Burzynski Clinic offers variety of alternative cancer treatments for patients diagnosed with over 50 different types of malignancies, including colon, pulmonary, breast, prostate, head and neck, ovarian, pancreatic, esophageal, hepatic, renal, bladder, brain, malignant melanoma, lymphoma, and many others.

For many years scientists have been trying to understand why some patients respond better to similar cancer treatments better than others. Recent studies have shown a strong link between patient’s gene expression and the effectiveness of a cancer treatment. The understanding that all cancers are associated with changes in gene expression (activity) led to dramatic changes in the diagnosis and therapy of cancer and to creation of personalized medicine. Personalized medicine tries to identify these relations through detection of genes involved in cancer.

After determination of a sequence of the human genome it was found that only 10% of genes are active in adult life. This means that approximately 90% of our genes are silenced. The system of biochemical factors called epigenome consists of molecular switches that silence and activate the genes during our life.

At the age of 25, the body has the optimal combination of active genes, but soon thereafter, groups of genes are gradually turned off during the aging process. Silencing of tumor suppressor genes triggers increased activity of oncogenes leading to mutations and increasing the risk of cancer. Decreased activity of tumor suppressors and increased activity of oncogenes lead to cancer.

Based on the current knowledge of the epigenetic mechanisms the new approach in medical oncology is to reverse the relationship between the oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes.

Our approach to cancer is a result of Dr. Burzynski's extensive experience in alternative cancer research in the field of genetics and genomics.

Personalized Treatments offered by the Burzynski Clinic are individual treatment plans, customized for each patient, based on:

• Identification of oncogenes responsible for the growth of cancerous cells in individual patients
• Selection of targeted pharmaceuticals that selectively kill cancer cells carrying the identified abnormal genes

The main goal of a Personalized Treatment is to match the right patient to the right treatment to achieve maximum effectiveness with minimum side effects.

To establish a personalized treatment plan we first must identify the expression (activity) of patient's oncogenes. The gene expression is identified through the oncogene testing (genetic markers testing). The identification of oncogenes enables our medical team to assess patient’s response chance and to determine the most optimal combination of medications.

In some cases conventional therapy is the most appropriate treatment for a patient. Our Clinic offers customized combination therapies consisting of conventional therapy and other approved targeted therapies to maximize effectiveness while minimizing the side effects that typically occur when using the traditional therapies alone.

Surgery, radiation therapy, and specialized imaging such as MRI, CT and PET scan, are provided at other local medical facilities. More about the radiation therapy (NCI).

Gene-targeted medications are drugs that selectively block the growth and spread of cancer without affecting the healthy cells. Targeted therapies interfere with cancer cell growth differently than cytotoxic chemotherapy and at various points during the development, growth, and spread of cancer. By switching off the signals that make cancer cells grow and divide uncontrollably, targeted cancer therapies can help stop the growth of cancer cells.

Targeted medications have shown to be easier tolerated than standard chemotherapy and radiation with no side effects or minimal adverse reactions noted. 

There are currently over 20 targeted therapeutics approved by the FDA (as of June 2007). This number grows rapidly with the advancement of the research in genomics. All of the approved gene-targeted medications are available for treatment at the Burzynski Clinic. The combination of targeted medications is customized for each patient and determined by the type of oncogenes involved in patient’s cancer (Personalized Treatment).

More about approved targeted therapies (National Cancer Institute).

Our Clinic provides an experimental therapy based on Antineoplastons which are peptide and amino acid derivatives discovered by Dr. Burzynski, M.D., Ph.D.

The Antineoplaston therapy is a subject of FDA supervised clinical trials. Currently only patients eligible to enroll into a clinical trial may receive such treatment.

More about Antineoplastons in clinical trials

We believe the quality of the treatment is determined not only by the effectiveness of the cancer therapy but also by the quality of the patient's life during and after the treatment.

Burzynski Clinic provides a wide range of services to assure the comfort, convenience and well being of our patients, including 24-hour monitoring, rehabilitation, dietary supplements and nutrition counseling. 

We take pride in offering the highest quality of personalized patient care. Each patient receives personal attention of a medical team assigned to them, consisting of a monitoring nurse, research associate and senior physician caring for the patient during the entire treatment.

Our supervision continues after the patient returns home and resumes care under their local physician until the treatment is completed.