WHAT IS IMMUNO-THERAPY?

Just like how our body can fight a cold, it can fight cancer. In fact, our body successfully fights cancer daily, and only when the immune system fails to do its work, cancer forms and develops out of control. Immuno-Therapy re-educates the immune system to recognize the cancer cells so it will attack and kill it.

Immuno-Therapy is the exact opposite of chemotherapy in terms of side effects. With Immuno-Therapy there is no hair loss, nausea, vomiting or other side effects. Patients may experience mild flue like symptoms as the treatment takes. Also Immuno-Therapy kills the cancer cells only (as opposed to the good and the bad cells), and has memory to continue to fight long after the immune system is activated.

Immuno-Therapy is not the standard of care yet, but there are several options to receive it across the USA and internationally. Some of these options are compassionate protocols, but not all (different countries have different rules and regulations). While experimental, the technology has been successful in generating an immune response in patients with multiple cancer indications. Immuno-Therapy can be combined with various standard of care chemotherapy or targeted therapy regimens that have been proven to be synergistic in clinical models.

HOW EFFECTIVE IS IMMUNO-THERAPY IN TREATING CANCER?

The feasibility and clinical benefit have been demonstrated in multiple tumor types. In fact, more than 200 clinical studies examining vaccine therapy for cancer treatment have been performed in patients. Results from these studies have especially shown that vaccines can prolong the patient’s life and can even lead to a complete cure. This treatment has been done in all cancer types and has shown benefit in all.

For example: Advanced Breast: after 1 year, 50% of the women who were vaccinated showed no progression of their cancer as compared to 20% of the women on standard of care therapy. Metastatic Prostate: 34 of 55 patients who were treated with vaccine experienced an additional 29.5 months overall survival compared to patients who received only taxane. Advanced Ovarian: after 6 months, the estimated progression free survival was 70% for patients who received vaccine with chemotherapy, compared to only 31% of those who received chemotherapy. Advanced Glioblastoma: overall survival of 34.4 months compared to 14.6 in historic population treated with std of care (surgery + radiotherapy+ Temozolomide). Advanced Lung: overall survival improved 325% for those receiving the vaccine vs. those who received standard of care alone. Advanced Colorectal: 75% of patients treated with vaccine achieved an overall survival of 11 years compared to only 11% of those treated with chemotherapy alone. Also 6 years after surgery, 10% of patients who got vaccine progressed, compared with 40% who received only chemotherapy. Advanced Kidney: 50% patients were alive 58 months after the initial vaccination compared to 8% historical comparison. Advanced Liver: vaccinated patients were five times more likely to outlive the patients who only received the conventional therapy for at least one year. Advanced Lymphoma: 70% of patients had not worsened for on average 41 months after vaccination as compared to those on conventional therapy alone. Multiple Myeloma: a survival benefit of almost two years (periods of 6 months up to 5 years) without any worsening of the disease was reported. Advanced Melanoma: the 5-year overall survival rate was 45% upon receiving a personalized vaccine vs. 20% in the control.

WHO SHOULD CONSIDER IMMUNO-THERAPY?

Immuno-Therapy can be used for all cancer indications, and have been investigated and documented in nearly all types of cancers.

Patients who have achieved remission after primary debulking and chemotherapy are ideal candidates. Boosting the immune system at this time increases the chance of preventing recurrence. Also advanced and recurrent patients may also benefit from Immuno-Therapy especially when given with chemotherapeutic agents that have immunomodulatory properties.