Tag Archives: New Cancer Treatment

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

New Lymphoma Treatment Appears Promising

Lymphoma Treatment
Lymphoma Treatment

Medical researchers continue to make strides in the battle to control cancer. A Seattle-based biotech company has developed a drug that is showing promise for treatment of lymphoma, a form of cancer that attacks the body’s immune system.

Gilead Sciences has been testing an oral drug called idelalisib. It works to inhibit development of P13K deltas, a group of enzymes commonly found in B-cell malignancies, which make up the majority of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases. A recent study was conducted through the Clinical Research Division of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, also located in Seattle.

The focus group was comprised of 125 patients between the ages of 33 and 87 who were diagnosed with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This particular form, also known as slow-growing, is difficult to treat as the disease often becomes resistant to therapy. After receiving twice-daily doses of idelalisib, 57 percent of the patients saw their tumors shrink by at least half while six percent showed no measurable evidence of cancer.

According to Ajay Gopal, M.D., lead researcher in the study, the patients had exhausted all current means of therapy and several had relapsed. One of the more encouraging results was the relative lack of side effects, unlike chemotherapy treatments. The most common side effects were diarrhea and colitis, which were successfully managed by adjusting the dosage. While it doesn’t appear that idelalisib is a cure, researchers are hopeful that it will be a valuable treatment for controlling lymphoma for extended periods.

Our alternative cancer treatment center uses programs of non-toxic immunotherapy tailored to your individual needs. Many of our patients have achieved long-term remission of lymphoma and other forms. Please visit our website for more information.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

How Do T-Cells Help Fight Cancer?

T Cells
T Cells

Cancer cells appear to a well-functioning immune system as “foreign” cells. When cancer cells develop the immune system swings into action, using a dual action force to knock them out just as it does with foreign invaders. First your immune system launches innate responders like Natural Killer Cells to seek out and attack these cells (see our previous post). Your body’s first line of defense against cancer cells, viruses, bacteria and other harmful substances, Natural Killer Cells are the equivalent of the immune system’s Seal Team 6.

Adaptive responders like T-cells provide the immune system’s second wave of defense. Like an army’s occupying force, T-cells support Natural Killer Cells and other immune system “specialists” to provide your body with continuous, long-term protection.

Like Natural Killer Cells, T-Cells are a type of lymphocyte that originates in the bone marrow. T-cells eventually migrate to the thymus from which they get the “T” in their name. A specialized organ of the immune system, the thymus straddles the trachea and is located in the lower neck below the thyroid gland. In the thymus, T-cells undergo their final stage of maturation and receive their marching orders.

There are several different types of T-cells, each tasked with playing a specific role in helping with the recognition, attack and destruction of cancer cells and harmful invaders.

Issels Autologous Vaccine stimulates the formation and activation of T-cells. When used in conjunction with Issels integrative immunotherapy, autologous vaccines can strengthen and enhance your body’s immune system response to cancer cells. Visit our website to find out more.

Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

How Do Natural Killer Cells Fight Cancer?

Fighting Cancer Naturally
Fighting Cancer Naturally

Natural Killer Cells, or NK Cells, could be considered the body’s elite fighting force. These cellular warriors form the body’s first line of defense when it is invaded by viruses or other harmful agents and when it detects aberrant cells such as cancer cells that appear as “foreign”.

Living up to their name, Natural Killer Cells attack and kill tumor cells and virus-bearing cells by bombing them with protein granules. That these attacks take place at the microscopic level makes them no less devastating. Bombarded by a fuselage of protein “bombs,” tumor cells disintegrate and die in a process known as apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

The body’s immune system is divided into two divisions:

• Innate responders, such as Natural Killer Cells, form the front lines of your immune system’s defensive force, providing immediate defense when cancer cells develop.

• Adaptive responders, which include T-cells (more about them next time), are your immune system’s occupying force, providing long-lasting protection and immunity from future attacks.

Natural Killer Cells evolve from lymphoid stem cells which originate in your bone marrow, as do all immune system cells. Lymphoid stem cells produce the lymphocytes that identify foreign invading organisms and “foreign” appearing cancer cells, so they can be targeted by the immune system. Administration of Issels Autologous Lymphocyte cancer vaccine may be included in individualized integrated immunotherapy programs to enhance immune system response and promote the activation of NK Cells.

Natural Killer Cells have been shown to eliminate solid tumors and metastatic cells circulating in the blood stream. A 2009 analysis of 129 cancer patients who underwent Issels Out-Patient Cancer Treatment at our Santa Barbara, California medical center showed an average 48% increase in absolute NK Cell levels after three weeks.