One of the primary issues with most of today’s cancer therapies, has been the lack of selectivity against cancer cells specifically. Most of today’s treatments lack specificity, and affect healthy cells as well as the targeted cancer cells. The past decade has seen an explosion of information on the molecular differences found in cancer cells. Differences molecularly that can be used as targets for treatment.
A simple example is targeting molecules involved in the production of blood vessels such as HIF-1, VEGF, and EGFR. Targeting these molecules reduces a tumour’s ability to build new blood vessels to itself, a process called angiogenesis. If a tumour is unable to build new blood vessels to its rapidly growing and unquenchable mass, it can no longer grow.
At Integrated Health Clinic Cancer Care Centre, we offer evidence-based dietary and targeted nutritional supplement recommendations for most of today’s known molecular targets. Without getting into the fine details of what these molecular targets are, the following ten hallmarks of cancer can be addressed;
- Growth signals can be down-regulated
- Growth inhibitory signals can be up-regulated
- Immune destruction is targeted
- Replication potential
- Inflammation, which further promotes tumour growth
- Tumour invasion and metastasis is targeted
- Tumour building new blood vessels to itself (angiogenesis)
- The cancer becomes more unstable genetically and further mutates – this is inevitable
- Apoptosis, or programmed cell death (apoptosis) is addressed and upregulated
- Cancer cells reprogramming of their energy metabolism (Warburg effect)
There are a multitude of molecules included in the modulation of the aforementioned 10 hallmarks of cancer. These include NFkB, P53, COX, VEGF, EGFR, HER-2, MMP9, IL-8, B-catenin, NRF-2, IGF, PARP, etc. The evidence in support of this statement is robust, and continues to be demonstrated above and beyond generally conventional use amongst cultures worldwide.
Of course our naturopathic physicians are very experienced in this field and can provide cancer-specific recommendations for the molecules known to be involved in the various cancer types.
We encourage you to visit Integrated Health Clinic to meet with one of our Doctors and learn more about this treatment, or call us at (604)888-8325 to make an appointment.
