Tag Archives: Immunotherapy for Cancer

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Survivors, Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

What is Recurrent Cancer – What Do I Need to Know?

What Do I Need to Know?
What Do I Need to Know?

Have you ever heard stories about patients undergoing immunotherapy for cancer and experiencing no recurrence? Here’s what you need to know about recurrent cancer and what it means in terms of your overall health.

When Cancer Comes Back

Recurrence refers to cancer that returns after treatment has been completed. It originates with cancer cells that remained after the first course of treatment but were too small to show up in post-treatment testing.

Recurrent cancer is the same form as the original tumor, as opposed to a new type of cancer that may develop in patients who have a history of tumors. The latter is known as second primary cancer.

Types of Recurrent Cancer

Cancer recurs in three different ways:

• Local recurrence is in the same general area as the original tumor.

• Regional recurrence describes cancer that has grown into lymph nodes or other tissues near the original cancer.

• Distant recurrence is when cancer has spread to organs or other tissues far from the original site.

Another term that describes distant recurrence is metastatic cancer. Regardless of where the cancer has spread, it’s still the same type as the original tumor.

Testing and Treatment

Your doctor will likely repeat many of the same tests that resulted in the first diagnosis. These tests provide information to help determine the appropriate course of treatment.

Effective Non-Toxic Immunotherapy for Cancer at Issels®

The personally tailored immunotherapy for cancer treatments at Issels® are designed to boost your own immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells. Contact us today to learn how our programs have helped patients achieve long-term remission.

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

How the Presence of Estrogen Protects Women from Gastric Inflammation Leading to Cancer

Advanced Cancer Research
Advanced Cancer Research

In the past, scientists have attributed gender discrepancies in cancer rates to lifestyle differences. Recent evidence strongly indicates that the cause may actually lie in biological differences instead.

This theory was bolstered by the results of an MIT study involving male mice infected with H. pylori, a bacterium that can lead to gastric cancer. More than 50 percent of people around the globe are infected with H. pylori, and while many remain asymptomatic, gastric cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

How Gastric Cancer Develops

H. pylori infections are controlled by the body’s immune system, but a common side effect is gastritis, which is an inflammation of the stomach. The result is conditions that lead to the development of gastric cancer.

Studies have indicated that estrogen can protect women from gastritis, lowering their gastric cancer risk. Conversely, Tamoxifen and other drugs that block estrogen have been linked to higher risk of gastric cancer in women.

Testing the Theory

The mice in the MIT study were treated with estrogen, Tamoxifen or both. None of them developed cancer despite a prior history of gastritis, suggesting that Tamoxifen in the stomach may mimic rather than block estrogen. In the untreated control group, 40 percent of the mice developed gastric cancer.

Issels®: The Leader in Immunotherapy for Cancer

Using estrogen to treat cancer is an example of using the body’s own resources. Immunotherapy for cancer is a non-toxic way to boost the power of your own immune system to fight cancer.

Visit our website to learn more about how Issels® uses personally tailored immunotherapy for cancer to help patients achieve long-term remission.

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

Scientists Uncover a Key Step in Lung Cancer Progression Which May Lead to New Treatments

Advanced Cancer Research
Advanced Cancer Research

Approximately 40 percent of lung cancer cases in the United States involve an aggressive form called adenocarcinoma. Researchers recently identified a vital step in this cancer’s development that could be the key to successful early cancer treatment.

The Path from Benign to Malignant

Lung adenocarcinoma gets its name from adenomas, which are a form of benign tumors. Scientists believe that lung adenocarcinomas begin as adenomas that transition to the more aggressive type.

A team of researchers at MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research set out to study the process behind the change from benign to malignant. According to lead author Tuomas Tammela, at some point the tumor cells begin acting like stem cells, allowing for rapid reproduction.

Flipping the Switch

Wnt is a signaling pathway that maintains cells in a stem cell-like state. The team focused on the activity of this pathway in a group of mice programmed to develop lung adenomas that were likely to progress to adenocarcinomas.

While they found that the Wnt pathway was not active in the adenomas, about five to 10 percent of the cells turned it on during the transition. When the mice received cancer treatment that interfered with the Wnt proteins, tumor growth was halted and the mice lived 50 percent longer.

Innovative and Effective Cancer Treatment at Issels®

Our non-toxic, integrative immunotherapy programs have helped cancer patients of all ages at every stage of the disease. Visit our website to read and hear testimonials from patients who have been successfully treated at Issels® for carcinoma, leukemia, breast cancer and all other forms of tumors.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Treatment, Immunotherapy for Cancer, Uncategorized

Built to Spread, Cancer May Change Genome to Proliferate More Easily

Stop Cancer
Stop Cancer

Researchers already know that cancer cells are often able to evade detection by the body’s disease-fighting immune system. A recent study shows they may also streamline their genomes for faster replication.

The good news? This information can be used to predict whether a tumor will be vulnerable to DNA-damaging immunotherapy for cancer.

What Is Ribosomal DNA?

Ribosomal DNA, which is present in both healthy and cancerous cells, is the key. This DNA carries the code for ribosomes, which produce the proteins that are responsible for many cell functions.

Copies of these DNA sequences are subject to constant expansion and contraction. A research team at the Stowers Institute, led by Jennifer L. Gerton, Ph.D., set out to show that cancer cells would select for expansion for more rapid proliferation.

A Surprising Discovery

Amazingly, after examining DNA in normal and cancer cells in both humans and mice, the team discovered that the cancer cells held fewer copies of ribosomal DNA. Despite this fact, the cells were able to efficiently make more ribosomal RNA and synthesize more protein.

Dr. Gerton theorizes that less DNA to copy enables faster replication. The side effect of this downsizing is a greater sensitivity to DNA damage, which Dr. Gerton’s team demonstrated by treating the cancer cells with four different DNA-damaging drugs.

Issels®: Ahead of the Curve with Immunotherapy for Cancer

For decades, Issels® has been using innovative immunotherapy methods to successfully battle all types of cancer, so we’re uniquely positioned to adopt the rapid advancements in the field. Contact us today for more information about immunotherapy for cancer programs that are tailored to meet your individual needs.

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

Identification of Specific T Cell Presence May Boost Lung Cancer Immunotherapy Treatment Success

New Cancer Research on T Cells
New Cancer Research on T-Cells for Lung Cancer

While immunotherapy for cancer has been a breakthrough for more effective treatment, the challenge is determining which patients will receive the most benefit. A joint US-UK study recently made a discovery that could help solve the problem for lung cancer patients.

Fighting Lung Cancer with T-Cells

The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Southampton and La Jolla (CA) Institute for Allergy and Immunology. The team focused on lung cancer, which is the most common cause of cancer deaths in both countries.

Findings showed that lung cancer patients with larger quantities of tissue-resident memory T-cells in their tumors had a 34 percent greater chance of survival. In addition to serving as protection for the patient, these T-cells produce molecules that attack and destroy cancer cells.

This process corresponds nicely with immunotherapy for cancer, which works by boosting the body’s own natural defense mechanisms against disease. Testing lung cancer patients for levels of tissue-resident memory T-cells can provide an indication of the likelihood that they will benefit from immunotherapy.

Understanding the Role of the Immune System and Immunotherapy

Dr. Justine Alford of Cancer Research UK spoke about the importance of such studies to gain insight into the interaction between cancer cells, the immune system and immunotherapy. She adds that research could lead to more personalized treatments for patients with lung cancer and other forms that are difficult to treat.

Personalized Immunotherapy for Cancer at Issels®

For decades, Issels® has been creating personalized immunotherapy programs for patients based on their own unique needs. Contact us to learn more about our testing and treatment methods.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment, Uncategorized

Cancer Treatment Using CAR-T Cells Excites Researchers with Results

There is New Hope for Cancer Patients.
There is New Hope for Cancer Patients.

Some of the most exciting breakthroughs in medicine are coming through research on immunotherapy for cancer. The recent experiences of two cancer patients illustrate why scientists are excited about these innovative treatments.

Programming the Immune System to Fight Cancer

Teenager Emma Collins and seven-year-old Kashaun Lawhown were both battling leukemia that was unresponsive to chemotherapy and radiation. They were chosen to participate in a clinical trial at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

According to Dr. Stephan Grupp, the hospital’s director of immunotherapy, the girls received treatment with CAR-T cells. The procedure involves collecting T-cells from a patient’s own white blood cells and reprogramming them to target and attack cancer cells.

These new CAR-T cells are then reintroduced into the patient’s system, where they begin to multiply and kill off cancer cells. Continued presence of CAR-T cells can also serve as protection against future recurrence.

Positive Results of Immunotherapy for Cancer

Although Kashaun had been fighting leukemia for five years, it took only a single T-cell treatment to put the cancer into remission. Emma’s results were equally astonishing. All signs of cancer were gone just four days after treatment, and she’s remained in remission for 18 months.

At this point, CAR-T therapy has been effective primarily against leukemia and lymphoma, but researchers are exploring the possibilities of use in cases of “solid” tumors such as breast and colon.

Issels®: A Leader in Immunotherapy Treatments

Issels® has been successfully using immunotherapy for cancer on patients of all ages with all forms of tumors. Visit our website to read and hear about our patients’ experiences in their own words.