Tag Archives: Health Insurance

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, Stress Management

Tips for Treating Hot Flashes and Night Sweats While in Cancer Treatment

melatonin-cancer
Treating Hot Flashes And Night Sweats

Do you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to warm skin and damp sheets? Night sweats and hot flashes are a common occurrence with cancer patients. It can result from your course of treatment or from the tumor itself. Women tend to be more susceptible, but men can also experience either condition.

Sweat is your body’s natural way of regulating temperature. When the moisture evaporates on your skin it creates a cooling effect. Patients being treated for breast cancer or prostate cancer often have hot flashes because treatment can trigger menopause or menopause-like symptoms.

Help is available to control hot flashes and night sweats, allowing you to rest more comfortably. Discuss these options with your physician to determine which one is most appropriate for you.

  • In some cases hot flashes may be treated with hormone replacement therapy. Some patients have had success with certain antidepressants or anticonvulsants.
  • Stress and anxiety are contributing factors, so learning coping skills to deal with these emotions can help moderate night sweats and hot flashes. Meditation is a powerful method, and hypnosis is a newer treatment that has shown positive results.
  • Wear loose-fitting clothes made from natural fibers and keep your home well-ventilated.
  • Manufacturers of herbs and supplements such as Vitamin E and flaxseed make extravagant claims, but studies show that the results are mixed at best. Do not attempt this treatment without consulting your healthcare provider.

At Issels® we utilize a course of immunotherapy that strengthens your own immune system and reduces side effects. Visit our website to see and hear success stories from our patients.

Living with Cancer

New Regulators That Impact Cell Growth Are Discovered and May Impact Cancer Growth

Regulated Cell Growth
Regulated Cell Growth

A new discovery made at the Center for RNA Research at IBS could provide some insight into how cancerous tumors are formed in the body and how their growth can be repressed. This could be very big news for those undergoing treatment with Issels Integrative Immuno-Oncology.

For the first time, researchers have discovered that the enzyme PKR is activated during cellular mitosis. PKR was previously known as a trigger of immune response during a viral infection. It is believed that the disruption of PKR activation causes a delay in mitotic progression and defects in cell division that ultimately results in cancer growth.

Researchers also discovered that PKR activation is closely regulated by TAR RNA Binding Protein, or TRBP. TRBP inhibits PKR activation and otherwise helps control the cell cycle.

It isn’t yet known what this new research means for cancer treatment, but this new discovery could lead to revolutionary new cancer treatments that prevent cancer cells from dividing. Given time, there could be a treatment that safely affects tumors before they have time to spread.

Issels® and Cancer Treatment

We at Issels® focus closely on the tumor and the tumor microenvironment in our cancer treatment and research, so this discovery is very exciting and could change the way we look at cancer treatment. For more information about Issels® and our alternative cancer treatments, visit us online at http://issels.com.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Care Tips, Uncategorized

New Cancer Treatments Raise Costs and Concerns of Who Will Pay

Who Will Pay!!
Who Will Pay!!

As new medical breakthroughs successfully treat cancer at an increased rate, those suffering from a devastating diagnosis now have renewed hope as well as concerns over who will pay for the growing treatment costs. New drugs and procedures, which are designed to restore function to a compromised immune system, are being routinely developed to target specific variations of cancer, and they often carry a high price tag.

Many cancer treatments are done with a combination of drug and alternative therapies which work together to support the immune system while destroying cancerous cells. As medical science develops new options, they have to be mindful not to break the current healthcare budget of the nation. A compromise will eventually have to be made as the demand for these treatments increases, and profits may have to fall so that the system will be sustainable and fair.

With many new cancer treatments, who gets what is driven by the insurance companies who in an effort to control costs, may not cover payments for some of the most effective treatments. In some cases the most practical option may be to self-pay to receive the best quality care.

Targeted therapies, such as those available through Issels focus on the individual, and the cancer that has been inherited due to genetic predisposition, lifestyle, environment, or other influences. At Issels, we have two unique protocols when it comes to approaching treatment; therapies specific to cancer cells and tumors, and a non-toxic immunobiologic core treatment which plays an important role in cancer regression and healing.

Our techniques are some of the most advanced and most celebrated developments in the field. Issels combines various treatment options including cancer vaccines and immune enhancement technologies to focus not only on the tumor itself, but also the underlying causes of development. For more information on alternative cancer treatments, visit our website today.

Living with Cancer, Stage Four Cancer Treatment

Will In-Home Cancer Tests Be the Future?

In Home Cancer Treatment
In Home Cancer Treatment

Cancer research remains in the news keeping providers, patients, friends and family members up-to-date with current information. At Issels® website, you’ll find a plethora of information about cancer treatments and cancer testing.

A piece of important news was released on August 11, 2014 of interest to doctors and patients who want, or need, to test for colon cancer. According to an article published by HealthDay, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of an at-home colorectal cancer test based on DNA from a stool sample.

This is a giant leap forward in providing an additional option for testing besides the traditional colonoscopy or the use of fecal immunochemical testing (FIT). It was noted in a news release by director Alberto Gutierrez of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health, that the test detected more cancers meaning the test exhibits a high accuracy rating due to the testing of blood and additional testing for abnormal DNA.

Another piece of good news is the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid will be reviewing the possibility of providing coverage, nationwide, of the Cologuard test for people ages 50-85 with no symptoms of the disease and those at an average risk for getting the disease.

Having the option of a noninvasive test would support the fight against the disease as more Americans would be more inclined to use it versus having an invasive colonoscopy that should be done every 10 years starting at age 50.

For information about our many services focused on the health and well being of our patients, contact us by email, or for both patients in the U.S. and abroad, call us.

Cancer Research, Living with Cancer, Testimonials

New Research Tackles Chemotherapy Side Effects

Tackling The Side Effects
Tackling The Side Effects

Researches at Wichita State University are delving into nanotechnology in an effort to decrease the negative side effects cancer drugs have on patients. The technology will be a huge boon to patients suffering the many side effects of cancer treatment: nausea, bowel issues, hair loss, infections, pain, anemia, and more, preventing patients’ bodies from being further weakened by the treatment of the disease.

Technology 100,000 times smaller than a strand of hair
The mighty but miniscule technology has been developed to magnetically target drugs with the goal of localizing treatment effects specifically to tumor sites, thus decreasing the spread and negative effects of the drugs throughout the body.

Positive results have researchers hopeful
Targeted for patients with skin and breast cancer, “in vitro” (petri dish/test tube) studies as well as “in vivo,” studies involving mice, have shown positive results. The group, including WSU professors Ramazan Asmatulu, Paul Wooley, Shang-You Yang, and several graduate students, is in the final stages of receiving a patent from the study, which will later be tried on humans.

How it works
Nanocomposite, magnetic microspheres were created which are capable of carrying protein-based chemotherapy drugs. The spheres are later incorporated with an albumin and biodegradable polymer and injected into the body. With the help of a magnetic field, the accumulation of drugs can be increased at targeted cancer sites.

Looking for cancer treatment options that help build your body without the weakening effects of traditional therapies? Issels® can help. Learn more about our individualized, comprehensive immunotherapy treatments today.