This I found interesting from Research Tab in Dr. Gorter's Dendritic Cell site:
More than 250 research studies have confirmed the effectiveness of this approach to immunotherapy in cancer treatment. Study after study has shown that dendritic cell therapy provides “a significant prolongation in survival.” American studies ofdendritic cell therapy[ have been conducted at major universities including Harvard Medical School, Stanford, UCSF Medical School, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, and University of Texas. In May 2010, the FDA hasapproved dendritic cell therapy[ in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
[ There is broad agreement that dendritic cell therapy [increases the number of T-cells in the body, which results in a stronger immune response[i vi xiii] Italian researchers reported, “Dendritic cell targeting has recently been shown to confer strong and protective cytotoxic T cell-based immunity.”[ ] Studies at research centers around the world have documented the benefits of dendritic cell therapy for many forms of cancer including brain tumors,[ix ]eukemia,[ix ] lymphoma,[xiii ] melanoma,[vi xiii] and a range of other malignancies including cancers of the breast,[xviii] gastrointestinal tract,[vi xiii] liver,[v] lungs,[vii ]pancreas,kidneys,[i xvii] and thyroid.[iv] In the U.S., a controlled phase II study of metastatic prostate cancer conducted in 2009 documented the effectiveness ofdendritic cell vaccinations for prostate cancer [xiv]
The most recent studies have found that dendritic cell vaccine significantly prolong patient survival. For example, a recent French study involving 56 cancer patients reported patient survival averaging almost 4 years.[xv] In a Chilean study of 50 patients, those with Stage III cancer survived an average of 4 years. Among those with Stage IV cancer, 60% responded positively to the therapy and lived almost 3 years.[xvi] This is an exceptionally positive result, since life expectancy of Stage 4 patients is usually measured in weeks or months. Each of these studies involved some form of dendritic cell vaccine. A Danish study found that dendritic cell inoculation can double the number of T cells and NK cells in the body in as little as 4 weeks following the injection.[xviii] According to British researchers at the U.K. Institute for Cancer Studies, “Dendritic cells are the most potent of all antigen-presenting cells, with the capacity to take up, process, and present tumor antigens to T cells and stimulate an immune response, thus providing a rational platform for vaccine development. ”[v] Japanese researchers conclude, “Dendritic cells loaded with tumor antigens have been emerging as a new strategy in cancer treatment.”[vi]
At the Medical Center Cologne, patients with Glioblastoma multiforme, 48% experience complete, long-lasting remission and another 24% experience a prolonged period of partial remission or stable disease. This is remarkable in the context of the 5% one-year survival rate reported in the medical literature for the average patient diagnosed with stage IV brain tumors die within the first year of diagnosis, although some patients, chemotherapy (Temodal) and radiation experience an additional 6 months life expectancy.[ ] In patients with Stage IV breast cancer, approximately 26% to 28% still go intocomplete and sustained remission, and another approximately 48% experiencepartial remission with improved quality of life and significantly prolonged life expectancy. This nontoxic immune therapy offers an important option in cancer treatment. Dendritic cell vaccines provide another form of treatment for conditions that cannot be addressed with standard chemotherapy or radiation, such as metastatic renal canceri or melanoma. [xiv]
The dendritic cell vaccine can be a life-prolonging therapy for Stage III and IV patients and for the vast majority of patients enhances quality of life significantly.
