By: Dr. Thomas Incledon
Does the location of sarcoma affect treatment options?
Location can affect which treatment option your doctor will recommend. If your sarcoma has spread to the lymph nodes, a good treatment combination might be chemotherapy, surgery and followed by radiation. If the cancer has not spread and is more localized, surgery or radiation may be a preferable treatment route. The initial treatments used may attack and kill sarcoma cells, but often times the sarcoma comes back.
One thing people are often not aware of is that cancer cells can mutate. If sarcoma cells have mutated, they may be drawn to a different area of the body than where it developed and that can also make a difference in treatment options that would be effective. Dr. Tom Incledon, Founder and CEO at Causenta, explains that this is why his team works to target multiple parts of the cancer cell all at one time. This is often done by pairing chemotherapy with natural therapy or other medications. “We want to create synergy to kill cancer cells in multiple ways so that they cannot survive,” he says.
Is immunotherapy using T-cells an effective way to treat sarcoma?
“This is an attractive concept because the division of the immune system that kills cancer involves T-cells,” says Incledon. “So, in the thought is, if you can stimulate these cells, they can kill cancer.” However, what a lot of people do not know is that there are different kinds of T-cells that do various jobs in the body. Based on research, we know that most people with cancer have high levels of suppressor T-cells and an adequate number of killer cells; immunotherapy tens to stimulate one or more T-cell types. So, while the treatment sounds convincing, it might not work for patients because they need more control of immune function, not just a boost to a certain cell type or multiple cells.
Additionally, cancer cells can attach to platelets and “cloak” themselves. When this happens, T-cells no longer see those cancer cells as invaders and will not attack the cancer. “A sobering fact is that every single patient we saw go into these immunotherapy clinical trials died,” says Incledon. “What people need to understand is that this type of research is based on gathering data to justify sales of a new product, not necessarily to explore what’s best for the patients or to discover new science.”
What are typical treatment options for pediatric sarcoma patients?
The most common treatments for sarcoma patients are chemotherapy, radiation, surgery or some combination of the three. A challenge for parents can be that they are scared for their child and want to seek a second opinion, but with sarcoma time can be of the essence and in America most treatment centers and hospitals only offer standard of care solutions. It is important to ask any physician what they will do to treat your child’s cancer. “Get details. And, then ask them what they will do when that treatment isn’t successful,” says Incledon. If you are not satisfied with the answers you receive, looking for another center might be the best move.
For more information on how Causenta personalizes treatment for rare sarcoma cancers in children and adults, schedule a free 30-minute consultation today. We provide integrative medical strategies to support any treatment combination.
About the Author
Dr. Thomas is the founder and CEO of Causenta Wellness, and the Causenta Cancer Treatment Center in Arizona. From working with NFL, MLB, MMA, World Class athletes and even the White House, his reputation of personalized medicine and cutting-edge technologies has put him on the map, caring for some of the most powerful people in the world, making him one of the most sought-after healthcare professionals of all time.