Tag Archives: Advanced Cancer Research

New Research: Light Activated Cancer Medications with Minimal Side Effects

Exploration of New Cancer Therapy Techniques Is on the Horizon.
Exploration of New Cancer Therapy Techniques Is on the Horizon.

A new light may literally be shining on the search for more effective cancer treatment. Scientists are making progress on the creation of cancer drugs that are light-activated and have fewer debilitating side effects.

Fighting the Toxic Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Most of today’s cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy receive cisplatin or another platinum-based compound. These treatments date back more than 50 years, and they attack both healthy and diseased cells, which results in toxic side effects.

A team from the Warwick Monash Alliance, which is an intercontinental collaboration between two universities in the UK and Australia, tested a potential platinum-based chemotherapy drug that is activated by direct light. The inorganic-metal compound has the ability to specifically target and attack cancer cells.

The treatment is completely inert in darkness. Once it’s inserted into a cancerous area, direct light triggers a reaction that causes the compound to degrade into active platinum and release ligand molecules on the diseased cells.

Harnessing the Power of Photoactivation

Peter Sadler, professor of chemistry at the University of Warwick, stated that this discovery has great potential for the development of targeted cancer treatment. Since the light can be focused directly on the tumor, the drug spares healthy tissue and kills only cancer cells.

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The Keto Diet May Prove Beneficial to Cancer Patients While in Treatment

What You Put in Your Body Could Be Affecting Your Likelihood of Catching Cancer.
What You Put in Your Body Could Be Affecting Your Likelihood of Catching Cancer.

People are always looking for the next great diet in an effort to lose weight. The recently popular ketogenic diet could have some surprising benefits for patients undergoing cancer treatment.

The Warburg Effect

Cancer cells proliferate via the Warburg effect, named for the scientist who first advanced the idea. Fermentation is a process by which sugars are metabolized to provide energy for bacteria. Sauerkraut and yogurt are some of the more widely-known products of fermentation.

Unlike normal body cells, which derive their energy from mitochondria, cancer cells receive energy from fermentation of glucose within cytoplasm. When a cell starts getting energy from glucose, it can be the first sign of abnormal cell function that ultimately results in formation of a tumor.

The Ketogenic Diet: Starving Cancer Cells

A keto diet plan is low in carbohydrates and high in fat. The science behind it is based on a biological response that dates back to prehistoric times. When food was scarce, the body responded by shifting metabolic gears and using stored fat as fuel.

When the body’s supply of carbs is restricted, it shuts off the flow of glucose and other cancer-promoting fuels. As cancer cells become compromised, the body resumes its normal cellular signaling, putting the brakes on further tumor development.

The keto diet should not be considered a cure for cancer. However, it’s a valuable tool for use in conjunction with immunotherapy and other cancer treatment.

Immunotherapy and Nutrition: A Winning Combination

Good nutrition is a perfect complement for our non-toxic cancer treatment programs. Visit our website for more information about cancer vaccines and other individually created treatments.

Links to Cancer and Processed Foods are Studied by Brazilian and French Researchers

What You Put in Your Body Could Be Affecting Your Likelihood of Catching Cancer.
What You Put in Your Body Could Be Affecting Your Likelihood of Catching Cancer.

Following a nutritional diet during cancer treatment is essential to boosting your immune system and energy level. A recently published study indicates that there may be a link between highly processed foods and development of cancer.

Does Diet Affect Cancer Risk?

A recent issue of medical journal BMJ included the report of a study conducted by a team of French and Brazilian scientists. After reviewing the diets and medical records of 104,980 French adults, the researchers found that an increase in consumption of processed foods paralleled an increase in cancer risk.

Specifically, data showed that eating 10 percent more highly processed foods was accompanied by a 12 percent increase in overall cancer risk and 11 percent increase in breast cancer risk.

Items defined as “highly processed foods” included ready-to-eat meals, carbonated drinks and reconstituted meat found in products like chicken nuggets. According to the research team, these types of foods constitute nearly half of the energy intake in many developed countries.

Making Healthy Choices

No link was found with moderately processed foods such as cheese, canned vegetables and freshly made bread. Not surprisingly, minimally processed foods such as fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs and fish were linked to a lower risk of cancer.

The team said that study limitations prevented firm conclusions. Further research can clarify the implications and help to identify the specific elements in foods that link to cancer.

Issels®: The Leader in Immunotherapy Cancer Treatment

At Issels®, nutritional immunotherapy is one of the components in our individually developed cancer treatment programs. Contact us for more information about our non-toxic, state-of-the-art immunotherapy treatments.

Immunotherapy: 2017’s Top Clinical Advance for Cancer Treatment

Immunotherapy: 2017's Top Clinical Advance for Cancer Treatment
Immunotherapy: 2017’s Top Clinical Advance for Cancer Treatment

The use of immunotherapy for cancer has been around for a long time, but it’s becoming more and more common. In fact, this form of treatment was named the 2017 Clinical Cancer Advance of the Year, which was mainly due to the increase in successful cases of treatment for cancers that are normally hard to treat.

Fine-Tuning Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy offers a non-toxic form of treatment, which doesn’t have the risk of side effects as chemotherapy and radiation do. Patients often turn to this type of treatment if they have not had success with conventional cancer treatments or they’re unable to tolerate the accompanying side effects.

Immunotherapy makes use of the immune system in order to find cancer cells and destroy them, rather than relying on chemicals or radiation. Researchers have been working on improvements in the way this type of treatment handles cancer, which has led to a higher number of successful treatments.

Good Candidates for Immunotherapy

Researchers have also been looking into who benefits from this type of treatment. Immunotherapy for cancer has been used successfully in cases that are considered hard to treat. However, certain types of immunotherapy treatments seem to be more effective for some patients but not others.

Researchers are conducting a number of studies to learn more about why certain individuals have greater benefit while undergoing specific immunotherapy treatment protocols. This research is expected to lead to improvements for those with cancers that are difficult to treat with traditional methods.

If you need more information on immunotherapy for cancer, please contact Issels® today. We offer personally tailored immunotherapy treatments for those with certain cancers.

New Findings Show Men with Abnormally Low Testosterone Levels Will Rarely Develop Prostate Cancer

Research Shows Some Men Have A Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer
Research Shows Some Men Have A Lower Risk of Prostate Cancer

Each year more than 170,000 men in the United States are affected by prostate cancer. While the causes remain unknown, studies have found that hormone levels could be a key to prostate cancer treatment.

The Role of Testosterone in Prostate Cancer

Age, ethnicity and genetic mutations are some of the common risk factors for prostate cancer. The male hormone testosterone is known to facilitate cell growth in prostate tumors.

Based on the androgen saturation model, scientists believe that an increase in testosterone levels beyond the saturation point does not cause a corresponding increase in benign or malignant prostate tissue. Until recently, there wasn’t enough evidence to confirm or refute the model.

Putting Theory to the Test

Researchers at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom reviewed data obtained from more than 19,000 men, of whom approximately one-third had prostate cancer. Subjects were grouped into 10 categories ranging from lowest to highest levels of testosterone.

When prostate cancer risk was calculated based on conditional logistic regression methods, men in the lowest group were determined to be 20 percent less likely to develop the disease. Subjects in the other nine groups showed no link to prostate cancer risk.

According to Prof. Tim Key, co-author of the study, this is the first population study to support the commonly-held theory regarding testosterone and prostate cancer. Experts believe it could be a significant step toward more efficient diagnosis and treatment.

Issels: A Leader in Effective Prostate Cancer Treatment

Our non-toxic immunotherapy programs have helped patients with prostate cancer and other forms that have been unresponsive to other cancer treatment. Contact us to learn more.

Norwegian Research Finds a 16% Drop in Cancer Rates Later in Life Among Those Taking Blood Thinners

Are You Taking Blood Thinners? Research Shows Your Risk for Cancer is Lower
Are You Taking Blood Thinners? Research Shows Your Risk for Cancer is Lower.

Blood thinners such as Warfarin are prescribed for millions of people around the world to control a range of cardiovascular problems. Based on the results of a recent study, the drugs may also reduce the risk of cancer, which could have future implications for cancer treatment.

A Surprising Weapon in the Battle Against Cancer

The study, recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, involved 1.25 million people over the age of 50 in Norway. Researchers at the University of Bergen found that those who took Warfarin were 16 percent less likely to develop cancer than those who didn’t.

Benefits were even more pronounced for three of the most common forms of cancer. Prostate cancer had the highest risk reduction at 31 percent, followed by lung cancer at 20 percent and breast cancer at 10 percent.

The good news doesn’t end there. Patients taking Warfarin for atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm, saw a 29 percent reduction in risk for bowel cancer.

Blood Thinners: A Form of Immunotherapy?

At this point, researchers are unclear how Warfarin affects the risk of cancer. They believe that the drugs may inhibit the signaling power of cancer cells, leaving them vulnerable to attack from the body’s immune system.

Despite the promising results, medical experts warn against self-medicating with Warfarin. The drug can have serious side effects, so it should always be taken under a doctor’s supervision.

Personalized Cancer Treatment at Issels®

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