In the battle against cancer, traditional therapies often feel like a game of catch-up. Cancer’s ability to adapt and evolve quickly outpaces the development of new treatments. However, a revolutionary and hopeful strategy has emerged: repurposing existing medications to target cancer.
This approach transforms our understanding and treatment of cancer, offering a whole new paradigm. Unlike traditional cancer treatments that target cancer directly, repurposed medications disrupt cancer’s basic biological strategies and processes it uses for survival, effectively outsmarting the disease using a counterintelligence strategy.
Contents
- 1 A New Paradigm in Cancer Treatment
- 2 How Cancer Exploits Our Systems
- 3 Common Manipulative Tactics of Cancer
- 4 Role Reprogramming of Cells in Healthy States and Its Relation to Apoptosis
- 5 Strategies to Both Reduce Inflammation and Bolster the Immune System to Kill Cancer
- 6 The Role of the Microbiome in Reducing Inflammation and Enhancing Immune Response
- 7 Diet and Lifestyle Modifications
A New Paradigm in Cancer Treatment
Traditional cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy and radiation, focus on directly attacking cancer cells. While effective to some extent, these treatments often come with severe side effects and significant limitations due to cancer’s ability to develop resistance.
In contrast, the strategy of repurposing medications offers a sophisticated approach to blocking the various signals and pathways cancer cells rely on to survive and proliferate. This innovative approach is not just about killing cancer cells but blocking their ability to hijack the body’s biological processes. It’s a revolutionary shift that offers new hope and potential for more effective and less toxic cancer treatments.
How Cancer Exploits Our Systems
Cancer is a master of deception and manipulation, exploiting the body’s own systems to promote its survival and growth. This cunning behavior disrupts the body’s natural balance and cooperation, causing the system to work against itself.
Common Manipulative Tactics of Cancer
1. Hijacking Macrophages:
What are Macrophages?
Macrophages are immune cells that normally protect the body by engulfing and digesting pathogens and cellular debris.
How do cancer cells exploit them?
Cancer cells release signals (i.e., cytokines and chemokines) that attract macrophages to the tumor site. Once there, the tumor microenvironment produces molecules like IL-10, TGF-β, and lactic acid that reprogram macrophages into tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs).
Instead of attacking the tumor, TAMs:
– Promote new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis) to supply the tumor with nutrients.
– Suppress other immune cells, preventing them from attacking the tumor.
– Provide growth factors that help the tumor grow and spread.
2. Using Immune Checkpoints to Hide from T Cells:
What Are T Cells?
T cells are a type of immune cell, which can directly kill cancer cells.
How do cancer cells exploit them?
Cancer cells can produce proteins like PD-L1 that bind to receptors on T cells (PD-1), effectively turning off these T cells. This prevents T cells from attacking cancer cells, allowing the tumor to grow unchecked.
3. Reprogramming Cellular Behavior:
How does cancer change cells?
Cancer cells undergo genetic mutations and epigenetic changes that alter their normal function. These changes allow cancer cells to:
– Grow uncontrollably.
– Avoid programmed cell death (apoptosis).
– Invade surrounding tissues and spread to distant parts of the body (metastasis).
Why do cells forget their origins?
Normal cells have regulatory mechanisms that control their growth and ensure they function harmoniously within the body. Cancer cells lose these controls due to mutations and epigenetic changes, effectively “forgetting” their original roles and behaving selfishly to promote their own survival.
Role Reprogramming of Cells in Healthy States and Its Relation to Apoptosis
So how do we target biological processes to beat cancer in its own game? By leveraging repurposed drugs, biological active herbs, botanicals and other compounds which aid in mediating the biological processes that are manipulated by cancer, we can help to curtail and even reverse the course of cancer.
What is Apoptosis?
Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death that occurs in multicellular organisms. It is a vital process that helps maintain the balance of cell proliferation and cell death, ensuring that damaged, old, or unneeded cells are removed in an orderly manner.
This process is crucial for:
– Development: Development and specialization of organs and tissues during embryonic development.
– Homeostasis: Maintaining the correct number of cells in tissues.
– Defense: Eliminating cells that are potentially harmful, such as those with DNA damage or viral infections.
Role of Cell Reprogramming and Apoptosis in Healthy Cells and the Maintenance of Homeostasis
1. Cellular Reprogramming:
In a healthy state, cells can undergo reprogramming to change their function in response to signals from their environment. This is important for processes like wound healing, tissue regeneration, and immune responses.
If a cell cannot successfully reprogram or if the reprogramming results in dysfunction, the cell may undergo apoptosis to prevent potential harm to the organism. This acts as a quality control mechanism.
2. Apoptosis as a Protective Mechanism:
Cells with irreparable DNA damage, which could lead to cancer, are programmed to die through apoptosis. By eliminating cells infected with viruses or other pathogens and targeting them for apoptosis, the body is able to prevent the spread of infection.
By balancing cell numbers, apoptosis ensures that tissues do not grow excessively, thereby maintaining homeostasis. Cancer often includes uncontrolled cell replication, rather than healthy apoptosis, which leads to growth and metastasis.
3. Signaling Pathways in Apoptosis:
Intrinsic pathways are triggered by internal signals, such as DNA damage. This pathway involves the mitochondria and leads to the activation of caspases, enzymes that execute cell death.
In contrast, extrinsic pathways are triggered by external signals, such as death ligands binding to death receptors on the cell surface. This also results in the activation of caspases, which are family of enzymes, which play an essential roles in programmed cell death.
Strategies to Both Reduce Inflammation and Bolster the Immune System to Kill Cancer
Achieving a balance between reducing inflammation and bolstering the immune system to effectively target cancer cells involves using a combination of herbs, probiotics, and dietary changes to modulate immune responses and enhance overall health.
Anti-Inflammatory and Immune-Boosting Herbs:
1. Curcumin (Turmeric)
Action: Curcumin reduces inflammation by inhibiting the NF-κB and COX-2 pathways. It also enhances the immune system by modulating various immune cells.
Usage: Curcumin supplements
2. Boswellia (Frankincense):
Action: Contains boswellic acids that reduce inflammation by inhibiting 5-lipoxygenase.
3. Green Tea (EGCG):
Action: Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea has anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects.
Usage: Green tea extract supplements or regular green tea consumption.
4. Ginger:
Action: Contains gingerol, which has anti-inflammatory properties and can support immune function.
5. Astragalus:
Action: Enhances the immune response and modulates inflammation.
6. Echinacea:
Action: Known for its immune-boosting properties and ability to modulate the immune response.
7. Ginseng:
Action: Stimulates and modulates the immune system.
The Role of the Microbiome in Reducing Inflammation and Enhancing Immune Response
The microbiome, the community of microorganisms living in our bodies, plays a significant role in modulating the immune system and maintaining overall health. A healthy microbiome can enhance the immune system’s ability to target cancer cells while reducing systemic inflammation.
Probiotics and Prebiotics
1. Probiotics:
– Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Bifidobacterium longum:
Action: Enhance immune checkpoint therapy and modulate immune responses.
– Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium breve:
Action: Reduce inflammation and support immune health.
– Lactobacillus plantarum and Bifidobacterium bifidum:
Action: Enhance immune function and modulate inflammation.
Usage: Probiotic supplements or foods like yogurt, kefir, and fermented vegetables.
2. Prebiotics:
– Inulin and Fructooligosaccharides:
Action: Promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut, supporting a healthy microbiome.
Usage: Prebiotic supplements or foods like garlic, onions, bananas, and asparagus.
3. Postbiotics
– Butyrate:
Action: A short-chain fatty acid produced by gut bacteria that helps maintain a healthy gut barrier and reduces systemic inflammation.
Sources: Fiber-rich foods that promote butyrate production by gut bacteria (e.g., whole grains, fruits, and vegetables). Supplements
-Urolithins:
Action: Produced by gut bacteria from ellagic acid (found in pomegranates) and can enhance T cell function and modulate immune responses.
Sources: Pomegranate juice or supplements.
Diet and Lifestyle Modifications
1. Diet:
– Fiber-Rich Foods: Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes support a healthy microbiome.
– Anti-Inflammatory Foods: Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (e.g., fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds) and antioxidants (e.g., berries, dark leafy greens).
2. Lifestyle:
– Regular Exercise: Enhances immune function and reduces inflammation.
– Stress Management: Practices like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing can help maintain a balanced immune response.
Although traditional cancer treatments can be highly effective and beneficial, these adjunctive therapies represent a whole host of additional treatments options for cancer patients. More importantly, they are treatment options which can often be done in conjunction with your current therapies. Many of Dr. Kellman’s patients leverage these adjunctive therapies to enhance their conventional treatments to enhance their benefits. Dr. Kellman has extensive experience working in tandem with his patient’s oncologists to coordinate care.
Expanding therapeutic options and leveraging targeted therapies that support your body’s innate healing processes represents a powerful shift in how we approach cancer treatment and healing.
To learn more about these innovative treatment options, call us at 212-717-1118 to schedule your initial consultation.
