Treatment Summary of Integrative Immunotherapy
Integrative Immunotherapy as practiced at our Centers has evolved during decades of extensive experience with the integration of novel, state-of-the-art technologies, such as cancer vaccines, LAK cells, NK cells, and stem cells, into a personalized immunobiologic basic treatment program. The basic treatment program is designed to restore homeostasis to the internal bodily environment, which is a precondition for long-term remission. This approach distinguishes itself decisively from the mere administration of vaccines and has achieved a unique track record of unusual results.
Testimonials and videos demonstrate recent treatment results **
Documented Complete Long Term Remissions of Advanced Cancer **
Documented Complete Long Term Remissions of Advanced Cancer**
Rhabdomyosarcoma of the left jaw
Before Immunotherapy 22 years later.
32 years cancer free.
Malignant Mediastinal Tumor
Before Immunotherapy 1 year later.
32 years cancer free.
Adenoarcinoma, Bone Cancer, Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Colon Cancer, Embryonal Teratoma, Kidney Cancer, Liver Cancer, Lung Cancer, Lymphoma, Mediastinal Cancer, Melanoma, Optic Nerve Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Osteosarcoma, Pancreatic Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Rhabdomyosarcoma, Sarcoma, Squamous Cell Cancer, Stomach Cancer, Teratoma, Testicular Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Uterine Cancer
*** RECENT CASES ****
** DISCLAIMER: The extent of the response to treatment varies from patient to patient, even with similar diagnosis as the internal bodily environment is unique to each individual patient.
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Background
Integrative Immunotherapy was pioneered by Josef M. Issels, M.D., who realized that a treatment strategy that is limited to the cancer tumor without addressing its underlying causes can only yield limited results. Based on his experience, and that of other researchers, he developed a very comprehensive treatment concept integrating standard methods and immunobiologic therapies including cancer vaccines.
In 1951, in Germany he founded the world’s first hospital specializing in integrative immunotherapy of cancer, which in 1970 grew to 120 patient beds. Ninety percent of these patients with metastatic late-stage cancer had failed standard treatments, and yet a remarkable number of them achieved complete long-term remissions through integrative immunotherapy and subsequently led a cancer-free life for decades. In his in-patient and out-patient facilities he treated more than 15,000 thousand advanced cancer patients for months at a time.
In view of his expertise and results he was invited to serve as an expert member of the German Federal Government Commission in the Fight Against Cancer from 1981 until his retirement in 1987.
Concept
Integrative Immunotherapy based on the Issels concept says:
* Malignant tumors do not develop in a healthy body with intact defense, repair and regulatory functions.
* Cancer manifests in a specific internal environment which promotes its growth.
*
This environment develops due to multiple causes and conditions, which vary from one individual to the other.
* These causes usually remain chronically active even after removal of the tumor by surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy; hence, the high percentage of recurrence.
* The Integrative Immunotherapy programs place equal importance on the removal of the tumor itself and on the causes and conditions leading to the body's tendency to develop malignant tumors.
Comprehensive Treatment Strategy
Based on the concept as outlined above the Issels Integrative Immunotherapy approach to cancer is a two-pronged attack. It consists of the integration of the following methods as indicated by the individual patient’s condition:
- Treatment methods that are directed at the elimination of the cancer cells and the cancer tumor itself; and
- Treatment components which aim to normalize the internal bodily environment, the “soil”, on which the cancer has grown and which is largely responsible for progression or regression of the disease. These non-toxic components form what we call our immunobiologic basic treatment which has been shown to enhance the effectiveness of the vaccine treatment, as well as of standard treatments and reduce the latter’s toxic side effects.
Integrative Immunotherapy Programs
Our Integrative Immunotherapy Programs are built upon an extensive track record of remarkable results with the treatment of advanced cancer.
This very comprehensive, non-toxic strategy for cancer of all types and stages is designed to restore the body's immune, regulatory and repair mechanisms to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. It is always tailored to individual needs and integrates cancer vaccine, cytokine, and cell protocols as indicated.
Our Immunotherapy Protocols include various combinations of the following depending on the specific diagnosis:
• Extracorporeal Photopheresis (FDA-approved for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma due to research by Richard L. Edelson, Carole L. Berger, et al., Yale University, USA) that provides immunomodulatory properties.
• Autologous Dendritic Cell Vaccine. Dendritic cells are key regulators of immune responses and orchestrate innate and adaptive immunities. They are the most potent antigen-presenting cells and have the potential to invoke an anti-tumor immune response.
• Prostate Cancer Vaccine, which is designed to stimulate a patient's immune system to target prostate cancer cells. The preparation of the vaccine involves culturing the patient's peripheral monocytes in vitro in the presence of a recombinant growth factor, special cytokines and their own prostate-specific antigen, which is fractionated into peptides in order to achieve a more specific immune response.
• Lymphokine-Activated Killer Cells, also known as LAK Cells, which are autologous lymphocytes that in the presence of Interleukin-2 are expanded and activated to kill cancer cells.
• Activated Natural Killer Cells, also known as NK Cells, which are autologous natural killer cells, a type of lymphocytes of the innate immune system, that in the presence of Interleukin-21 and special cytokines are expanded and activated to kill cancer cells.
• Stem Cell and Lymphokine-Activated Killer Cell Procedure, which involves the activation of lymphocytes in vivo. Stem Cells aid in the repair of organs and tissues damaged by cancer, previous cancer treatments or chronic and degenerative conditions.
• Systemic Hyperthermia, which enhances immune functions.
• Soluble Product of Activated Autologous Lymphocytes to continue boosting the immune system during the home program.
The Vaccine and Cell Protocols, as well as the hyperthermia treatments, are integrated into the comprehensive immunobiological basic treatment program, which may include, but is not limited to:
- Anticancer intravenous therapies with natural substances
- Oxidative Therapy to activate cellular respiration and improve blood oxygenation
- Enzymatic Therapy with proteolytic enzymes to aid in the elimination of immune suppressive factors and in digestion
- Autohemotherapy and other immunobiological therapies to enhance innate immunities
- Phytotherapy to stimulate cancer fighting properties
- Nutritional Immunotherapy with Probiotics
- Psychological and Emotional Support
- Strategies to improve Elimination of metabolic residues, toxic metabolites due to cancer and standard cancer treatments
- Education in a healthy lifestyle
The treatment components enhance each other and their effectiveness is optimized through their integration into a treatment system that addresses the different levels of the body's complex immune, regulatory and repair mechanisms. Focusing not only on the cancer tumor, but also on the underlying causes, this treatment strategy is designed to provide the basis for long-term remission and healing.
About ninety percent of our patients have exhausted standard treatments. Whenever standard treatments are indicated and still applicable, they can be combined with immunotherapy. We prefer the least invasive and least toxic modalities, and always tailored to the individual patient’s requirements. Among these are:
Advanced Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are a number of targeted therapies approved in the United States for various types of cancer.
Targeted cancer therapies are medications that block the growth and spread of cancer cells by interfering with specific molecules needed for tumor growth.
Targeted therapies are designed to inhibit only cancer cell replication and tumor growth, whereas traditional chemotherapy-based treatments destroy rapidly dividing cancerous and non-cancerous cells alike.
Targeted therapies, although chemical drugs, are not only less harmful to normal cells and less toxic than traditional chemotherapy, but they have also been shown to improve outcomes in patients who are qualified for this treatment.
The advantages are:
1. Most targeted therapies recommended are oral, which allows patients relative independent control over dosage and schedule depending on tolerability.
2. Given that these medications are typically expensive, financial coverage and support are available depending on insurance status and through manufacture assistance programs depending on certain qualification.
* * * * * * *
"Immunotherapy may be one of the only ways left to deal with cancer. We’ve gone as far as we can with chemotherapy," says oncologist Herman Kattlove, an editor for the American Cancer Society. With few new drugs coming out, he says, "chemotherapy is sort of a dead area..." With dendritic cells, "what convinced me is that we saw responses," says Dr. Levy (Stanford University). -- New Weapon in Cancer War. The Wall Street Journal, May 23, 2003: B1.
* * * * * * *
Immunotherapy for cancer is based on the principle that the host's immune system is capable of generating immune responses against tumor specific antigens. Natural Killer Cells (NKC), in particular, have been shown to eliminate solid tumors and metastatic cells in the circulation through their cytotoxicity and cytokine production. In 2009, a retrospective analysis of NKC counts included 129 cancer patients who underwent the Issels Treatment program at the Issels Medical Center in Santa Barbara, California. NKC response to Issels Immunotherapy protocol revealed an average 48% increase in absolute NKC levels per patient in approximately 3 weeks.
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Rationale
Cancer patients’ immune and regulatory mechanisms fail to recognize cancer cells and eliminate them. They tolerate them.
The Integrative Immunotherapy Program is designed to break through this "tolerance". It is a unique blend of non-toxic treatment modalities that complement and enhance one another in an effort to attack the cancer and at the same time to restore the body's regulatory, repair and defense systems, of which the immune system is one important part. In general terms, some of these treatments work on the levels of the biochemical defense and help cancer cells undergo differentiation as encoded in the genes that cause them to die through programmed cell death called apoptosis. Other treatment modalities work on the levels of cell-mediated and humoral immunities.
It is a proprietary program that is only available at our Integrative Immunotherapy Centers.
The Integrative Immunotherapy strategy includes standard treatments when indicated.
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The Issels Concept of the Development of Cancer and its Treatment
Published by Josef M. Issels, MD
The diagram below explains the concept of the Issels Integrative Immunotherapy that focuses on both the cancer tumors and the internal bodily environment, which promotes the tumor growth. Within this concept each treatment modality has its clearly defined task to fulfill in the endeavor to eliminate the tumor and restore the body’s innate cancer fighting properties.
Click Chart for a larger view
Explanation of the diagram:
Pre-and postnatal endogenous and exogenous causal factors (I) can lead by mutagenic, toxic, sensitizing or neural effects via the transit mesenchyme to secondary damages to organs and organ systems and so to functional disturbances of the neural, hormonal, excretory and defense systems (II).
These secondary damages and especially the disturbance of the detoxification system deteriorate the internal environment and can lead to complex metabolic disturbances which are common to all chronic disease and cancer.
Further constant influence of the causal factors and the persistence of secondary damages can produce a functional imbalance and deteriorate the defense and repair mechanisms. Depending on inherited constitution and disposition, this can develop into a chronic degenerative disease and a "tumor-milieu," (III) the ideal medium for cancer cells and micro-organisms found in cancer to grow. The body has acquired the tendency to produce malignant tumors.
With the manifestation of the tumor (IV), the cancer disease enters the recognizable phase. At this time, conventional cancer treatment begins with the weapons directed against the cancer tumor and its symptoms (V).
According to the concept that cancer starts as a locally confined growth, all measures concentrated on the tumor alone seem causal and exhaustive.
Treating the tumor alone is not treating the condition that is producing it: the underlying cancer disease. Consequently, there is a high rate of relapse.
According to the comprehensive concept, however, cancer is considered a systemic disease from the onset and the tumor as its late stage symptom.
Following this concept the Issels Treatment has two lines of approach which are of equal importance and complement each other.
- Immunobiological basic therapy aiming to eliminate causal factors, repair damages of the early stages, normalize the internal environment, and restore the body's regulatory, repair and defense mechanisms.
- Therapy directed against the malignant tumor itself, such as surgery, radiation, chemo, hormone therapy, and cancer vaccines.
The immunobiologic basic therapy corresponds with the etiological path leading to the immuno-insufficiency and the cancer disease. It is modified to suit the individual patient's needs. It consists of:
- Elimination of causal factors, such as head foci of infection including dental, alveolar and tonsillar foci, malnutrition, abnormal intestinal flora, fields of neural disturbance, physical and chemical exogenous factors, endogenous and psychological factors.
- Desensitization of the organism which has been sensitized by causal factors by administration of autohemolysates and colloids.
- Treatment of secondary damages, metabolic disturbances, the impaired detoxification and the resulting defense weakness, by general measures, such as nutritional immunotherapy, hyperpyrexia or fever therapy, oxidative therapy, enzymatic therapy, phytotherapy, neural therapy and organ therapy (glandulars), as well as substitution/supplementation according to individual requirements.
The basic therapy is a long-term one without any toxic side effects and aims at the regeneration of the "big resistance," which comprises all the defense zones:
- The extracorporal defense zone consisting of the physiological obligatory microflora on mucous membranes which is responsible for the basic immunity of the organism.
- The epithelial defense zone consisting of all epithelial surfaces which performs defense, filtration, excretion and absorption.
- The lympho-reticulo defense zone which performs the important tasks of phagocytosis, antibody production and detoxification. On this zone, immunotherapy is mainly centered today.
- The reticulo-histiocytary defense zone, which is the pluripotent mesenchyme embracing almost half of the body weight. It has been neglected in cancer research and treatment, although it is of great importance to all defense processes due to its various functions:
- the stemcell function;
- the transit function that intervenes between all nerves, organ cells, blood, lymphatic and intestinal cells;
- the homeostatic function;
- the defense, detoxification and storage functions.
These defense zones are successive, are closely interrelated and are under neuro-hormonal control.
The blockade of only one function of one of these zones, for example of the excretion, or even the blockade of the control system such as the autonomous nervous system may
contribute indirectly to a lowering of the defense potential. During treatment, it was repeatedly observed that by the elimination of head foci, or with a fever therapy a blockade of the neuro-hormonal functions was broken.
Dr. Issels' cases revealed that even in an advanced stage of malignant disease an immune reaction with complete tumor remission can be achieved.
Experience has shown that comprehensive immunotherapy opens up the following therapeutic possibilities:
- Treatment of cancer of all kinds and stages offering a considerable chance of recovery even for patients in advanced stages who have exhausted all standard treatments.
- Follow-up treatment to help prevent recurrence after standard cancer therapy through restoration of the patient's defense and repair functions (the World rate of recurrence after standard treatment is 50%).
- Non-toxic preventive treatment for patients at risk, and those with precancerous diseases.
- Preparatory treatment prior to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy to reduce the risk of complications and in qualified cases, to render inoperable tumors operable.
- Treatment of chronic degenerative diseases which are untreatable by standard methods.
>>>
For ADDITIONAL INFORMATION on Treatment and Costs please click here or call
1.888.447.7357.
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Quote by an editor for the American Cancer Society:
"Immunotherapy may be one of the only ways left to deal with cancer. We’ve gone as far as we can with chemotherapy," says oncologist Herman Kattlove, an editor for the American Cancer Society. With few new drugs coming out, he says, "chemotherapy is sort of a dead area..." With dendritic cells, "what convinced me is that we saw responses," says Dr. Ronald Levy (Stanford University). -- New Weapon in Cancer War. The Wall Street Journal.
*** View the Excerpt from the Report on the Visit to the Issels Hospital by John Anderson, M.D., Professor of Medicine; Former Head and Chair of the Department of Medicine at King's College Hospital Medical School, University of London, England; Former Consultant to the World Health Organization on Oncology. ***
For ADDITIONAL INFORMATION on treatment and costs please click here.