We already reported about Minkara early this year and are happy to share the updated news with you that she is still in complete remission thanks to a combined immunotherapeutic treatment strategy.
Best Treatment Strategy
Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic
The Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic in the Northern Black Forest has 16 inpatient beds, 2 luxury suites, and 6 outpatient apartments. In the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic, the majority of patients have haematological / oncological diseases. All patients are treated in an exquisite private oncological environment with an individualized treatment concept.
The focus of the clinic is on inpatient and outpatient care of international private patients. The range of diagnostic and therapeutic services extends to chronic, internal and oncological diseases. At the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic, the individual-focused treatment and care of patients as part of a personalized and holistic treatment strategy is of utmost importance.
The aim of the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic is to find the best treatment strategy for each individual patient and to not reject patients based on their past medical history or chronic illness. Patient-oriented individual treatment approaches form the core of the clinic.
The Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic’s task is to develop treatment strategies that best address the patients´ tumor cells with the aid of a broad range of diagnostics on tumor cells and tissue, so that patients can be treated with a targeted and personalized treatment.
The Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic always respects the well-being of the patients in all its actions and treats each patient in a respectful and friendly environment.
The medical team of the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic
The medical team of the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic is characterized by international research excellence and a science-oriented education. The Hallwang Clinic has put together an innovative interdisciplinary team of oncologists, internal medicine specialists, naturopaths, specialized psychologists and nurses, working in a collaborative university hospital and university institute network. The physicians have gained experience at well-known university institutes and university hospitals, including the Center of Integrated Oncology of the University Hospital Cologne and the University Hospital Bonn (Germany), the Dana Farber Cancer Institute of the Harvard Medical School in Boston (USA), the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center of the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore (USA), the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and other renowned cancer institutes (e.g.. National Cancer Institute Mexico). Furthermore, the specialized medical oncologists are members of the European Society for Medical Oncology, carrying the ESMO certificate of Oncology, and /or are members of the German Society of Hematology and Oncology. Many of the physicians have an intensive research and academic background in cancer medicine, particularly Immuno-Oncology. The team of the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic strongly believes that a trustful doctor-patient relationship is also key to a successful treatment, and can assure you that combining most advanced treatments at the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic with the experience of the oncology specialized medical board will provide you a comprehensive, personalized and multi-modal/disciplinary treatment approach. The Hallwang Clinic offers most advanced and innovative treatments for haematological / oncological diseases.
The Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic highly esteems the trust it receives from patients, relatives and collaborative business partners every day. The clinic is fully aware of his role and responsibilities, and always strives for expertise, transparency and reliability.
Open communication, fairness and respectful interaction are very important at the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic.
The Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic team deals with cancer patients every day, so achieving best quality of life and having a zest for life play an important role in the daily work at the clinic. Patients at the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic team always have the right to ask for the best. Therefore, the Hallwang Clinic always strives to do even more. This attitude defines the team at the Hallwang Clinic and is a fundamental part of their work.
The Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic also offers the following arrangements as part of its personalized cancer therapy:
- Care – whether physical, emotional, spiritual or cultural – your needs will be addressed.
- The Hallwang Clinic offers a hygienic, comfortable and safe environment and makes sure that anyone, even those with special needs, can attend the clinic.
- If you have questions or suggestions about dining at the clinic, the chef de cuisine of the Hallwang Clinic is always available to discuss your wishes.
- Introduce your family, relatives and friends to the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic team – they will be welcomed and treated with courtesy, friendliness and helpfulness by the Hallwang Private Oncology Clinic team.
- The Hallwang Clinic will keep you up to date with your treatment plan and will always inform you about changes in treatment plans or appointments.
- All open questions, concerns and suggestions will be answered by the Hallwang Clinic team. The Hallwang Clinic stands for open and honest communication with you and your family, as well as with all employees. It is important to give feedback to the Hallwang Clinic team, so that misunderstandings can be avoided. Needless to say, your right to privacy will always be respected.
Bruce, Malignant Melanoma
We received good news for one of our patients and are happy to share these with you on Bruce’s behalf.
Bruce was diagnosed in May 2013 with stage IIIC malignant melanoma of his right foot with a micrometastastic disease in 1/7 lymph nodes from the right popliteal and groin area. In July of the same year, a dissection took place and Bruce decided to not receive the adjuvant interferon treatment, before he underwent a new biopsy in October 2013, confirming progressive disease. A few of the skin metastases were resected, and he underwent hyperthermic limb perfusion therapy. Unfortunately, in February 2014, the disease progressed even further. Analysis of Bruce’s tumor biopsy showed a BRAF-V600E mutation.
So he started on the BRAF/MEK inhibitor dabrafenib and trametinib, which he took for nearly a year and a half. In July 2015, a restaging scan was unfortunately suggestive of disease progression, so Bruce started checkpoint-antibody treatment with nivolumab. Unfortunately, three months under this treatment, Bruce developed a grade III colitis (inflammation of the colon), that needed to be treated with corticosteroids. Disappointingly, Bruce was no longer able to continue the treatment. Once he fully recovered, he started on vemurafenib and cobimetinib (a different BRAF/MEK-inhibitor) treatment in January 2016, and searched for further options – and contacted our team at the Hallwang clinic.
At the Hallwang Clinic, we started with a thorough diagnostic approach and first screened Bruce’s tumor tissue for tumor associated antigens in order to identify potential therapeutic targets. Bruce’s tumor tissue was tested positive for expression of Melan-A and Survivin. When Bruce visited us in April 2016 for the first time, we discussed a treatment with a so called trifunctional antibody approach – targeting anti-GD2. GD2 is a marker which is expressed on tumors of neuroectodermal origin, and thus often found in melanoma patients, as well as in patients with neuroblastoma and different kinds of sarcomas. To evaluate Bruce’s eligibility for this treatment, a blood analysis for circulating-GD2 positive cells was performed, showing that his tumor was highly GD2-positive (3+). Having completed all diagnostic steps and after careful evaluation, Bruce started on a combined immunotherapeutic approach targeting TAA’s in combination with anti-GD2 treatment and the BRAF/MEK-inhibitor. Since then, Bruce is visiting us every three months for three days, continuing his treatment strategy. Bruce has now achieved and maintained a “no evidence of disease“ status (NED) for about 2 and 1/2 years now, and 5 years since diagnosis!! We are so happy for you, Bruce! Continue on this path!
Hallwang Clinic Video from Stage IV Colorectal cancer patient Marc
Mark, a 45-year old patient at our clinic, has been diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer with metastases in the liver and lung. Mark was first diagnosed in 2016 and after chemotherapy and antibody treatment in the UK, he came to the Hallwang clinic in 2018 with progressive disease. At Hallwang, a combined immunotherapeutic strategy was initiated – with success. His recent CT scan showed significant tumor burden reduction and Mark is now being evaluated for local ablation of the residual tumor
Jayden, Glioblastoma multiforme
We would like to share with you Jayden’s story.
Jayden was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme just last year, one month before his 17th birthday. He had to undergo surgery and combined radiotherapy with temozolomide. Temozolomide was then discontinued, as the tumor reocurred, and another surgery was performed followed by chemotherapy. In the last months, Jayden´s condition worsened rapidly with increased immobility and loss of vision. He was unable to open his left eye. That is when Jayden first came to the Hallwang Clinic, and was started on a combined immunotherapeutic strategy.
Now, 2 months later, Jayden’s condition has improved, he has started moving his legs and arms again, and is able to open his left eye occasionally. It is still a way to go, but we are happy Jayden is gaining more strength every day now.
Minkara N., Refractory relapsed stage IV ovarian cancer
Refractory relapsed Stage IV ovarian cancer now 3 years in complete remission under immunotherapy
The hope and aim behind cancer immunotherapy is that it induces a durable, long-lasting immune response. One of our patients, Minkara N., was diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer in 2012, and after surgery she received chemotherapy – Taxol, Avastin, Gemcitabine and Caelyx. Unfortunately, MRI showed persistent pelvic metastasis and so Minkara came to Hallwang Clinic for further treatment. Initially, in 2013, a transarterial chemoembolization was performed and she received antibody treatment, whereupon remission status was reached. Treatment was escalated to different checkpoints on several occasions together with further specific immunotherapy (tumor tissue was analyzed thoroughly before treatment). Minkara reached complete remission in 2015, and three years later we are happy to confirm that she is still in complete remission. For maintenance treatment she now receives solely immunotherapy 3 times per year. We are so happy that targeted cancer immunotherapy has been working for you, Minkara and wish you all the best for the coming years!
Your Hallwang Clinic Team
Update on Matthew from Australia, Sarcoma
About a year ago we posted Matt´s story, a young gentleman with a rare type of sarcoma, who travelled with his mother Jennifer all the way from Australia to us! Back then he said ” Everything was laid out before me, and I was offered a targeted approach, something which had not been offered to me previously. After two visits to the clinic I saw and felt a noticeable difference with my tumors. It is safe to say that the targeted has worked in my case, and I’m very pleased with the results.”
So now, one year later, we wanted to see how he was going and how he is responding to treatment. We are so happy to hear from Matt´s father that Matt and his family „ are pleased with the progress, Matt has returned to work as an Engineer doing 3 days a week and living independently approximately three hours away from our home. Matt appears to be healthier and has gained some weight (now 54kg).” Matt and his family are grateful for the” live saving contribution to Matthew’s survival he received by your wonderful Doctors and medical staff.”
We are happy to hear that the last PET scan reveals that “overall most lesions have shown a reduction in size or avidity”.
Matt, we wish you and your family all the best for the future and the best treatment outcome possible.
Hande, Triple-negative breast cancer
We want to share with you Hande’s story. Hande is a 36-year-old lovely young lady and mother of a 2-year-old wonderful daughter.
Unfortunately, at age 35, Hande was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, at time of diagnosis no metastases were present. In February 2017, she received her last dose of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by surgery removing a 2.3 cm tumor and sentinel lymph nodes. Radiotherapy was completed in April 2017. In September 2017, a PET scan then showed multiple metastases to the lung, liver, lymph nodes and bone. On MRI, also brain metastases were diagnosed. Hande and her family were devastated.
In October 2017, Hande came to the Hallwang Clinic and received a combined immunotherapeutic approach with chemotherapy and personalized strategies, along with supportive treatments. Now, before the year 2017 ended, Hande and her family received the wonderful news that she is in complete remission! Her last scans from December show no sign of disease anymore, also her MRI of the brain is completely clear.
Dino, Colon Cancer
Anonymous
We would like to share with you another story highlighting the impact of treatment with anti-GD-2, a trifunctional antibody, one of the latest members of the trifunctional Ab platform.
One of our patients (male, 58 yrs old) was diagnosed with melanoma and metastases to the liver, bone, spleen, lung and peritoneum. He was previously treated with chemotherapy, sorafenib, hyperthermia and dendritic cell vaccine. At the clinic, he received Anti-GD-2 treatment for 6 weeks, side effects were mild and well controlled. 10 weeks after, a PET scan was performed and already showed remarkable reduction of metastases, see images below.
Anti-GD-2 treatment can be applied in many different solid tumors and can induce a therapeutic vaccination (see diagram).
