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Pre-Surgery Immunotherapy- HPV- Head and Neck Cancer
Two doses of nivolumab given about 1 month prior to surgery are well tolerated and reduces tumor size in about half of patients with squamous cell head and neck cancer
If you have been diagnosed with head and neck cancer your challenge is to achieve the longest overall survival (length of life) with the least amount of collateral damage (side effects). Side effects limit your quality of life obviously.
Reducing the size of your tumor before surgically removing it has been shown to increase average overall survival. Further, clearing your Human papillomavirus further reduces your risk of relapse.
I mention all the above because I developed a blood cancer called multiple myeloma while at the same time having Human papillomavirus. While I will never know if Human papillomavirus- caused my multiple myeloma I do know that Human papillomavirus increases the risk of MM.
I supplemented with AHCC for several months in 2010 and have cleared my Human papillomavirus. I have remained in complete remission from MM, a supposedly “incurable” form of blood cancer, since I achieved complete remission in early 1999.
I am both a cancer survivor and cancer coach. I follow an evidence-based, non-toxic lifestyle including anti-cancer nutrition, supplementation, bone health, mind-body and lifestyle therapies.
Have you been diagnosed with head and neck cancer? Have you been diagnosed with HPV? Please scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
Thank you,
David Emerson
- Cancer Survivor
- Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Recommended Reading:
- Diagnostic test predicts outcome in head/neck cancer
- Xerostomia aka Dry Mouth Therapy
- Jaw Complications From Head/Neck Cancer Treatment More Common Than Thought
Neoadjuvant Nivolumab Reduces Tumor Size Regardless of HPV Status in Head and Neck Cancer
“Two doses of nivolumab given about 1 month prior to surgery are well tolerated and reduces tumor size in about half of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). Reductions in tumor size occurred in the same proportion of patients with human papilloma virus (HPV)-positive and HPV-negative tumors, according to results from the first global trial of neoadjuvant anti–PD-1 therapy in patients with both HPV-positive and HPV-negative SCCHN.1 There were no surgery delays >4 weeks due to treatment-emergent adverse events…
“I would point out that the benefit of the neoadjuvant [nivolumab] is very different for HPV-positive patients, where we might want to de-escalate, as opposed to HPV-negative patients who’ve seen no benefit in survival for decades,”
In a phase III trial of patients with platinum-refractory recurrent or metastatic SCCHN, the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab improved overall survival...”
Mushroom extract, AHCC, helpful in treating HPV
“Ten HPV-positive women were treated orally with the extract, AHCC (active hexose correlated compound) once daily for up to six months. Five achieved a negative HPV test result — three with confirmed eradication after stopping AHCC — with the remaining two responders continuing on the study…
From Bench to Bedside: Evaluation of AHCC Supplementation to Modulate the Host Immunity to Clear High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Infections
“Objective: There is currently no effective medicine or supplement for clearance of high risk- human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infections. We have taken a systematic approach evaluating the potential use of AHCC supplementation to support clearance of HR-HPV infections. The primary objective of this research was to evaluate AHCC supplementation to modulation of the host immune system to clear HR-HPV infections from bench to bedside….
Results: HR-HPV clearance was observed in vitro and confirmed in the animal studies as a durable response. Four of six (66.7%) patients had confirmed HR-HPV clearance after 3–6 months of AHCC 3g. Similarly, 4 of 9 (44%) patients had confirmed HR-HPV clearance after 7 months of AHCC 1g. Suppression of IFNβ <25 pg/mL was observed in those clearing the HR-HPV infection.
Conclusion: Pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated durable clearance of HR-HPV infections. The preliminary data from the two pilot studies suggested that AHCC supplementation supports the host immune system for successful clearance of HR-HPV infections. A confirmatory phase II randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study is ongoing…”