Wednesday, March 7, 2012

If Only I Could

My coughing is coming back off and on. One thing that has not changed is the blood stain clots in the phlegm. Hope it will not get worst. This is to be expected since my cancer has spread to another part of the lung. I can't do anything now because my HIFU treatment has not healed yet. Starting another treatment is not recommended. I have contacted the hospital in China and the doctors say each patients reacts differently. They suggested that I get some pain killers to manage the pain. I feels like I am a sitting duck now. Helpless and in a hopeless situation.

Yesterday, a friend who is also a breast cancer survivor called me. She asked whether I am free around lunch time. She would like to take me to attend a lunch time stand up show. It's going to be hilarious and she thought that I would feel better after that. I thank her very much. Last two days, my abdominal pain has been acting up again. I told her it would be a bit difficult for me at this moment to enjoy the show and I suggested a future date instead. She said there will be only one show. What a shame that I have to give the show a miss.

I never thought I would write about this. But in life, never say never. Personally, while in China, the doctors have used very low dose chemotherapy and radiotherapy for my treatment. The TAE procedure is to inject a very low dose of chemotherapy directly into the blood vessels supplying blood to the kidney tumor to block the blood flow. I also had an IPT procedure where the doctors also injected very small doses of radioactive particles directly into the new right lung tumor.

This metronomic chemotherapy treatment was introduced to me by a reader from Hong Kong. Strangely, I wonder why some of our doctors back home does not know this treatment. Anyway, she has used it and reported that she managed to get rid of the lymph nodes and lung metastasis within three months of usage. I am encouraged by her success. I have also done some further reading and discovered something startling. How about some low dose chemotherapy that does not target cancer and normal cells, no side effects but yet more effective than high dose conventional chemotherapy?

Metronomic Chemotherapy
In 2000, two cancer research groups published a remarkable observation, in tumor-bearing rodents, low-dose chemotherapy, too low to evoke side effects or have a meaningful direct impact on tumor cells, when given on a daily or near-daily schedule, could markedly retard tumor growth.

This proved to be true even when the tumors were known to be resistant to the chemotherapeutic drugs employed. The solution to this riddle was that the chemotherapy was slowing or preventing angiogenesis. During angiogenesis, new endothelial cells are extremely fragile as they branch off from existing blood vessels, multiply, migrate into a tumor in response to chemical signals secreted by tumor cells, and eventually form themselves into tubular structures to give rise to new vessels. Whereas the endothelial cells lining established vessels only rarely multiply, are stabilized by growth factors provided by neighboring cells, and are rarely killed by clinically feasible doses of chemotherapy drugs. The endothelial cells engaged in angiogenesis are extremely sensitive to killing by these drugs, much more so than most cancer cells. Thus, when low-dose chemotherapy is administered on a daily schedule (known as "metronomic" because it is regular and even like the beat of a metronome) the continual death of endothelial cells attempting to form new blood vessels can substantially disrupt the angiogenic process, slowing it down notably.

One of the particular merits of this metronomic approach centers around cancer drug resistance. Whereas conventional, high-dose chemotherapy tends to select tumor cells that are resistant to the drugs used, metronomic chemotherapy targets normal endothelial cells that do not grow resistant to the drugs. In other words, metronomic chemotherapy keeps on working when conventional therapy fails. Tumors may be able to adapt to a degree by increasing their production of pro-angiogenic factors that promote endothelial cells survival. This explains why cancers, which initially regress in response to metronomic therapy sometimes grow back despite continuing therapy. The cancer confers this relative resistance; not the endothelial cells themselves.

Recently, a further benefit of metronomic chemotherapy has been established. It tends to selectively kill a population of immune cells, called "T-reg" cells, that function to suppress the activity of immune cells capable of attacking the tumor. These are the natural killer (NK) cells and T-cytotoxic cells. T-reg cells often congregate within tumors and secrete hormone-like factors that "turn off" the immune cells trying to attack the cancer. Thus, metronomic chemotherapy has emerged as a useful adjuvant to therapeutic strategies intended to boost the tumor-killing capacity of NK and T-cytotoxic cells.

The utility of treating rodent tumors, including transplanted human tumors, with metronomic chemotherapy has now been confirmed in a great many studies. In some of these studies, combining such chemotherapy with other measures attacking the angiogenic process has led to complete remissions of pre-existing aggressive tumors. Other studies also showed that metronomic chemotherapy can be useful when used in conjunction with conventional chemotherapy.

The most extensive published clinical experience with metronomic chemotherapy regimens has been provided by oncologists in Milan, who have documented the long-term responses of patients with metastatic breast cancer to a metronomic regimen involving daily cyclophosphamide (50mg) and two weekly doses of methotrexate (5mg per dose). From the patients using this regimen, 32% achieved either a complete or partial remission, or a stabilization of disease lasting at least 24 weeks. In about 16% of patients, no tumor progression was noted for over a year. Even in the patients in whom progression did occur, it seems likely that the therapy was often slowing the spread of the disease. The especially good news, since metronomic chemotherapy is intended for long-term use, is that this regimen was essentially free of annoying side effects. Only a mild suppression of white cell count was observed in a small minority of the treated patients.

Since metronomic therapy is directed against endothelial cells, not cancer cells, a metronomic regimen that works well with one type of cancer should work well with all types of cancer dependent on angiogenesis for growth.

6 comments:

  1. those stats are not that good, 50% of the time it does not work.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for commenting.

      If 50% of the time it does not work, then it means 50% of the time it works.

      In cancer therapy, 50% is considered very good! For your information, when I started Gerson therapy, the average success rate is only about 33%. I have not across any cancer therapy (conventional or alternative) that is sure to work.

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  2. 50% is a very high response rate for heavily treated late stage cancer patients, compared with the conventional chemotherapies which only stay around 20 to 30%.

    I am your reader from HK who emailed you 2 days ago. I am reading through my own medical history and all my scan reports (lengthy and complicated) and am trying to find out what contributes in maintaining my relatively stable situation and what not.

    One amendment here, I started the metronomic chemotherapy in Feb 2010, not 2009 as I said before. My CA 15.3 and CEA (tumour markers) dropped from 125.2 and 16.6 on Feb 24 to 80.7 and 14.4 on Apr 16 respectively. The June PET scan report saw improvements in lungs and lymph nodes metastasis, though with bone lesions slightly worsened.

    Anyway, these treatments are used to buy time because if we don't correct the internal inbalance inside our bodies which makes a breeding ground for the cancer, it will certainly come back. My lesions do wax and wane throughout these months hence I am still searching for other alternative treatments.

    Will post more information later.

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  3. •In the culture that it contains the artesunate we measure the catalytic activity of GSH and GSSG (redox reaction for free radical since artesunate bind free radicals with iron molecule ) , the inhibition of VEGF , FGF and PDGF(since it act to the angiogenesis cascade reactions) and the induction of cytochrome C (apoptosis).

    RESULTS:
    1. We notice that in culture that contains the ascorbic acid we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c.
    2. We notice that in culture that contains the PolyMVA we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c .
    3. We notice that in culture that contains carnivora we have inhibition of EGF-r by less than 5% and for IGF-r by 5% and we notice no increase of cytokine production 5% .
    4. We notice that in the culture that contains quercetin we have inhibition of EGF by 25% and IGF by 20%
    5. We notice that in the culture that contains indol-3-carbinol we have inhibition of VEGF by less than 5% , of FGF by 5% , and PDGF by 5%
    6. We notice that in culture that contains misteltoe we have inhibition of EGF-r by less than 5% and for IGF-r by 5% and we notice no increase of cytokine production , and there is no increase of PMBC .
    7. We notice that in culture that contains the c-statin we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by 45%.
    8. We notice that in culture that contains Ukrain we have inhibition of EGF-r by less than 5% and for IGF-r by 5% and we notice no increase of cytokine
    production, and there is no increase of PMBC.
    9. We notice that in culture that contains the H2O2 we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable .
    10. We notice that in culture that contains the co enzyme Q10 we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable .
    11. We notice that in culture that contains the essiac tea we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable .
    12. We notice that in culture that contains the modified citrus pectin we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable .
    13. We notice that in culture that contains the IP6 we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable .
    14. We notice that in culture that contains the pacreatic enzymes we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable .
    15. We notice that in culture that contains the salvestrol we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    16. We notice that in culture that contains the uncaria tomentosa we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    17. We notice that in culture that contains the caesium chloride we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    18. We notice that in culture that contains the carctol we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    19. We notice that in culture that contains the noni juice we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    20. We notice that in culture that contains the annonaceous acetogenins we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable.

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  4. 21. We notice that in culture that contains the reolysin we have increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c by less than 5% and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    22. We notice that in culture that contains the amygdalin-B17- we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    23. We notice that in culture that contains maitake we have inhibition of EGF-r by less than 5% and for IGF-r by 5% and we notice no increase of cytokine production , and there is no increase of PMBC.
    24. We notice that in culture that contains the curcumin (turmeric) we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    25. We notice that in culture that contains the lykopene we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    26. We notice that in culture that contains the green tea extract we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable
    27. We notice that in culture that contains artesunate , there is no inhibition of redox reaction and no increase of intracellular free radicals , there no is increase of cytochrome c (apoptosis) and the inhibition rate of VEGF is less than 5% , of FGF is 5% and of PDGF is 5%.
    28. We notice that in culture that contains the melatonin we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    29. We notice that in culture that contains the ellagic acid we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    30. We notice that in culture that contains the L-methionine we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    31. We notice that in culture that contains the N-acetyl-cystein we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    32. We notice that in culture that contains the niacin we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    33. We notice that in culture that contains the L-carnithine we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    34. We notice that in culture that contains the vitamin E we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    35. We notice that in culture that contains the superoxide dismutase we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    36. We notice that in culture that contains the aloe vera extract we have no increase of the cascade of caspase (especially 3 and 9) and cytochrom-c and the viability of the culture remain stable.
    37. We notice that in culture that contains selenium we have inhibition of EGF-r by less than 5% and for IGF-r by 5% and we notice no increase of cytokine production , and there is no increase of PBMC and NK .
    38. We notice that in culture that contains IFNa2 we have inhibition of EGF-r by less than 5% and for IGF-r by 5% and we notice no increase of cytokine production , and there is no increase of PMBC .

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  5. Hi CT the posts are very messed up. I kept sending and the posts kept disappearing. Maybe I send it again via email to you.

    ReplyDelete