identify brain cancer cells by looking for active cytomegalovirus.

Researchers hope that the tetanus vaccine can not only be a successful tool to fight glioblastoma brain cancer, but also teach us how to boost other kinds of cancer immunotherapy.

Contact us at Issels® Integrative Immuno-Oncology to find out about cancer vaccines and other innovative forms of immunotherapy.

Alternative Cancer Treatment

Too Far to Visit? Distance Cancer Caregiving Tips

Too Far To Travel
Too Far To Travel

It’s rare to find families whose members all live close by, and this can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety when you find out someone you love has been diagnosed with cancer. You immediately feel as though you need to contribute in some way, but it’s difficult when you’re not there. Even so, there are many things you can do as a long distance cancer caregiver.

Stay Connected

You might not be able to get on a plane and go visit your relative, but thanks to modern technology, you can still stay connected in many ways. Skype or other types of video calling are great tools that can allow you to talk with each other and see each other at the same time. When used correctly and often, it can make you both feel like you are right by their side. Of course, you don’t want to forget the more traditional forms of communication too. A card or a phone call can go a long way to really brighten anyone’s day and let them know you’re thinking of them.

Take Care of Yourself Too

One of the most important things you can do for someone who cares about you is take care of yourself. If you’re not careful, feelings of worry and sadness can quickly turn into anxiety and depression. Allow yourself to cry, journal your feelings and seek counseling if you need to. All of these can help.

Here at Issels® we feel it’s important to offer support to long distance cancer caregivers. If you’d like to know more about how we can help you or your family member, please contact us.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Expensive Biologic Drugs May Face Competition from the FDA and Biosimilars

Cancer Drug Research
Cancer Drug Research

Biologic drugs are often used to effectively treat serious, life threatening diseases. The downside, however, is cost – on average 20 times more than traditional chemical drugs – hundreds of thousands per year, per patient, annually. It’s not surprising that these costs are neither sustainable for the average household – or the government. At Issels® we know access to affordable medication, such as biologics, can be essential to your cancer treatment success, so we wanted to let you know about the latest efforts in making these medicines more reasonable for consumers.

Step in biosimilars…
Expensive to produce, biosimilars are to biologics what generics are to name brand chemical drugs. The hope is by allowing competition in the market through the production of biosimilars, a more affordable option will be available to consumers than current high-cost biologics.

What’s the holdup?
The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) granted the FDA authority to develop a mechanism for approval of biosimilars, but guidelines have yet to be finalized. Interestingly, the FDA accepted its first application last week despite this fact. Many would-be manufacturers are dragging their feet, however, unwilling to take an investment risk without definitive guidelines and knowledge delays caused by biologics – the inventors of these medications – will halt development and approval.

How much will it save?
Similar programs in the E.U., who unlike the U.S. also regulates prices, have resulted in an average savings of about 30 percent less than branded biologics, keeping tens of billions in the pockets of the government and consumers.

Looking for an affordable, effective alternative to your cancer treatment medications?  Contact Issels® today.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Could the Sea Cucumber be an Alternative Cancer Treatment?

Immune Cells
Whats So Special About The Sea Cucumber

There are many treatments for cancer and one that is leading the way for patients is immunotherapy. At Issels®, holistic integrative immuno-oncology treatment programs is their specialty.

With alternative cancer treatments the main focus at Issels®, the on-going research of sea cucumbers as an additional treatment for several types of cancer is good news.

The sea cucumber is a marine animal with a soft, pliable body and shaped like a cucumber. They range in size from several inches to several feet. Over one thousand species call all of the ocean’s of the world home.

Although extract from the sea cucumber has been used as folk remedies in the Asian culture for centuries, according to the American Cancer Society, “there is little reliable scientific evidence to support claims that the sea cucumber is effective in treating cancer, arthritis, and other diseases.”

With that said, research and studies have been on-going for many years with results indicating the extract from sea cucumbers has a dual effect on cancer patients. Studies are showing that the extract serves as a stimulant to the immune system and kills cancer cells.

Research shows the extract is effective in eradicating cancer cells in the colon, breast, pancreatic, lung, liver, and prostate due to a frondoside A, a triterpenoid glycoside from the sea cucumber and formulated into a compound.

Information about frondoside A, its effects on cancer cells and the immune system, and its future as a potential therapeutic option, is available in an article from the from the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

For more information about integrative immuno-oncology, call or contact Issels® about admission and the treatment programs we have available.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Cancer Risks Are Linked to Cell Division

T Cells
Cell Division Linked To Cancer

Cancer is effected by numerous and complex risk factors, making concepts related to calculating its risk a frequent subject of debate. Adding to this debate is a recent study looking at randomly mutating cells, specifically how they play a predominant role in cancer development. What does this say about your cancer risk? Issels® wants to help you put this new information in perspective.

Cancer and car accidents: They have a lot in common…

  • Trip length
    Comparing getting cancer to getting into a car accident, the length of your trip – your lifespan – increases your risk. The longer you live, the more the odds increase of your body randomly mutating cells, making this a significant risk factor – attributable to two-thirds of your total cancer risk in fact.
  • Road conditions
    Just as rain or snow can increase your risk of an accident, so too can conditions in your body and in your environment increase your risk of cancer.
  • Mechanical issues
    Bad brakes or worn tires can be seen as a metaphor for genetic factors, such as inherited mutations.

Reading the accident report
Despite this research, it can’t be stressed enough no single factor causes cancer. Two-thirds of car accidents are not related solely to trip length, but to a combination of road conditions, mechanical issues, and the like. For each “accident,” the major contributing factor will vary.

Accident prevention
Due to the large combination of risk factors, there are many opportunities for prevention, including addressing radiator issues (smoking), regular maintenance (early diagnostics and detection), and more.

Cancer spinning out of control? Contact Issels® today.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

The Hormone, called Irisin May Provide Breast Cancer Protection

Resistance Training
Using Exercise To Fight Breast Cancer

Exercising on a regular basis could help prevent breast cancer thanks to a hormone known as irisin. In the latest cancer research news, scientists at the University of New Mexico concluded that irisin, which is released from muscles after exercising, might provide protection from breast cancer. Its effects on the body might also improve the effectiveness of breast cancer treatment.

Effects of Irisin

Researchers targeted cancerous and non-cancerous breast cells with genetically engineered irisin. The results showed that irisin destroyed cancerous cells but left non-cancerous cells alone. After being exposed to the hormone, the number of cancerous cells decreased by 34 percent. Irisin also reduced cell migration by 51 percent, which could indicate that the hormone is able to slow down or prevent the spread of cancerous cells to other parts of the body.

Exercise and Cancer Prevention

These cancer research findings have shed some light on the reason why exercise plays an important role in cancer prevention and treatment. Other studies have established an association between working out and having a lower risk of cancer. The UNM study focused on how chemicals produced by the body during exercise, specifically irisin, might have an effect on breast cancer. In addition to destroying cancerous cells, irisin also stays in the body for long periods of time, which provides even greater protection against cancer. While additional studies still need to be done, researchers are hopeful that these findings will encourage exercise as a form of cancer prevention and treatment.

To learn about non-toxic cancer treatments, please contact Issels®. We offer immunotherapy and other forms of non-toxic treatment methods for many different types of cancer.