LEMMO | Integrated Cancer Care Inc.

Time 2020-11-08 23:10:04

Web Name: LEMMO | Integrated Cancer Care Inc.

WebSite: http://www.lemmo.com

ID:109485

Keywords:

Integrated,LEMMO,Cancer,

Description:

604.428.1991Providing Integrated Cancer Supportive Care since 1999 Welcome to LEMMO Integrated Cancer Care Centre. Dr. Walter Lemmo, ND, has many years of experience in the treatment of people living with cancer, cancer recurrence and prevention, as well as other challenging health issues. LEMMO Integrated Cancer Care Centre is nationally and internationally recognized for providing experienced and compassionate care, offering some of the latest technologies and treatments learned from state-of-the-art health care systems around the world.We collaborate with each patient to provide well-informed, research and experience-guided treatment plans, using a wide range of innovative approaches alongside supportive and conventional care.Due to the current novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic we have private rooms for intravenous therapies and our staff wear personal protective equipment.We ask all people who come to the office to please wear a mask.Absolutely no walk-ins during this time. You must have an appointment.______________________________________________________________________________*NOTE: Coronavirus COVID-19 Office Policy Update May 14 2020COVID-19 OFFICE POLICY_____________________________________________________________________________**NOTE: We have FREE PARKING at the back of our building (i.e. down the ramp) with reserved signs posted. In addition there is free city parking in front of the office building good for one-hourAs our patient community and staff member heath is our top priority, we have implemented the following protocol during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be updated regularly.We continue to service patients with critical care both in office and through Telehealth. Our patients must make an appointment in advance as we are staggering appointment times. New patients are welcome but appointments are required. No drop ins are permitted at this time.As cancer patients are at a higher risk for complications and severe symptoms associated with COVID-19, we implemented protocol to help eliminate the risk of exposure. Many of our patients are vulnerable and undergoing surgery, chemotherapy or other immune suppressive treatments. At this time, no patient support people are permitted. We request that patients come to the office unaccompanied, by yourself, and wearing a mask. If this is not possible in serious situations, we ask caregivers to wear a mask and maintain social distancing in our reception area.Please note that masks and hand sanitizer are available upon entry into our reception room. Please call the office in advance of your visit if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:A staff member may call you prior to your appointment to assess your health situation and your care may be directed off-site.Plexi barrier installed at our reception area;Masks and hand sanitizer available upon entrance;Magazines and books and any items that can transfer germs have been removed from our patient resources and treatment rooms;Ceramic mugs replaced with disposal drinking cupsIf the patient wishes, payment arrangements can be made in advance to allow for contactless exit from appointment;Continuous HEPA air filtration system in IV room;Disinfection procedures of office fixtures as well as regular cleaning of high-touch surfaces including:Patient chairsPlease note: No industrial spray or aerosol disinfectants are used. We are very conscious of keeping our office air free of disinfectant spray and ensuring our patients safety from potentially harmful inhalable substances.Guidelines as also provided by the BC Cancer Agency and COVID-19 found in the below link:Please note: the province has created a phone service to provide non-medical information on COVID-19 including the latest information on travel restrictions. Available 7:30 am – 8:00 pm PST at 1-888-COVID19 (1-888-268-4319) or text at 604-630-0300.A recent study from Italy, in mice, for the first time is showing the potential of high doses of vitamin C stimulate the immune system to enhance the effectiveness of popular immune therapy cancer drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors (i.e. Yervoy, Optivo, Keytruda, etc.). Vitamin C was studied looking at the adaptive part of the immune system that involves a part of the white blood cells known as lymphocytes or T cells. The experiments suggest that vitamin C could be critical in priming the immune system as well as during lymphocyte-linked cancer killing. In part, the vitamin C increased the number of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (T cells) and enhanced activation of CD4 and CD8 T cells that are important signs in immune cancer killing. This may help to explain why, on its own, vitamin C could slow the growth of tumors in those having an intact immune system. High dose vitamin C enhanced the effectiveness of combined checkpoint inhibitors (i.e. anti–CTLA-4 and anti–PD-1 blockade) in breast, pancreatic, and colorectal MMR-proficient mice models (i.e. a triplet therapy). Not only did this combination delay tumor growth in most cases, but also in a few mice, complete regressions were observed. Furthermore, in colorectal cancers where checkpoint inhibitors appear to have greater immune system roles (i.e. MMR-deficient), the combination with vitamin C opened the doorway of response producing significant and lasting tumor shrinkage. These same cancers were also more anti-cancer sensitive to vitamin C when used on its own as well. No signs of immune-related adverse events or other toxicities were seen in animals treated with vitamin C and check point inhibitors, suggesting that combination approaches may be tolerated by people with cancer. The doses used of vitamin C would only be possible by using intravenous doses in humans.Anecdotally, experimentally, we have been incorporating the use of vitamin C along with checkpoint inhibitors for several years now.  For example, when the use of Yervoy (Ipilimumab) was first used in clinical trials for advanced melanoma and before it became an indication for this cancer (i.e. forever changing the landscape for this disease and others), some of our patients also used intravenous vitamin C along side.  Later combination approaches such as Optivo (Nivolumab) began to follow showing enhanced outcomes and, once again, high doses of vitamin C were also experimentally utilized by some of our patients along side.  Such checkpoint inhibitors and a growing list of others (i.e. Keytruda, etc.) have now become common place in oncology used and approved for a wide variety of cancers. We have applied vitamin C to many of these checkpoint inhibitors. I feel privileged to have been in practice for 20 years and to see the gradual growth and acceptance of immune treatment now common in oncology.  There was much skepticism and criticism about this area that perhaps younger oncologists may not be aware of who now walk onto a much smoother and laid out path in an oncology world more open to this area.  While yet to be published, we have noticed similar trends to this Italian animal study that a positive relationship appears to exist between vitamin C and checkpoint inhibitors and without any obvious added immune system toxicities.  Vitamin C appears to support the immune system plus other parts of the body as well.  After all it is an essential nutrient that the body does not make and needs to use to survive. Mice can make vitamin C while humans do not. We suspect, the value of vitamin C becomes even more important when a person has a poor performance status or simply when a person is becoming and looking more tired as the disease progresses and begins to take a toll on the body.  We know, especially in advanced cancers, that vitamin C levels are lower than the general population and may even be deficient. Is the immune system response weaker in such cases as a result? We suspect if you are tired so can your immune system in its ability to respond.This study deserves attention as the Italian researchers have performed a very good and detailed first step in this area of vitamin C immuno-oncology.  I am certain we will be seeing more of this kind research and eventually applied to humans as time moves forward. We also suspect this will be an area where vitamin C used in high doses, by intravenous, will shine when combined with such immune checkpoint inhibitors. March 24 2020It has been released today in the New York Post that vitamin C given by intravenous injection becomes a treatment tool for COVID-19. The preliminary data from China on how patients did better sparked an interest to US physicians on how to better help out their patients during this pandemic. In addition to some of the known drug treatments such as hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin being explored plus other current standard supportive approaches used in the management of COVID-19, vitamin C has now been officially added to the experimental toolbox (i.e. similar in approach to the Shanghai Protocol in China). Congratulations to New York pulmonologist and critical-care specialist Dr. Andrew Weber and team for putting politics aside, and to do whatever it takes to help patients during this critical time in a hospital setting. We will now be able to try and assess how treatment outcomes compares to China in the management of COVID-19 with the addition of this popular and yet controversial vitamin. Some would have used a higher dosing model than what is being used in New York. Time will tell.https://nypost.com/2020/03/24/new-york-hospitals-treating-coronavirus-patients-with-vitamin-c/

TAGS:Integrated LEMMO Cancer 

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