About Bicher Cancer Institute
Bicher Cancer Institute (formerly Valley Cancer Institute) is one of the USA's largest Hyperthermic research and clinic treatment centers. Since its foundation in 1984 by James Bicher, MD BCI has been committed to the research, development, and clinical use of Hyperthermia, a natural, less toxic cancerocidal modality, to improve cancer treatment results while decreasing side effects of conventional therapies.
The hyperthermia cancer treatment approach used at BCI has a curative intent, as opposed to palliative treatment used in conventional therapies like radiation alone, high toxic chemotherapy, and the "point of no return" surgery whose purpose is only to prolong patients' lives. Hyperthermia cancer treatment in conjunction with low dose Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) offered at BCI, is purposely intended to cure when tumors are localized.
Bicher Cancer Institute is located in Los Angeles, California. It encompasses a 10,000 sq. ft. facility, two linear accelerators with pinpointed radiation therapy, IMRT, research laboratories, seven hyperthermia treatment rooms, and full radiation and medical oncology departments.
BCI's medical expertise is based on 25 years of clinical experience and research in the development of alternative cancer treatments. Most of the Institute's oncology staff, including doctors, nurses, hyperthermia and radiology technicians, and engineers, has been with BCI from the first years of its establishment and possesses decades of expertise in the field of cancer treatment with curative intent.
James Haim I. Bicher, M.D.
James Bicher, M.D. was born in San Cristobal, Santa Fe in Argentina on May 12, 1937. At the age of 16, James Bicher, M.D. entered the University of Buenos Aires Medical School but completed his studies in 1962 at the Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, Israel, where he and his family had immigrated.
From 1962 to 1968, after completing his internship at the Beilinson Hospital in Petah-Tiqya, Israel, James Bicher, MD was a lecturer in Physiology and Pharmacology for Tel Aviv University; a research supervisor for Pharmacological Screening Program, and the senior scientist for the Rogoff Medical Research Institute at Beilinson Hospital in Israel. For the next 5 years until 1973, James Bicher, MD was an Associate in Anatomy, an Assistant Professor of Anatomy, and an Associate Professor of Anatomy and Research Medicine at the Medical University in Charleston, South Carolina.
From 1973 to 1976, James Bicher, MD was the Associate Professor in Pharmacology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. While there, Dr. Bicher completed his residency in Radiation Therapy in 1974. In 1976, Dr. Bicher completed his second residency in Radiation Therapy and was the Associate Chief of the Department of Radiation Medicine at Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, New York until 1978.
From 1978 to 1981, James Bicher, MD was the director for the Non-Ionizing Radiation Cancer Treatment Center at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. From 1982 to 1985, Dr. Bicher was the Chief of the Hyperthermic Clinic for Western Tumor Medical Group in Van Nuys, California.
In 1983 James Bicher, MD founded Bicher Cancer Institute and has been its director since then. Dr. Bicher has also held the position of Senior Consultant for Beritashvili Institute of Physiology, Georgian Academy of Sciences, Republic of Georgia since 1991.
Dr. Bicher's licensure includes the FLEX and ECFMG, the Arkansas Healing Arts Certificate and the Arkansas Medical License, the New York Medical License, the Michigan Medical License, the ABR Certification in Radiation Therapy, and the California Medical License.
James Bicher, MD is the former president and founder of the American Society of Clinical Hyperthermic Oncology (ASCHO), North American Hyperthermia Group (NAHG), the International Clinical Hyperthermia Society (ICHS), and the International Society of Oxygen Transport of Tissue (ISOTT). James Bicher, MD was awarded the Zondec Award at Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem in 1962. In 1979, Dr. Bicher received Travel Award at the Sixth International Congress of Radiation Research. Dr. Bicher is a member of the National Committee on Hyperthermia.
Dr. Bicher's academic appointments include: clinical Associate Professor in Radiology at the State University of New York (SUNY) in 1977 and 1978; Associate Professor of the Department of Biology at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan from 1978 to 1982. Dr. Bicher's specialization trip included 6 months at the Institute of Pharmacology in Bonn University (Prof. R. Domenjoz) between 1964 and 1965.
James Bicher, MD was the Reviewer for the following publications: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION in 1976; Editorial Board of MICROVASCULAR RESEARCH in 1976; Editorial Board of NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES in 1977; RADIOLOGY and MICROVASCULAR RESEARCH in1978, 1979, 1980; and the Associate Editor of ENDOCURIETHERAPIE/ HYPERTHERMIC ONCOLOGY- an International Journal in 1985.
Dr. Bicher's professional consultantship includes: Bristol Laboratories, 1965 -1971, Schering Corporation, 1965 -1971, Transidyne General Corporation, 1969 -1971, Kabi-Stockholm, 1971 - 1972 and MediScience Technology, Inc. 1971- 1975.
James Bicher, MD is an active member of the American Society of Therapeutic radiologists (ASTR), American Microcirculatory Society, European Society of Microcirculation, International Society on Oxygen Transport of Tissue, North American Hyperthermia Group, the European Society of Hyperthermic Oncology (ESHO) (Founding Member), the Radiation Research Society, the Western Hyperthermia Group (Founder), the American Society of Clinical Hyperthermic Oncology (Founder and President, 1985-1986), and the International Clinical Hyperthermia Society (ICHS), where he is currently a board member and American Vice-President.
“I believe in using the forces of nature to create a medicine which utilizes these forces—applying scientific methods and adapting them in a natural way - to harm the body as little as possible. HYPERTHERMIA fully meets these criteria.”
-James I. Bicher, MDOur Doctors
Ralph S. Wolfstein, M.D.
Dr. Wolfstein has been with the Institute as a Radiation Oncology Medical Director since its foundation.
Dr. Wolfstein's medical experience prior to joining Bicher Cancer Institute included the following positions: Associate, Division of Radiation Therapy and Nuclear Medicine, Cedars of Lebanon Hospital; Assistant Clinical Professor of Radiology (Nuclear Medicine) , University of Southern California; Acting Director, Department of Radiation Therapy and Nuclear Medicine, Cedars of Lebanon Hospital; Acting Director, Department of Nuclear
Medicine, Cedars of Lebanon Hospital; Acting Director, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Cedars – Sinai Medical Center; Staff Physician, Cedars – Sinai Medical Center, Department of Nuclear Medicine; Staff Physician, Radiation Center, Century City Hospital; Private Practice of Radiation Therapy With Warren J. Zager, M.D.
Dr. Wolfstein is board certified by the American Board of Radiology (Therapeutic Radiology), and American Board of Nuclear Medicine. He is a member of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, American College of Nuclear Physicians ( Charter Member), American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Radiation Research Society - North American Hyperthermic Group, and International Clinical Hyperthermia Society (Charter Member).
Dr. Wolfstein graduated from the University of Wooster with a B.A. and from the University of Michigan with an M.D.
Staff
BCI consists of a hyperthermia and radiation department, technical, administration and assisting staff of 26 employees.
Radiation Department
The Radiation Department of BCI consists of two radiation therapists, medical physicist, board certified technicians, and assisting staff.
The department works with leading-edge computer programs that provide the most advanced capabilities for people undergoing radiation, directed to radiate the cancerous cells while protecting normal tissue.
Two different systems. For Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) from ELEKTA, TIGRIT are used to direct the beams of high energy linear accelerator.
Hyperthermia Department
BCI’s Hyperthermia Department was the first in the country conceived as a clinic to treat cancer with noble, curative intent in localized tumors.
The Department has seven fully licensed FDA approved hyperthermia machines. This allows the Institute to treat 60 patients a day, which makes BCI the biggest, by volume, hyperthermia thermoradiation therapy center in the world.
The amount of expertise accumulated since James Bicher, MD started practicing in 1967 allowed to institute advanced protocols that yield high control of localized tumors, minimizing the side effects of therapy. BCI has accomplished 90% five year survival rate while treating local cancer of prostate, while mostly avoiding unpleasant side effects such as impotence and retrograde ejaculation. Similar results were reported in pier reviewed medical literature in cancer of head/neck and breast.Careers
Currently, there are no job openings available at Bicher Cancer Institute. Please, check with us periodically.
Ask the Doctor
We created a separate blog to address any questions that people might have about the treatment offered by Bicher Cancer Institute and hyperthermia in general. Our doctors and staff do their best to respond to the inquiries in a timely manner.
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- Gentle heat + low dose radiation
- Effective pain reduction
- Low side effects
- Scientifically based, FDA approved modality
- Accepted by most insurance
- Statistically proven successful results