Tag Archives: Links to Cancer

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Cancer Treatment

New Cancer Treatment Targets Protein Found in Tumors

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Links to Cancer are Being Identified Everyday! There is Hope.
Links to Cancer are Being Identified Everyday! There is Hope.

Immunotherapy continues to be a major focus in cancer treatment research. Scientists in the United Kingdom recently began early-phase clinical trials of an experimental drug that targets a protein found in many solid tumors.

Using the Immune System to Attack Cancer Cells

Cancer Research UK and Biotecnol Limited are collaborating on development of a first-in-class Fdrug known as Tb535H. Arising from Trisoma®, Biotecnol’s antibody development platform, the drug targets the 5T4/WAIF1 antigen that is believed to contribute to the spread of cancer cells.

As with most immunotherapy treatments, Tb535H works by harnessing the immune system’s T cells and directing them to attack and kill cancer cells. Biotecnol has been instrumental in partnering with top cancer institutions to develop promising immune-oncology therapies.

Targeted Cancer Treatment

The discovery of the WAIF1 antigen also occurred as a result of studies at Cancer Research UK’s Manchester Institute. While it may ultimately be a target for a number of cancer types, current testing will be limited to cancers with low survival rates, including mesothelioma and small-cell lung carcinoma.

Dr. Nigel Blackburn, director of drug development for Cancer Research UK, acknowledged that the partnership with Biotecnol will accelerate the path of bringing Tb535H to cancer patients. Blackburn also stressed the need for more effective treatment for lung cancer, the cause of 20 percent of cancer deaths in the UK.

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While immunotherapy is a hot buzzword in cancer treatment today, we have been using non-toxic integrative programs for decades. Contact us to read and hear testimonials from patients with all forms of cancer who have received successful treatment at Issels®.

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

New Biomarker May Predict the Body’s Response to Chemotherapy and Radiation

There is New Hope for Cancer Patients. Don't Give up!
There is New Hope for Cancer Patients. Don’t Give up!

One of the difficulties doctors have in prescribing cancer treatment is knowing which methods will be most effective. That may change with the discovery of a biomarker that may help predict a tumor’s response to chemotherapy and radiation.

How Cell Division Affects Cancer Development

When cells divide, the duplicated chromosomes are pulled apart into the two new cells. A malfunction in this process can lead to chromosomal instability, which has the potential to drive development of cancer cells.

Researchers set out to study the expression of genes associated with normal chromosome division. Specifically, they wanted to find out how genetic changes contribute to chromosomal instability and whether these changes held clues regarding the behavior of tumors.

Genetic Markers of Chromosomal Instability

The team from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory examined 31 genes that had previously been identified as part of the chromosome division process. They discovered that these genes were over- or under-expressed in different types of cancer as opposed to corresponding normal tissue samples.

This led to the development of a 14-gene subset named the Centromere and kinetochore gene Expression Score, or CES. When measuring CES in tumor sample databases, the researchers found that a high score correlated with elevated levels of chromosomal instability.

Based on these encouraging results, researchers are hopeful that the biomarker can be used to predict response to cancer treatment as well as prognosis with or without treatment.

Immunotherapy: An Integrative Approach to Cancer Treatment

Immunotherapy at Issels® doesn’t carry the risk of debilitating side effects that accompanies traditional cancer treatments. Contact us for more information.

News, Uncategorized

High Fat Diets Are Linked to Colon Cancer

High Fat Diets Are Linked to Colon Cancer
High Fat Diets Are Linked to Colon Cancer

Doctors regularly warn patients that obesity is linked to an increased risk of cancer. A study by researchers at MIT has shed some light on how high-fat diets can trigger colon cancer.

The Role of Stem Cells in Colon Cancer

Colon cancer arises from mutations that tend to accumulate among intestinal stem cells, which last a lifetime. Omer Yilmaz, an assistant professor of biology at MIT, led a team that set out to discover the process behind these cellular changes.

For nine months to a year, Yilmaz and his team fed healthy mice a diet composed of 60 percent fat. In addition to gaining up to 50 percent more body mass, these mice developed more intestinal tumors than those on a healthy diet.

Effects of High-Fat Diet on Intestinal Cells

Researchers observed significant changes in the intestinal stem cells of the mice:

  • The mice eating a high-fat diet had a higher number of intestinal stem cells. In addition, they were able to operate free of input from niche cells that normally regulate stem cell activity.
  • Progenitor cells, which are differentiated “daughters” of stem cells, began to take on characteristics of stem cells, including longer life span and ability to generate mini-intestines outside the body.

Yilmaz is hopeful that, with further investigation, this information will lead to identifying new methods of cancer treatment for obesity-related tumors.

The Issels® Difference: Non-Toxic, Personally Tailored Cancer Treatment

We use genomic and other specialized testing to make sure our cancer treatment is designed to meet your specific needs. Contact us to learn more about cancer vaccines and other immunotherapy programs at Issels®.

Cancer Research

Brain Cancer: the Link Between High Blood Sugar and Glioma

New Advances Are Being Made in Cancer Treatment
New Advances Are Being Made in Cancer Treatment

High blood sugar levels are not associated with many positive health outcomes. In fact, people with diabetes carry a higher than average risk for many forms of cancer. However, some kinds of brain tumors are apparently more common in people with normal blood sugar.

In a study on the link between diabetes and brain tumors, researchers at Ohio State University found that people with high blood sugar are less likely to develop gliomas. Although gliomas are relatively rare, this research indicates that doctors should perhaps be vigilant about testing for gliomas in patients with healthy glucose levels.

Do Brain Tumors Affect Blood Sugar?

It’s odd to think that healthy glucose levels may pose a cancer risk, but the findings will help us understand more about how glioma brain tumors function.

The lead researcher on the study, Judith Schwartzbaum, wanted to find out if glioma tumors consume excessive amounts of glucose or if some other action in the tumor cells has an effect on blood sugar. It could simply be that non-diabetic patients have more growth factors available for the glioma to feed upon.

Immunotherapy for Cancer

The unexpected link between blood sugar and gliomas shows that each form of cancer — and each particular patient — displays a complex range of causes. Understanding cancer cells helps us develop better and more specific treatment options.

The Issels® Immunotherapy for Cancer treatment program uses the patient’s own immune cells to attack tumor cells such as gliomas with cancer vaccines and therapies that are highly personalized and non-toxic.

For more information about our Immunotherapy for Cancer treatment system, please contact us today.

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, News, Uncategorized

Alcohol Use is linked to Seven Different Types of Cancers

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Alcohol Linked to Seven Different Types of Cancer
Alcohol Linked to Seven Different Types of Cancer

It’s time to acknowledge that alcohol consumption has an overall negative effect on health. Based on recent research in Addiction, alcohol has a direct causal effect on seven types of cancer.

In addition to liver cancer, frequent drinkers are more likely to develop cancer in the colon, bowel, mouth and throat, and breast cancer in women.

The Link between Alcohol and Cancer

While past analyses have concluded that the link between alcohol use and cancer may not be causal, the latest research indicates that the statistics are simply not strong enough for the link to be explained by other factors.

A report, written by New Zealand’s Jennie Connor of the University of Otago, explains the connection:

• Alcohol caused about 6% of cancer deaths in 2012.

• Women who consume 2 drinks per day have a 16% higher risk of dying from breast cancer compared to non-drinkers.

• Heavy drinkers (averaging 5 drinks per day) have a 40% increased risk of cancer.

• Mouth, throat, and esophagus cancers are more strongly linked to alcohol (the risk of colon and breast cancer are heightened, but less so).

Is Moderate Drinking Safe?

Research doesn’t rule out the safety of drinking moderately — defined as an average of 14 drinks per week or less. However, the report stresses that alcohol is linked to other cancers, besides liver cancer, and that these risks outweigh anecdotal evidence like wine being good for the heart.

Emerging Science: Immunotherapy for Cancer

Immunotherapy for cancer may help patients interested in non-toxic, forward-thinking treatment options such as cancer vaccines and immune cell therapies. Contact us at Issels® for information about our individualized cancer care.

Cancer Research, News

World Cancer Research Fund: Your Weight Does Impact Cancer Risk

Maintaining a Healthy Weight Reduces Cancer Risk
Maintaining a Healthy Weight Reduces Cancer Risk

Maintaining a healthy weight is beneficial mentally and emotionally as well as physically. Excess weight is linked to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many other serious health problems. In addition, statistics show that obesity presents the strongest cancer risk of any lifestyle factors.

The Link between Cancer and Lifestyle

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, 20 percent of cancer cases in the United States are at least partially attributable to one or more of these lifestyle factors:

  • Obesity
  • Lack of physical activity
  • Excessive alcohol consumption
  • Inadequate nutrition

Out of these four elements, excess body weight contributes to 20 percent of all cancer-related deaths.

How Excess Weight Affects Cancer Risk

Excess body fat creates a number of imbalances that can lead to the development or growth of cancer cells, such as:

  • Interference with the immune system response
  • Skewed levels of hormones, as well as the proteins that help the body process them
  • Improper levels of substances that control cell growth

Does Weight Loss Help?

While studies regarding weight loss and cancer are still limited, growing evidence suggests that it can reduce the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer and more aggressive forms of prostate cancer. Ongoing tests are examining the relationship between weight loss and other forms of cancer.

The weight per se is not the contributing factor. It’s the physical changes weight loss brings, such as normalizing hormone levels that help reduce cancer risk.

Immunotherapy for Cancer Includes Lifestyle Considerations