Harnessing the Immune System to Attack Cancer – IRT-IL

Very recently, the Italian cancer scientists who first demonstrated the efficacy of melatonin in cancer therapy, have published new breakthrough clinical research showing that the life-prolongation achieved with melatonin can be substantially enhanced if it is given in conjunction with daily injections of interleukin-2 (IL-2), a hormone-like substance ("lymphokine") that plays a vital role in promoting effective immune defenses. IL-2 is crucial for the growth and cancer-fighting activity of natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, the immune cells that can attack and kill cancer cells. The complementarity of melatonin and IL-2 in boosting cancer survival may reflect the fact that melatonin also supports effective immune function, in ways that are complementary to the effects of IL-2. In particular, melatonin enhances the supportive activity of dendritic cells, which play a key role in stimulating the cancer-fighting NK cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

In light of these exciting new findings, Oasis of Hope is now implementing a new therapeutic protocol, IRT-IL, the aim of which is to maximize the immune system’s capacity to attack cancer. Patients enrolled in this regimen receive daily subcutaneous injections of IL-2 while at Oasis, and they are trained to give themselves injections (5 times per month) when they return home; this self-administration of IL-2 is similar to the use of insulin by diabetics. Patients also receive supplemental melatonin every night (as in other IRT protocols), and a number of other adjuvant nutraceuticals and drugs that can be expected to boost anti-tumor immunity. Some of these agents have direct immunostimulant effects; these include probiotics, selenium, spirulina (in Chocolatl Verde), and the anti-ulcer drug cimetidine. Other adjuvants used in IRT-IL don’t stimulate the immune system directly, but rather are intended to counteract strategies that cancer cells use to defend themselves from immune attack. For example, the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac blocks tumor production of immunosuppressive hormones known as prostaglandins; caffeine blunts the impact of adenosine, another immunosuppressive factor produced by many tumors; and spirulina helps prevent the oxidative stress that can disarm or kill NK cells and cytotoxic lymphocytes. Metronomic chemotherapy, in addition to its anti-angiogenic impact, is very effective for killing so-called Treg lymphocytes that often congregate in tumors and defend the tumor from attacking immune cells.

Patients in the IRT-IL protocol, while at Oasis, also receive the same sort of intravenous vitamin C/vitamin K infusions that form the centerpiece of the IRT-C regimen, along with all appropriate adjuvants. It would not be appropriate to administer cytotoxic chemotherapy at the same time as IL-2 injections, since chemotherapy has temporary immunosuppressive effects that could counteract the benefits of IL-2. In contrast, vitamin C infusions are not toxic to the immune system, so they are ideal complements to the immune-supportive measures employed in IRT-IL.

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