Quick Links

TALKING WITH YOUR DOCTOR

If you visited the “Home” page of this website, you learned that huge differences exist between gene testing and Precision Functional Cancer Profiling. The two methods are NOT equivalent. For very good reasons, we believe that Precision Functional Cancer Profiling is superior to gene testing for the purpose of identifying effective, personalized patient treatments. This has been borne out by an independent study.

Many physicians seem not to be aware of the limitations of gene testing despite many editorials on the subject that have appeared respected medical publications. We also often find a serious lack of knowledge on the part of most physicians with respect to newer generation approaches to Precision Functional Cancer Profiling.

Much progress has been made in cancer management in general over the past 20 years and personalized cytometric cancer profiling is no exception. But many doctors have not kept pace with newer Precision Functional Cancer Profiling approaches. For that reasion your doctor might not be ready to accept that Precision Functional Cancer Profiling can be helpful beyond what he or she already knows about choosing drugs. It is possible he or she has knowledge of older methods that were used by other laboratories. Those methods have been surpassed by newer, highly accurate technologies.

The improved methods in use today, especially those used by the Weisenthal Cancer Group, have undergone rigorous scrutiny in more than 100 different studies performed by independent researchers. These studies, published in respected medical journals, all demonstrate high test accuracy.

We would like for you and your physician to understand exactly the level of scientifc proof that exists, showing that personalized Precision Functional Cancer Profiling can identify successful personalized patient treatments.

It is also important for your physician to understand how to use the information provided by your Precision Functional Cancer Profiling studies to the greatest advantage once it is obtained for you.

Larry Weisenthal, M.D., Ph.D. is a medical doctor who is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. He was Clinical Associate at the National Cancer Institute. He is respected as a cancer researcher and as a widely published author and lecturer at international medical meetings and symposia. He also holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology research. His knowledge of chemotherapy drugs and how to use them in context with Precision Functional Cancer Profiling results is unsurpassed.

Dr. Weisenthal is pleased to accept a telephone call from your doctor. He can answer your doctor's questions and provide information that will help your doctor to decide if Precision Functional Cancer Profiling is right for you.

Dr. Weisenthal also provides continuing free consultation to your physician after your tests are completed, to interpret your test results and discuss a therapy plan that offers you the best chance for success.

Dr. Weisenthal's consultation hours for physicians are 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM Pacific Time.

(714) 596-2100

The choice of whether or not to have Dr. Weisenthal perform your Precision Functional Cancer Profiling studies is yours alone. Our goal here is to assist you and your physician in making a fully informed decision.

The "Average" Cancer Patient Does Not Exist

Welcome to the Patients Section of this website. This section is dedicated to cancer patients and others interested in obtaining the maximum benefit from available cancer treatments.

Cancer is not a one-size-fits-all illness. Each patient is unique. That is why a cancer drug that helps one patient often fails to benefit a different patient - even though both patients have the same type of cancer.

Testing Your Own Living Cancer Cells to Pinpoint the Best Drugs for You

Thousands of interrelated biological processes within the cancer cell affect the way each patient responds to treatment. The Weisenthal Cancer Group uses an approach called Precision Functional Cancer Profiling to assess the net effect of the widest range of cellular processes as they occur in real time. In the laboratory, your own living cancer cells are exposed to a broad range of potentially beneficial anti-cancer agents. These include new, genetic and molecularly-targeted chemotherapy drugs, immunologic therapies, and anti-angiogenesis agents.

Potentially Harmful Drugs Should Be Tested in the Laboratory - Not in Your Body

For virtually all cancer types, dozens of different chemotherapy drugs and drug combinations are approved by the FDA. However, for the most part, these are administered blindly. They are prescribed because they worked for some "acceptable" percentage of patients in a past clinical trial. Without testing each patient's cancer cells in advance for susceptibility to each drug, most cancer patients today receive one chemotherapy regimen after another. Often, these are partially or completely ineffective. As the doctors work their way through a long list of available possibilities, exposure to these drugs can induce tumor cell resistance to all forms of chemotherapy (this is called clinically-acquired multi-drug resistance). At the same time the patient becomes weaker and weaker from harmful drug side effects. Meanwhile, valuable treatment time is wasted, potentially allowing for tumor growth and metastasis.

Dr. Weisenthal is an Innovator and Respected Expert Worldwide

Dr. Weisenthal was a pioneer in recognizing the danger of treating patients on the basis of trial and error. For many years he has been a strong voice in urging abandonment of the fatally-flawed "one-size-fits-all" system. Predictably, his progressive views and outspoken manner have not made him a favorite among pharmaceutical companies, which benefit from unfettered use of their products. Nor is Dr. Weisenthal loved by certain physicians - those whose careers revolve around entering patients onto paid clinical trials. The purpose of these trials is to identify “one-size-fits-all” cancer therapies for the non-existent "average cancer patient." However, Dr. Weisenthal’s persistence has paid off. Today, more and more thoughtful physicians are coming to understand that candidate drug regimens must be tested for potential effectiveness FOR EACH PATIENT in the laboratory rather than simply picking drugs blindly from an “approved” list and hoping for the best.

Working Diligently for You

As the number of available treatments increases so does the need to determine which treatment offers you - as an individual - the best possible chance for benefit. In this, quest Dr. Weisenthal is your most committed advocate and strongest ally.

FOR PATIENTS