Tag Archives: Lung Cancer

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, News

Scientists Discover Gene ‘Anchor’ Linked to Spread of Lung Cancer

The Lung Cancer Gene
The Lung Cancer Gene

One of the world’s deadliest cancers, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Its ability to metastasize and quickly spread to other organs in the body is what makes lung cancer so deadly. A new genetic discovery by scientists at the Salk Institute in California may help researchers devise a way to keep lung cancer from spreading and dramatically improve the long-term outcome of this deadly form of cancer.

Cancer Cells on the Move

As described in Medical News Today, Salk researchers have discovered a gene that helps lung cancer cells “pull up their anchors in the primary tumor,” making it possible for them to move to other parts of the body to form new tumors; a process called metastasis. Normal cells have a natural adhesion that acts like an anchor, keeping the cells firmly rooted in their proper place.

Genes Linked to Cell Adhesion

Scientists already knew that cancerous cells were able to overcome this natural adhesion and travel through the bloodstream to other organs. Previous studies had even shown that some cancer cells were able to manipulate cell anchors. But the Salk Institute research is the first to link communication between specific genes to cancer cell adhesion and explain how cancer cells are able to “up anchor.” When that communication breaks down, cancer cells are set free and start traveling.

In lab and animal experiments, Salk researchers were able to re-establish communication between anchoring genes and slow metastasis. Researchers are hopeful that further research will lead to a way to stop lung cancer from spreading.

Visit our website to find out more about Issels  targeted cancer therapies.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Novel Treatment May Be Successful Treating Lung Cancer

Lung Cancer Treatment
Lung Cancer Treatment

Under pressure to develop treatments for recurrent cancers with a high rate of fatality, cancer researchers are revisiting old treatment strategies to see if the application of new medical techniques and improved medical technology might make these strategies viable cancer treatment options again. Repeat radiation is one of these old treatments undergoing new life.

High Risk of Injury is a Problem

Significant improvement in the precision of radiation targeting has led a small number of cancer centers to experiment with repeat radiation on Stage 4 lung cancer patients who are out of options. Re-irradiation uses high-level doses of radiation but employs new techniques to tightly target the tumor and minimize damage to surrounding tissues. Despite precautions, repeat radiation does carry a high risk of serious injury to the patent which seems to be the reason few cancer centers are experimenting with the procedure.

No Risk Alternatives for Continued Lung Cancer Treatment

Using another treatment on the comeback trail, lung cancer patients undergoing non-toxic autologous cancer treatments are achieving positive results without re-irradiation’s considerable risks. Autologous cancer vaccines that use the patient’s own blood to boost immune system function have been used with success at Issels alternative cancer treatment centers for decades. Although the use of autologous vaccines has been in use for decades, it is back in the spotlight in the wake of new discoveries revealing the complicated cellular interactions between cancer tumors and immune system cells.

Stage 4 Lung Cancer Remission Success

Despite its effectiveness among various cancers and stages, individualized integrative immunotherapy is another cancer treatment strategy that has been gaining traction in mainstream cancer medicine. Find out more about how integrative immunotherapy is being used to successfully combat Stage 4 lung cancer.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Lung Cancer – A Quick Insight

Lung Cancer Treatment
Lung Cancer Treatment

The longstanding controversy regarding cigarettes and second-hand smoke has raised awareness of lung cancer. But how much do you really know about it? Learning some of facts about this disease can result in quicker recognition and more timely treatment.

Lung cancer is the second most common type for both sexes, behind only prostate cancer for men and breast cancer for women. However, it is the leading cause of deaths from cancer, accounting for approximately 27 percent of the overall total. The American Cancer Society estimates that 2014 will see nearly 225,000 new cases of lung cancer, split nearly 50/50 between men and women.

There are two main categories of lung cancer. Small cell, named after their appearance under a microscope, accounts for 10 to 15 percent of all cases and occurs primarily in heavy smokers. The other 85 to 90 percent of cases are non-small cell, which includes a variety of types that behave in similar ways.

While smoking is the major cause of lung cancer, it’s by no means the only one. Another factor that’s gained a great deal of attention is asbestos. Workers who inhale asbestos are at greater risk for lung cancer, including a rare type called mesothelioma. Long-term exposure to radon or diesel exhaust are other risk factors.

Integrated immunotherapy treatment offered at Issels alternative cancer treatment centers provides a natural, non-invasive option for patients suffering from lung cancer. Get a personalized course of treatment that helps maintain quality of life. Please visit our website for more information.

Cancer Research, News

Researchers Discover Breath Test to Detect Lung Cancer

Blow Test to Find Lung Cancer
Blow Test to Find Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer in the U.S., killing more people than the next three most common cancers – colon, breast and prostate – combined. According to the American Lung Association, more than a quarter million new cases of lung cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year. The difficulty of detecting lung cancer in its early stages and the invasiveness and cost of current diagnostic tests contribute to the deadliness of this devastating disease.

When lung cancer is not discovered and spreads to other organs, the five-year survival rate is just 4%, compared to 54% when lung cancer is detected and treated while still confined to the lungs. Discovery of a simple breath test that could lead to a new, non-invasive diagnostic test for lung cancer has the potential to increase lung cancer survival rates in the not so distant future. Scientists at the University of Louisville in Kentucky believe they can turn their discovery into a publicly available diagnostic test within five years, according to USA Today.

Expensive CT scans and invasive biopsies are currently considered the most effective means of diagnosing lung cancer. However, in recent tests Louisville researchers found elevated levels of four specific compounds in exhaled breath to be remarkably accurate in detecting the presence of lung cancer. The presence of elevated levels of just two of the four compounds was predictive of lung cancer in two-thirds of the patients studied. The absence of elevated compounds was also shown to accurately indicate that a mass in the lungs was benign. If brought to market, the simplicity and low cost of the breath test could lead to earlier and more successful treatment of lung cancer.

Integrative immunotherapy has shown to be effective for many lung cancer patients. Find out more on our website.

Cancer Care Tips, Cancer Research, Living with Cancer

New Study: Antioxidants Might Speed Lung Cancer

Antioxidants and Cancer
Antioxidants and Cancer

A new study calls into question one of the most widely accepted beliefs about cancer prevention: Eating foods that are rich in antioxidants can help decrease cancer risk. Not necessarily, say researchers at the University of Gothenburg Sahlgrenska Cancer Center in Sweden. Antioxidants may actually increase lung cancer risk for smokers and people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Antioxidants are supposed to protect the body from cancer by preventing free radicals from damaging cells. “These radicals can damage almost anything inside the cell, including DNA, and DNA damage can lead to cancer,” explained study leader Dr. Martin Bergo. By neutralizing free radicals, antioxidants should decrease the possibility of DNA damage and cancer risk.

However, Swedish researchers found that in people with cancerous or precancerous cells, the body’s response to antioxidants appears to backfire. Instead protecting, antioxidants short-circuit a key immune response to cancerous cells, accelerating cancer progression, according to a HealthDay report posted on WebMD.

The study tested response to vitamin E and acetylcysteine, an antioxidant supplement, in mice with early lung cancer. “We found that antioxidants caused a threefold increase in the number of tumors and caused tumors to become more aggressive,” Dr. Bergo said. “Antioxidants caused the mice to die twice as fast, and the effect was dose-dependent.”

The findings are of concern not only because they fly in the face of current cancer prevention recommendations, but also because acetylcysteine is commonly used to improve breathing in COPD patients. Until further testing can be done, researchers recommend that people at risk of lung cancer avoid taking antioxidant supplements. Issels cancer experts point out that study findings were limited to lung cancer and that antioxidants received through food were not implicated.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

New Study: Many U.S. Lung Cancer Patients Are Undergoing Unnecessary Treatment

Lung Cancer
Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. for both men and women, killing more than 150,000 people a year. According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer is responsible for 28% of all cancer deaths, surpassing the combined fatality rate of the next three most common cancers: colon, breast and prostate cancer.

The high threat of fatality has made aggressive treatment of all lung cancers standard practice in the United States. A new study that is being labeled “provocative,” by the American press, indicates that many lung cancer patients have endured painful surgery, chemotherapy and radiation needlessly. According to the Duke University Medical Center study, nearly 1 in 5 lung tumors detected by CT scans are too slow-growing to warrant treatment, much less the radical treatment that has become standard procedure among practitioners of Western medicine.

As Dr. Len Litchtenfeld of the National Cancer Institute explained to USA Today, the Duke study suggests that for every 10 lives saved by CT lung cancer screening, about 14 people will have been diagnosed with a lung cancer that does not require radical treatment. What that means is that 3 out of every 5 people diagnosed with lung cancer are likely to suffer through the pain, suffering, worry and expense of cancer surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments that may be unnecessary.

For patients with slow-growing lung cancers, the study suggests that refusing to undergo invasive treatments would not alter the patient’s health or life expectancy in any noticeable way. Integrated immunotherapy offers many lung cancer patients a welcome, non-toxic treatment option. Visit our website to find out more about our non-toxic cancer treatments.