Navigating the Cancer Maze | i am the answer to cancer |Cancer Immunotherapy Month. Where is the answer to cancer? According to Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, Ph.D and the organization she represents,Cancer Research Institute (CRI); the answer is ‘i am the answer to cancer’; yes-the patients immune system holds the answer to cancer!
Navigating the Cancer Maze | i am the answer to cancer |Cancer Immunotherapy Month
June 6, 2014
Did you know that June is Cancer Immunotherapy Month? Tune in to Navigating the Cancer Maze for inspiring listening and learn about the good news – the Answer to Cancer
Dr. Jill O’Donnell-Tormey PhD CEO Cancer Research Institute NY
Where is the answer to cancer? According to my guest Jill O’Donnell-Tormey, Ph.D and the organization she represents,Cancer Research Institute (CRI); the answer is ‘i am the answer to cancer’; yes-the patients immune system holds the answer to cancer! Select link below to listen to audio
The CRI is a non-profit organization founded in 1953 & today’s global leader in supporting & coordinating research aimed at harnessing the immune system’s power to conquer all cancers. Jill will explain immunotherapy & its value to cancer patients as well as the different types of cancer immunotherapy available. There will be patient stories & an exploration of the very latest in immunotherapy. A New Cancer Immunotherapy Website for Patients and Caregivers was launched recently. Get on board with supporters like Olivia Newton John who recently lent public support to CRI. http://www.cancerresearch.orghttp://www.TheAnswerToCancer.org
Listen to Navigating the Cancer Maze 12 Noon Fridays – live from Arizona (PST) – Saturday Australia 5am free to air or download and listen later – available free download on itunes.
Author of ‘Ian Frazer … The man who saved a million lives’, Brisbane’s Madonna King, has certainly done justice to telling the life story and, scientific story of Prof Ian Frazer, one of Australia’s leading medical and scientific researchers.I also had the pleasure of interviewing Prof Ian Frazer on my educational US based internet radio series “Navigating the Cancer Maze”. If you missed this interview – it comes as highly recommended as the book about his life and work.
http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/72540/navigating-the-cancer-maze-with-professor-ian-frazer
Author of ‘Ian Frazer … The man who saved a million lives’, Brisbane’s Madonna King, has certainly done justice to telling the life story and, scientific story of Prof Ian Frazer, one of Australia’s leading medical and scientific researchers.
A Review.
In 2012 I heard Prof Frazer give an excellent presentation to a Prostate Cancer Support group at Tweed heads. I was impressed, because here was a man clearly still as passionate about his work as when he began in the field of medicine, virology and immunology decades prior. Born in the same year as myself, we shared a hero.
The Book that tells of story of one of the most important discoveries in recent medical science
Ian Frazer grew up in the era of TV scientist Prof Julius Sumner-Miller whose program was called “Why is it so”? I have met so many scientists around the world who name Prof Sumner-Miller as their early inspiration to pursuit of a scientific career – What a legacy he left!
It is not easy to maintain that degree of dedication and passion that Ian Frazer exudes; he must work hideously long hours. Although very gracious and compassionate one gets the sense that here is a man whose reputation has been hard-earned and at a cost. The world of science, research and pharmaceutical companies is highly competitive and it is this part of the book that is so revealing about the dogged nature of Prof Frazer. Yet, this is softened by the care and compassion threaded throughout the pages especially when it came to sharing the accolades with colleagues such as Jian Zhou.
The unexpected fight of his life and the lives of his fellow researchers began following a published paper in the Journal Virology by his colleague the late Jian Zhou, his wife Xiao Yi Sun, Deborah Stenzel and Prof Frazer. The paper was to be presented at a conference in Seattle in the USA , and at the last minute – a patent was issued in Queensland before Jian Zhou and Ian Frazer left Australia to present one of the world’s biggest breakthroughs in the fight against cervical cancer. However – what ensued over the coming years was a court case to determine who was the real inventor/owner of the world’s first HPV vaccine…it was declared it was not Australia – but the US Georgetown based researchers that deserved first place and the right to say they developed the Vaccine. It was not until August 2007 that this judgement was reversed!
The story is complex but Madonna King weaves her literary skill…. the battle for rightful Australian and not US ownership of the vaccine discovery and patent reads like a spy novel crossed with a television drama – it would make a great Australian mini-series!
This book is not only significant in describing the story line of Prof Ian Frazer the man and his family and colleagues – but also it paints a picture of the behind the scenes pressures and skulduggery that happens in a medical research world that most of us know little about. It is complex and convoluted and of course as well as the discoveries – there is always the financial rewards that creates a competitive race to the finish-line approach. You will read about pharmaceutical companies, ethics and laws and the struggles that ensued to bring truth and a humane discovery to light. Prof Ian Frazer and his team shine throughout.
I would highly recommend this book. It is a great read for anybody who wants to know the science and reason and efforts behind the development of the cervical vaccine that Prof Frazer and the late Jian Zhou pioneered; and, as well, Madonna King shows us the human faces and lives of the people behind science and research that makes our live better. The book is aptly titled….”‘Ian Frazer … The man who saved a million lives’.
A great Christmas gift!
How to get your copy: available in Australia from Dymocks, Target and many other bookstores.
Not available in e-book yet, the book is published by University of Queensland Press BUY ONLINE HERE
Discovering intelligent, honest, evidence-based ways to manage and treat cancer in the 21st Century – Although it appears that there is independence and self empowerment in choosing alternative medicine to treat cancer – many patients are playing Russian roulette with their lives using unproven and poorly researched treatments including lifestyle-based treatments that have a one size fits all approach.
Why Science and Research is important as we look for ways of treating Cancer There is a lot of confusion surrounding cancer cures in the world of alternative cancer medicine. The majority of my patients have used it exclusively and then when tumours have developed often to stage 4; they find their way to Germany looking for a less toxic approach than our standard systems of medicine can offer. At this stage many feel jaded, disappointed that the “natural way’ has let them down and sadly; many of those patients would have significantly extended their lives by being treated with conventional medicine. Instead they are now fighting to preserve their lives.
Although it appears that there is independence and self empowerment in choosing alternative medicine to treat cancer – many patients are playing Russian roulette with their lives using unproven and poorly researched treatments including lifestyle-based treatments that have a one size fits all approach.
Patient with stage 4 head and neck cancer -2 years after alt med only.
I see many patients who mirror the famous; such as Steve Jobs and Athena Starwoman yet cancer patients keep on with treatments that cannot be substantiated. Many highly popular treatments cannot be backed up with research and many anecdotal cancer cure stories when examined don’t stack up with the claims. I have seen a lot in my almost 40 years of being involved with Cancer. Have I changed my views since co-creating the Gawler Foundation – Yes and no! Hope, inspiration, a health promoting lifestyle, faith and motivation are all important ingredients – but they need to be balanced with common sense, a discerning approach and smart conventional medicine.
While lifestyle changes assist with Wellbeing – the unwary cancer patient can be swayed into believing that this is connected with cancer cure. The theory sounds good but in practise falls short on delivery! This I know from very personal experience having been a part of a what is now a highly controversial and debatable “Cancer Cure” story. http://www.smh.com.au/national/cancer-experts-challenge-gawlers-cure-20111230-1pfns.html and IMJ HAINES AND LOWENTHAL
The more I know about cancer at the molecular level – especially since spending the last 2 years learning about CTCs (circulating tumour cells) and CTSS (Circulating tumour cells with stem cell like qualities) and, add to that the nature and behaviour of cancer – and it’s growth promoting factors …. The path of lifestyle medicine is simplistic at best and outright dangerous at worst if one believes it holds the cure to all cancers. Lifestyle medicine may help with prevention – but even that is now debatable. I urge you to not discount the scientific breakthroughs that are helping cancer patients to more effectively Navigate the Cancer Maze.
This more exacting method of treatment utilises the body’s immune system in a way that has never before been achieved. Immunology in the form of trifunctional antibodies is one of the most innovative and exciting cancer treatment breakthroughs in many years.
Spontaneous Remission launched Caryle Hirshberg into the cancer spotlight when it was published in 1993 by the institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). The book filled a gap in research, as before that time there was no standard reference for the field of spontaneous remission
VoiceAmerica and WorldTalk internet Radio Network, announced today that nationally acclaimed author and researcher Caryle Hirshberg will join Grace Gawler, host of Navigating the Cancer Maze radio program on the VoiceAmerica Health and Wellness Channel Friday, February 22, at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. Available as a MP3 download at VoiceAmerica anytime or liste to replay – streaming audio. Free sign up to Voice America to download.Download from itunes.
Caryle Hirshberg, M.S author Spontaneous Remission and Remarkable Recovery; pioneer researcher, lecturer joins host Grace Gawler to discuss what was discovered from the research. The topic – Why people Heal – Lessons learned from studies of Spontaneous Remissions
Spontaneous Remission launched Caryle Hirshberg into the cancer spotlight when it was published in 1993 by the institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS). The book filled a gap in research, as before that time there was no standard reference for the field of spontaneous remission. Then, in 1994 Remarkable Recovery was published; a book of stories about patient unexplained recoveries. Both book looked at unexplained recoveries from medical literature and although considered a rare phenomena – they were surprised at the number of references they found. It piqued their interest to know more….
Just for a moment, turn back the clock to 1994. Can you imagine the New York Literary Guild’s Lawrence Van Gelder writing in the NY Times that the three hottest books on the horizon were ‘Like Water for Chocolate’, ‘The Horse Whisperer’ and, amazingly a nonfiction work; ‘Remarkable Recovery’ a book that offered scientific evidence that people recover from seemingly terminal illnesses more frequently than is supposed. Hirshberg’s well researched works of science not only captivated cancer patients worldwide but they marked a beginning of an almost cult-like fascination with healing in the public arena.
Caryle Hirshberg, Project Manager at IONS and the late Brendan O’Regan, Vice President of Research at IONS joined forces to create a project that had never been researched before. So was born ‘The Remission Project’ at IONS, California. The task was enormous; to catalogue the world’s medical literature on the subject. This resulted in an assembly of the largest database of medically reported cases of spontaneous remission in the world, with more than 3,500 references from more than 800 journals in 20 different languages.
Caryle Hirshberg will discuss her role in this formative period in American healing history with Grace Gawler. The theme is why people heal from diseases that were deemed incurable. This was a courageous topic to pursue; to study the seemingly miraculous while keeping science and well researched data on track. This was the first time that a research group not only gathered medical data from journals worldwide; but they dared to look at why people recovered and what we might learn from their turnaround to stay well. The book was controversial, inspiring and as well gained attack from some medical corners; yet the material they researched was from medical journals. Like TV’s past science hero, Professor Julius Sumner Miller; Hirshberg and O’Regan were brave enough to ask the fundamental scientific question; ‘Why is it so?’
Viruses, bacteria abd parasites are responsible for many cancers Researchers make a rough extrapolation from their data and estimate that of the 7.5 million deaths from cancer in 2008, 1.5 million, or about one in five, were caused by an infection. That’s a lot of deaths from preventable causes! They argue for more work on getting existing vaccines to the populations that need them and continuing research and education on vaccines in places where they’re readily available.
Last Friday I had the pleasure of listening to Professor Ian Frazer speak about his research on viruses and their implications in cancer development. This is an issue that I have been researching for some time. The lecture was both well presented, profound and inspiring. The more I have read the research about viruses and cancer, the more interested I became in education and awareness programs in prevention of virally induced cancers. The Grace Gawler Institute’s association with Dr Ursula Jacob Hallwang private Oncology Clinic and RGCC Greece – a world-class laboratory which specialises in medical genetics and in particular cancer genetics; marks a signpost for the future of genetics in both prevention and treatment. The Director and founder of RGCC is Dr Ioannis Papasotiriou MD. http://www.rgcc-genlab.com/
While many people are pursuing extreme dietary measures to eradicate their cancers; most do not know about the role that viruses have played in the development of their cancers. Our associates are working diligently on treatments to nullify the effects of viruses once a cancer has already been created; however Professor Ian Frazer and colleagues are working towards prevention and eradication of cancers that are known to be virally charged… and their solution is vaccination of young people in the high risk groups. Perhaps the most prevalent of these oncogenetic viruses is HPV (human papilloma virus) – Over eighty different types of HPV have been identified. Some are harmless and unsightly while others are very dangerous for example HPV 16 and HPV 18. Some studies suggest that with conventional treatments survival outcomes are better if the virus is located as a cause
Above image Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
New Vaccination Program: Boys aged 12 – 13 will receive the vaccine through school-based programs under the National Immunisation Program, with Year 9 boys also included in a two-year catch-up plan.
The HPV vaccine has already contributed to a decrease in pre-cancerous cervical lesions in young women.
When administered to males, it will help prevent cancers of the genital tract, some types of head and neck cancers, and it will also enhance the vaccine’s effectiveness in women. With sexual activity occurring at earlier ages in combination with the types of sexual practises promoted today, these sexually transmitted viruses acquired in teenage years are responsible for many cancers in the 30- 40’s age bracket. HPV is also implicated in anal cancers and now implicated in some skin cancers.
Anti vaccination groups or individuals will likely be against the latest government objective when most Young Australian males will receive the HPV vaccine (Gardasil) free of charge in a world-first public health measure that will help prevent a range of cancers. Professor Frazer addressed this issue saying “There’s a very small group of people out there, who argue that we shouldn’t use vaccines, and they influence a much larger group of people not to get their children properly immunised,” he said. He has been involved in making a documentary that will provide a counter argument to the small minority that vaccines are safe and wonderful.”
Dr Frazer spoke about Bhutan which has one of the highest incidences of cervical cancer per head of population in the world. He estimates that Bhutan would take about 15-20 years from today to see a decrease in cervical cancer, he said, the time it takes between the virus infection and when one gets cancer. The girls that Bhutan is immunising today, at 12, he said, would be at the “maximum risk of cervical cancer in their 30s and 40s” and, by then by, there should be “virtually no cervical cancer in those girls.” Recommended extra reading: http://www.kuenselonline.com/2011/?p=34072
