Timing and Motivations for Alternative Cancer Therapy: Insights from a Crowdfunding Platform (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Peterson ◽  
Trevor Wilson ◽  
Josh Gruhl ◽  
Sydney Davis ◽  
Jaxon Olsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Conventional Therapy ◽  
Alternative Therapy ◽  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Spiritual Beliefs ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Values And Beliefs ◽  
Tests Of Independence

BACKGROUND Alternative cancer therapy is associated with increased mortality, but little is known about those who pursue it. OBJECTIVE We aimed to describe individuals’ motivations for using alternative cancer therapies and determine whether motivations differ based on individuals’ timing of seeking alternative therapies. METHODS We used data from 649 campaigns posted on GoFundMe® between 2011 and 2019 for beneficiaries with cancer pursuing alternative therapy. The data were analyzed using a mixed-methods approach. Campaigns were categorized by timing of alternative therapy (either before or after experiencing conventional therapy). Qualitative analysis identified motivational themes. Chi-square tests of independence and Fisher tests, all two-sided, determined significant differences in the presence of motivational themes between groups. RESULTS Campaigns for individuals who used conventional therapy first were significantly more likely to express concerns about efficacy of conventional therapy (63.3% vs. 41.7%, P<.001). Those who started with alternative therapy (compared to those who later switched from conventional to alternative therapy) more often expressed natural and holistic values (49.3% vs. 27.0%, P<.001), an unorthodox understanding of cancer (25.5% vs. 16.4%, P=.004), referenced religious or spiritual beliefs (15.1% vs. 8.9%, P=.01), perceived alternative treatment as efficacious (19.1% vs. 10.2%, P=.001), and distrusted pharmaceutical companies (3.2% vs. 0.5%, P=.04). CONCLUSIONS Individuals sought treatments that reflected their values and beliefs, even if scientifically unfounded. Many individuals who reported prior conventional cancer treatment were motivated to pursue alternative treatments because they perceived the conventional treatments to be ineffective.

Nanoparticle-based Drug Delivery Systems for Targeted Epigenetics Cancer Therapy

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 1084-1098
Author(s):  
Fengqian Chen ◽  
Yunzhen Shi ◽  
Jinming Zhang ◽  
Qi Liu
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Drug Delivery Systems ◽  
Therapeutic Index ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
Epigenetic Therapy ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
High Therapeutic Index

This review summarizes the epigenetic mechanisms of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation, histone modifications in cancer and the epigenetic modifications in cancer therapy. Due to their undesired side effects, the use of epigenetic drugs as chemo-drugs in cancer therapies is limited. The drug delivery system opens a door for minimizing these side effects and achieving greater therapeutic benefits. The limitations of current epigenetic therapies in clinical cancer treatment and the advantages of using drug delivery systems for epigenetic agents are also discussed. Combining drug delivery systems with epigenetic therapy is a promising approach to reaching a high therapeutic index and minimizing the side effects.

Lipid-based Nanoplatforms in Cancer Therapy: Recent Advances and Applications

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuldeep Rajpoot
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Adverse Effects ◽  
Targeted Drug Delivery ◽  
Tumor Therapy ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Medication Delivery ◽  
Lipid Nanocarriers ◽  
Targeted Drug ◽  
Drug Nanocarriers

Though modern available cancer therapies are effective, they possess major adverse effects, causing non-compliance to patients. Furthermore, the majority of the polymeric-based medication platforms are certainly not universally acceptable, due to their several restrictions. With this juxtaposition, lipid-based medication delivery systems have appeared as promising drug nanocarriers to replace the majority of the polymer-based products because they are in a position to reverse polymer as well as, drug-associated restrictions. Furthermore, the amalgamation of the basic principle of nanotechnology in designing lipid nanocarriers, which are the latest form of lipid carriers, has tremendous chemotherapeutic possibilities as tumor-targeted drug-delivery pertaining to tumor therapy. Apart from this, it is reported that nearly 40% of the modern medication entities are lipophilic. Moreover, research continues to be efficient in attaining a significant understanding of the absorption and bioavailability of the developed lipids systems.

scholarly journals Chimeric non-antigen receptors in T cell-based cancer therapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e002628
Author(s):  
Jitao Guo ◽  
Andrew Kent ◽  
Eduardo Davila
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Tumor Antigen ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Antigen Recognition ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Antigen Receptors ◽  
Natural Ligands ◽  
And Function

Adoptively transferred T cell-based cancer therapies have shown incredible promise in treatment of various cancers. So far therapeutic strategies using T cells have focused on manipulation of the antigen-recognition machinery itself, such as through selective expression of tumor-antigen specific T cell receptors or engineered antigen-recognition chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). While several CARs have been approved for treatment of hematopoietic malignancies, this kind of therapy has been less successful in the treatment of solid tumors, in part due to lack of suitable tumor-specific targets, the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, and the inability of adoptively transferred cells to maintain their therapeutic potentials. It is critical for therapeutic T cells to overcome immunosuppressive environmental triggers, mediating balanced antitumor immunity without causing unwanted inflammation or autoimmunity. To address these hurdles, chimeric receptors with distinct signaling properties are being engineered to function as allies of tumor antigen-specific receptors, modulating unique aspects of T cell function without directly binding to antigen themselves. In this review, we focus on the design and function of these chimeric non-antigen receptors, which fall into three broad categories: ‘inhibitory-to-stimulatory’ switch receptors that bind natural ligands, enhanced stimulatory receptors that interact with natural ligands, and synthetic receptor-ligand pairs. Our intent is to offer detailed descriptions that will help readers to understand the structure and function of these receptors, as well as inspire development of additional novel synthetic receptors to improve T cell-based cancer therapy.

scholarly journals Senolytics for Cancer Therapy: Is All that Glitters Really Gold?

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 723
Author(s):  
Valerie J. Carpenter ◽  
Tareq Saleh ◽  
David A. Gewirtz
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Tumor Cell ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Cell Models ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Targeted Cancer Therapies

Senolytics represent a group of mechanistically diverse drugs that can eliminate senescent cells, both in tumors and in several aging-related pathologies. Consequently, senolytic use has been proposed as a potential adjuvant approach to improve the response to senescence-inducing conventional and targeted cancer therapies. Despite the unequivocal promise of senolytics, issues of universality, selectivity, resistance, and toxicity remain to be further clarified. In this review, we attempt to summarize and analyze the current preclinical literature involving the use of senolytics in senescent tumor cell models, and to propose tenable solutions and future directions to improve the understanding and use of this novel class of drugs.

scholarly journals Targeting Non-Oncogene Addiction for Cancer Therapy

Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Hae Ryung Chang ◽  
Eunyoung Jung ◽  
Soobin Cho ◽  
Young-Jun Jeon ◽  
Yonghwan Kim
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Dna Replication ◽  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Cell Cycle Regulation ◽  
Synthetic Lethality ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Oncogene Addiction ◽  
Clinical Biomarkers ◽  
Cycle Regulation

While Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) and technological advances have been useful in identifying genetic profiles of tumorigenesis, novel target proteins and various clinical biomarkers, cancer continues to be a major global health threat. DNA replication, DNA damage response (DDR) and repair, and cell cycle regulation continue to be essential systems in targeted cancer therapies. Although many genes involved in DDR are known to be tumor suppressor genes, cancer cells are often dependent and addicted to these genes, making them excellent therapeutic targets. In this review, genes implicated in DNA replication, DDR, DNA repair, cell cycle regulation are discussed with reference to peptide or small molecule inhibitors which may prove therapeutic in cancer patients. Additionally, the potential of utilizing novel synthetic lethal genes in these pathways is examined, providing possible new targets for future therapeutics. Specifically, we evaluate the potential of TONSL as a novel gene for targeted therapy. Although it is a scaffold protein with no known enzymatic activity, the strategy used for developing PCNA inhibitors can also be utilized to target TONSL. This review summarizes current knowledge on non-oncogene addiction, and the utilization of synthetic lethality for developing novel inhibitors targeting non-oncogenic addiction for cancer therapy.

scholarly journals The Role of Herbal Bioactive Components in Mitochondria Function and Cancer Therapy

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfang Tao ◽  
Yanrong Zhang ◽  
Zhiqian Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
Apoptotic Cell ◽  
Redox Status ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Bioactive Components ◽  
Atp Production

Mitochondria are highly dynamic double-membrane organelles which play a well-recognized role in ATP production, calcium homeostasis, oxidation-reduction (redox) status, apoptotic cell death, and inflammation. Dysfunction of mitochondria has long been observed in a number of human diseases, including cancer. Targeting mitochondria metabolism in tumors as a cancer therapeutic strategy has attracted much attention for researchers in recent years due to the essential role of mitochondria in cancer cell growth, apoptosis, and progression. On the other hand, a series of studies have indicated that traditional medicinal herbs, including traditional Chinese medicines (TCM), exert their potential anticancer effects as an effective adjunct treatment for alleviating the systemic side effects of conventional cancer therapies, for reducing the risk of recurrence and cancer mortality and for improving the quality of patients’ life. An amazing feature of these structurally diverse bioactive components is that majority of them target mitochondria to provoke cancer cell-specific death program. The aim of this review is to summarize the in vitro and in vivo studies about the role of these herbs, especially their bioactive compounds in the modulation of the disturbed mitochondrial function for cancer therapy.

scholarly journals Effect of a Multi-Component, School-Based Intervention on Health Behaviors of Elementary School Students (FS16-04-19)

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Gilman ◽  
Michael Bruneau ◽  
Tanja Kral ◽  
Brandy-Joe Milliron ◽  
Patricia Shewokis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Health Behaviors ◽  
Vegetable Consumption ◽  
School Students ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
School Based Intervention ◽  
The Core ◽  
School Based ◽  
Level 1 ◽  
Tests Of Independence

Abstract Objectives We examined the effect of a three year, multi-component, school-based intervention on health behaviors of elementary school students. Methods The multi-component, obesity intervention was provided by community partners to 13 schools over three years. Schools were assigned into three varying Levels of Intervention: “Core” Schools (n = 4) received weekly interventions, “Level 1” Schools (n = 5) received monthly interventions, and Control Schools (n = 5) received no intervention. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires assessing several health behaviors, including fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity levels. Questionnaires were administered in the Fall and Spring of each year of the intervention. For this study, responses were analyzed from Year 3 and were compared to national recommendations. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests of independence examined Level of Intervention and questionnaire responses. Results No significant chi-square tests of independence were identified for the Level of Intervention and quantity of fruit or vegetable consumption. A significant (P = 0.003) chi-square test of independence assessing physical activity was identified in the Fall of Year 3. Descriptive analyses indicated that higher proportions of students in the Core and Level 1 Schools met national fruit, vegetable, and physical activity recommendations compared to students in Control Schools. Conclusions The higher frequency of intervention provided to students in the Core Schools did not influence the dietary behaviors of participants. However, receiving any intervention appeared to affect health behaviors of children receiving the intervention compared to the Control Schools. Funding Sources The Independence Blue Cross Foundation.

scholarly journals Challenges of Nigerian Accounting Postgraduate Students in Taking up Stance in Ph.D. Theses in Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 175
Author(s):  
Sani Yantandu Uba ◽  
Julius Irudayasamy ◽  
Carmel Antonette Hankins
Keyword(s):  
Textual Analysis ◽  
English For Specific Purposes ◽  
Traditional Practices ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Contextual Data ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Nigerian University

This paper investigates the use of stance linguistic features in accounting Ph.D. theses in a Nigerian university. We adopted a mixed-methods approach by combining a textual analysis of the theses and explored the context of writing of the participants similar to Swale’s textography approach. We compiled three corpora: Bayero University corpus of six accounting Ph.D. theses (BUK corpus); a United Kingdom corpus of six accounting PhD theses (UK corpus) and a corpus of eleven journal articles of accounting (JAA corpus). The results of textual analysis indicate that there is a higher frequency of hedges in all the three corpora than other stance features, followed by boosters, then attitudinal markers, and explicit self-mention features. One striking finding from the BUK corpus is that the authors are rarely used self-mention features compared to authors from other two corpora. However, the result of the chi-square indicates that the differences among the three corpora’s use of stance features are insignificant. The contextual data suggests that non-teaching of English for specific purposes and the traditional practices of Bayero University might be some of the possible factors that constrained authors’ use of stance linguistic features. We recommend introduction of teaching English for specific purposes on postgraduate programmes in Nigerian universities.

scholarly journals Extracellular Vesicles: An Emerging Nanoplatform for Cancer Therapy

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Ma ◽  
Shiyan Dong ◽  
Xuefeng Li ◽  
Betty Y. S. Kim ◽  
Zhaogang Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Therapy ◽  
Extracellular Vesicles ◽  
Drug Delivery Systems ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Drug Loading ◽  
Cell Communication ◽  
Cancer Therapies ◽  
Therapeutic Function ◽  
Cancer Studies ◽  
Potential Use

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived membrane particles that represent an endogenous mechanism for cell-to-cell communication. Since discovering that EVs have multiple advantages over currently available delivery platforms, such as their ability to overcome natural barriers, intrinsic cell targeting properties, and circulation stability, the potential use of EVs as therapeutic nanoplatforms for cancer studies has attracted considerable interest. To fully elucidate EVs’ therapeutic function for treating cancer, all current knowledge about cellular uptake and trafficking of EVs will be initially reviewed. In order to further improve EVs as anticancer therapeutics, engineering strategies for cancer therapy have been widely explored in the last decade, along with other cancer therapies. However, therapeutic applications of EVs as drug delivery systems have been limited because of immunological concerns, lack of methods to scale EV production, and efficient drug loading. We will review and discuss recent progress and remaining challenges in developing EVs as a delivery nanoplatform for cancer therapy.

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