Image-guided cancer ablation targets the tumor from within it. The tumor is destroyed using extreme microwave or radio-frequency heat or extreme cold via cryoablation.
The procedure was developed in the 1990’s for liver cancer. It’s viability stands and it’s still used today to eliminate a variety of cancers throughout the body.
Your unique ability to eliminate cancer
Research by Den Brok reveals the immune response associated with ablation. Cancer ablation functions like a “tumor vaccine.” It works to release your body’s immune response.
Ablation functions different than a typical vaccination approach. Traditional vaccinations inject a “killed” or weakened disease-causing agent into the body. Ablation actually “kills” the tumor from within and prompts the body’s immune system to target any additional cancer cells.
More supportive evidence for cancer ablation
Studies demonstrate that ablation has greater potential to eliminate cancer than treating local tumors with surgery. The risk of death from cancer spreading (metastases) is reduced. Ablation is also an alternative to chemotherapy.
The immune response produced by ablation, combined with immunotherapy support such as Yervoy, Opdivo, and Keytruda, can create a strong and effective immune response. The results are revealed to eradicate cancer in the targeted area and even beyond the specific location.
The more we understand about your body’s immune system the more you’ll benefit from immunotherapy for cancer treatment – including immunotherapy for melanoma. Cancer can use your immune system and lock-down parts of it that would attack it.
A Cancer Counter-Attack
Receptors are used by cancer cells to block your immune system. This has increased the development of effective therapies that use your immune system to attack and defeat cancer.
The FDA (Federal Drug Administration) has approved drug therapies to treat certain cancers including melanoma:
- Yervoy (a CTLA-4 Inhibitor)
- Opdivo (PD-1 Inhibitor with approval for treating non-small cell lung cancer)
- Keytruda (PD-1 Inhibitor)
These drugs are also approved and useful for intravenous use. This enables your entire body to be treated.
An Improved and More Targeted Attack on Cancer
Researchers (Marabelle and Den Brok ) have discovered that direct treatment into a cancerous tumor is more effective than treating the whole body. This is due to immune dysfunction that occurs within the tumor.
A new approach to cancer treatment has been created. Therapies now target and attack the tumor directly.
Think of it as “precision medicine.”
“Poisoning” or treating the whole body is typical with most cancer therapies. This approach bypasses your body’s unique ability to learn how to fight cancer.
Your body will rely on certain medicines or therapies to combat cancer. When the medication is no longer being used or resistance to it is developed, the cancer can progress.
The key: use cancer therapy that teaches your immune system how to fight cancer!
The Amazing Way Your Immune System Works to Attack Cancer
Your immune system is capable of learning. It also has a memory. This explains how a vaccination can fight disease now and when you’re exposed years or decades later.
Immunotherapy and ablation for cancer treatment works this way too. Ablation eliminates cancer within the tumor. Any remaining, non-viable cells stimulate your immune response.
Drugs like Yervoy, Opdivo, and Keytruda release the immune system to attack the non-viable tumor. This trains your immune mechanism to attack cancer if it exists in other areas of your body as well.
The combination of ablation and immunotherapy within your tumor (Yervoy, Opdivo, and Keytruda) create a highly effective anti-cancer immune response. Cancer is attacked and defeated beyond the site of direct treatment.
A Much Stronger “One-Two Punch” on Cancer
Immunotherapy combined with image-guided cancer ablation creates a more substantial anti-cancer immune response than either one working alone. This cancer counter-attack is considered one the “greatest advancements” in cancer treatment.
You can expect three to five times greater increase in cancer survival by adding ablation to immunotherapy rather than immunotherapy alone!
Credit goes to the use of improved anti-cancer immune checkpoint inhibitors like:
- Yervoy (anti-CTLA 4)
- Opdivo and Keytruda (anti-PD-1)
Ablation destroys the tumor within the body. The release of tumor particles (antigens) enables other similar particles to be recognized and attacked by your body’s immune system.
Other substances are also released. These combined with tumor antigens and immune check-point inhibitors (Yervoy, Opdivo, and Keytruda) create a near perfect mix of immune stimulation.
The result: a significantly more powerful anti-cancer immune response. One that’s unprecedented for stimulating your immune system to battle cancer throughout your body.
You have another breast cancer treatment option besides a mastectomy or a lumpectomy. Image-guided cryoablation gives you many advantages for treating breast cancer.
- Better cosmetic result
- Reduced chances of future metastatic disease
- Stimulates “whole body” anti-cancer immune response
Dr. Willams provided the one of the first breast ablations by RFA in 2003. He followed with cryoablation in 2004. Patients treated were seeking treatment solutions beyond surgery or were facing advanced disease while having an untreated breast tumor.
One of Dr. Williams first patients had Stage 4 disease and experienced 11 additional years post treatment.
Intra-Arterial Infusion of Immunotherapy uses the tumor’s arterial supply to provide direct access of higher medication amounts with less dosage to the patient. This is especially valuable to certain tumors such as those within the liver.
Yervoy, Opdivo, and Keytruda (immune checkpoint inhibitors) are combined with an oil-based substance for slow release. These can be infused directly into the artery of the tumor. Immunotherapy can replace chemotherapy.
Intratumoral injection of OX40/CpG agonist made world news early 2018 for curing all mice, even in difficult tumor models, as published from Levy at Stanford (Stanford Cancer Vaccine). Though we know treatment in humans is more challenging, this therapy offers an excellent option that may be superior to other approved immunotherapy. We already had been doing similar work. Currently we are performing this treatment outside the USA. OX40 agonist activates a receptor, which stimulates T cells. In addition, it seems to have another mechanism where it decreases T regulatory cells, which can further enhance the anti-cancer immune response. CpG is a single stranded DNA activating an initial immune response through the TLR-9 receptor. This may help attract immune cells to the tumor environment, which can help overcome some of the main reasons typical immunotherapy fails. As with most immunotherapy, it is the correct combinations that have a higher success.
To determine if you are a candidate for one of our cancer treatment procedures, please contact 251-943-9409. We will need to see copies of the most recent medical records and imaging studies. We provide a review of these records at no cost; however, please do not send original documents as they will not be returned.