A friend reminded me to research the side effects and the long term effects of using Cimetidine. I think that is a fair request. I have done some research and found the following which may be of interest to cancer patients who are thinking of taking Cimetidine on a long term basis (up to two years) as a strategy to prevent cancer metastasis.
Obviously, two years is a long time for cancer patients and many may not be even able to reach this milestone (count from day of diagnosis) especially for advance stage cancer patients. For stage 4 cancer patients, the window of survival is really short. Under such premise, I for one would be more than willing to think out of the box. Compared to the tumors spreading to say the bones or liver, the side effects of Cimetidine are bearable. Cimetidine still offer some hope and the side effects when compared to the pain from the cancer, which to me are miles apart.
Still, it's the patient's choice.
Effects of Long Term Use of Cimetidine
Researches conducted randomized controlled clinical trial on forty-two patients with endoscopically diagnosed duodenal ulcer in a double-blind trial after their ulcers had been healed with cimetidine. Cimetidine was effective in preventing relapse, only five of the 20 patients allocated to cimetidine 400 mg twice daily relapsing during the six months' treatment, compared with 16 of the 22 on placebo treatment (P less than 0.01). Cimetidine was safe in the dosage and duration used, no symptomatic, haematological, or biochemical abnormalities occurring during the trial. Subsequent follow-up at the end of the trial when treatment had been stopped showed that relapse was frequent, particularly in the cimetidine group, making the cumulative relapse rate eight months after completion of the trial similar in the two groups (75% in the cimetidine group, 86% in the placebo group). It seems likely that maintenance cimetidine treatment has to be continued indefinitely in patients with duodenal ulcer, and, until such treatment is shown to be safe and effective, surgical treatment remains a logical option for many patients.
In another randomized clinical study, sixty patients who had been referred for elective ulcer surgery, and in whom a remission had been induced, entered a prospective double blind controlled trial of a single daily dose of 400 mg of cimetidine given at bedtime, or placebo. Eighty per cent of patients receiving placebo suffered symptomatic relapse and recurrence of duodenal ulceration at endoscopy within 6 months. The mean interval to relapse was 10 weeks. On the other hand, only 27 percent of patients had a recurrence during the 6-month period on low dose cimetidine therapy. No significant toxic or other side effects which could be attributed to the drug were observed.
The above reports were published by UK PubMed Central.
Sde effects
Cimetidine is generally taken without ill effect. Its side effects include dizziness and mild somnolence (at doses of 800–1600 mg/day), a reversible state of confusion (especially in the elderly with preexisting renal or hepatic disease), gastrointestinal upset, gynecomastia (may occur if treatment period is greater than 1 month), reversible dose-related increase in serum transaminases, and dose-related elevations in plasma creatinine.
Adverse reactions can occur with any drug, even over-the-counter medications. Some of these are mild such as a stomach upset, which may be avoided by taking the medication with food. Minor reactions may go away on their own but, if they persist, contact the physician. For major reactions, the patient should contact the physician immediately.
For cimetidine, the following are the observed side effects:
Minor:
* breast swelling or tenderness in men
* headache
* rash
* diarrhea
* achy joints
* dizziness
* muscular pain
* hair loss
* reduced sexual potency
* reduced sperm count
Major:
* hallucinations or mental confusion (more common in the elderly)
* unusual fatigue
* fever
* sore throat
* shortness of breath
* abnormal skin bruising
Showing posts with label Surgery-Induced Cancer Metastasis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surgery-Induced Cancer Metastasis. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Surgery-Induced Cancer Metastasis - Part 5
Conclusion
The purpose of posting these articles are of two fold:
1) Preventing Surgery Induced Metastasis
- A patient undergoing surgery, especially cancer patient must be aware of the risks involved in tumor removal. While the surgery can debulk much or most of the tumors to ease the burden on the body, at the same time, the surgery can cause the tumor to spread to other sites.
- Patients undergoing biopsy will also be exposed to the same risks.
- There are certain preoperative medication and supplements that a patient can take five days prior to the surgery to prevent surgery induced metastasis.
2) Preventing Metastasis In Cancer Patients
We now know that cancer does spread, namely a) from the primary site when the tumors reached a certain size, b) during surgery and c) during biopsy.
So whether a cancer person goes for surgery or not, it's a matter of time the cancer spread to other sites and when that happen, the patient is deemed to have reached stage 4. What these articles have shown is why must we wait to take medication and supplements just before operation to prevent the spreading? For stage 2 and 3 cancer patients, where the spreading has yet to occur, why don't these patients take those medication and supplement to prevent spreading while undergoing whatever treatments? More importantly for stage 4 cancer patients, why not also take the medication and supplement to prevent further spreading?
Like me, my tumors have already spread from my right kidney to my lungs. The natural progression is that it will continue to spread to the bones, liver and then the brain. So what I can do now is to start to take those medication and supplement to prevent further spreading.
Perhaps because I am not a doctor, my recommendation may seem bold but are based on research and clinical trials. It could prolong the cancer patient's life while in treatment and hopefully recovery and at the same time have a better quality of life. This is something for cancer patients to consider. You can read the full article here.
TABLE 1 - Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) Dosage
TABLE 2 - Cimetidine (commonly known as Tagamet®) Dosage
The purpose of posting these articles are of two fold:
1) Preventing Surgery Induced Metastasis
- A patient undergoing surgery, especially cancer patient must be aware of the risks involved in tumor removal. While the surgery can debulk much or most of the tumors to ease the burden on the body, at the same time, the surgery can cause the tumor to spread to other sites.
- Patients undergoing biopsy will also be exposed to the same risks.
- There are certain preoperative medication and supplements that a patient can take five days prior to the surgery to prevent surgery induced metastasis.
2) Preventing Metastasis In Cancer Patients
We now know that cancer does spread, namely a) from the primary site when the tumors reached a certain size, b) during surgery and c) during biopsy.
So whether a cancer person goes for surgery or not, it's a matter of time the cancer spread to other sites and when that happen, the patient is deemed to have reached stage 4. What these articles have shown is why must we wait to take medication and supplements just before operation to prevent the spreading? For stage 2 and 3 cancer patients, where the spreading has yet to occur, why don't these patients take those medication and supplement to prevent spreading while undergoing whatever treatments? More importantly for stage 4 cancer patients, why not also take the medication and supplement to prevent further spreading?
Like me, my tumors have already spread from my right kidney to my lungs. The natural progression is that it will continue to spread to the bones, liver and then the brain. So what I can do now is to start to take those medication and supplement to prevent further spreading.
Perhaps because I am not a doctor, my recommendation may seem bold but are based on research and clinical trials. It could prolong the cancer patient's life while in treatment and hopefully recovery and at the same time have a better quality of life. This is something for cancer patients to consider. You can read the full article here.
TABLE 1 - Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) Dosage
| MCP Application | Use (take on an empty stomach) |
| Active Cancer | 15 grams/day (5 grams three times a day) |
| Biopsy | 15 grams/day (5 grams three times a day). Take one week before procedure and two weeks after. |
| Heavy Metal Chelation | High body burden levels: 15 grams/day (5 grams three times a day). Lower body burden levels: 15 grams/day for 5 days a month, 5 grams/day the rest of the month |
What You Need to Know: Modified Citrus Pectin |
|
TABLE 2 - Cimetidine (commonly known as Tagamet®) Dosage
| Application | Use (take on an empty stomach) |
| Active Cancer | 800 mg of cimetidine daily (400 mg twice daily) |
Cimetidine: What You Need to Know |
|
Monday, March 14, 2011
Surgery-Induced Cancer Metastasis - Part 4
The Choice of Surgical Anesthesia Can Influence Metastasis
The conventional medical approach to surgical anesthesia has been the use of general anesthesia during surgery, followed by intravenous morphine after surgery for pain control. The use of morphine directly after surgery surpresses the immune function thereby by diminishing NK cell activity. One study found that morphine increased angiogenesis and stimulated the growth of breast cancer in mice and concluded: that clinical use of morphine could potentially be harmful in patients with angiogenesis-dependent cancers.
One novel approach to minimise the above problems is to combined with regional anesthesia, which refers to anesthesia that only affects a specific part of the body. The benefits achieved with this approach are two-fold: the use of regional anesthesia reduces the amount of general anesthesia required during surgery, as well as decreasing the amount of morphine needed after surgery for pain control. This elegant approach to surgical anesthesia and pain control has been validated in scientific mice studies. Regional anesthesia reduced 70% of the metastasis-promoting effects of surgery caused by general anesthesia alone.
Doctors at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine compared NK cell activity in patients, NK cell activity was preserved at pre-operative levels in the group that received regional anesthesia. In a pioneering study, 50 women having breast cancer surgery using general anesthesia with regional anesthesia (the type of regional anesthesia used is called a paravertebral block, which involves the injection of a local anesthetic around the spinal nerves between the vertebral bones of the spine) after a follow-up period of nearly three years shows only 6% of patients experienced a recurrence, compared to 79 women who received general anesthesia during their breast cancer surgery followed by morphine for pain control showed a 24% risk of recurrance for this group. Stated differently, women who received regional and general anesthesia had a 75% decreased risk for metastatic cancer.
Surgeons at Duke University Medical Center compared regional anesthesia alone to general anesthesia in women having surgery for breast cancer noted while 39% of the general anesthesia group required medication for nausea and vomiting, only 20% of the regional anesthesia group needed this medication. Narcotic medication was needed for pain control after surgery in 98% of the general anesthesia group, compared to only 25% of the regional anesthesia group. And 96% of the women receiving regional anesthesia had returned home within a day after surgery, compared with 76% of the women who received general anesthesia.
The results of these studies have vast implications for those undergoing cancer surgery, as a group of researchers enthusiastically announced: As regional techniques [anesthesia]are easy to implement, inexpensive, and do not pose a threat greater than general anesthesia, it would be easy for anesthesiologists to implement them, thus reducing the risk of disease recurrence and metastasis. For those requiring morphine for pain control after surgery can consider asking their doctor for a medication called tramadol instead. In one experiment, tramadol blocked the formation of lung metastasis induced by surgery in rats. Tramadol also prevented the surgery-induced suppression of NK cell activity.
Less Invasive Surgery Reduces Risk of Metastasis
Surgery places an enormous physical stress upon the body. There is considerable scientific evidence supporting that surgeries that are less invasive and therefore less traumatic pose less risk of metastasis. Laparoscopic surgery is one type of minimally invasive surgery, in which operations in the abdomen, pelvis, and other regions are performed through small incisions.
A study published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet compared laparoscopic to open surgery to remove part of the colon (colectomy) in patients with colon cancer found that the group had a 61% decreased risk of cancer recurrence coupled with a 62% decreased risk of death from colon cancer as compared to the group receiving traditional open surgery. A long-term follow-up of these patients (median time 95 months) reported a 56% decreased risk of death from colon cancer for laparoscopic surgery as compared to traditional open surgery. Another comparison of laparoscopic surgery to open surgery for colon cancer reported a five-year survival rate of 64.1% for the laparoscopic group, and a five-year survival rate of 58.5% for the group receiving open surgery.
Minimally invasive surgery has produced substantial improvements in survival for those with lung cancer. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), a minimally invasive surgery, was compared to traditional open surgery for removing lung tumors (lobectomy). The five-year survival from lung cancer was 97% in the VATS group. This greatly contrasts the 79% five-year survival in the open surgery group.
Inflammation and Metastasis
Cancer surgery causes an increased production of inflammatory chemicals, such as interleukin-1 and interleukin-6. These chemicals are known to increase the activity of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). A highly potent inflammatory enzyme, COX-2 plays a pivotal role in promoting cancer growth and metastasis. COX-2 fuels cancer growth by stimulating the formation of new blood vessels feeding the tumor.
Experiments in mice revealed that colon cancer cells expressing high levels of COX-2 metastasized freely to the liver, while colon cancer cells expressing low levels of COX-2 did not metastasize to the liver. the journal Clinical Cancer Research in 2004. Two hundred eighty-eight individuals undergoing surgery for colon cancer had their tumors examined for the presence of COX-2. The findings were alarming when other factors were controlled for, the group whose cancers tested positive for the presence of COX-2 had a 311% greater risk of death compared to the group whose cancers did not express COX-2. A subsequent study in lung cancer patients found that those with high tumor levels of COX-2 had a median survival of only 15 months, whereas those with low tumor levels of COX-2 had a median survival of 40 months.
Researchers began investigating the anti-cancer effects of COX-2 inhibitor drugs such as Celebrex. Celebrex dramatically prolonged survival in lung cancer cases and also slowed cancer progression in men with recurrent prostate cancer.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen, are COX inhibitors. The widespread use of NSAIDs for pain and arthritis has created an ideal environment in which to examine if these drugs can prevent cancer. Large-scale studies have documented a substantial reduction in cancer risk with the use of NSAIDs. A comprehensive review of the scientific literature (91 published studies) reported that the long-term use of NSAIDs (primarily aspirin) produced risk reductions of 63% for colon cancer, 39% for breast cancer, 36% for lung cancer, 39% for prostate cancer, 73% for esophageal cancer, 62% for stomach cancer, and 47% for ovarian cancer. This review provides compelling evidence that regular intake of NSAIDs that block COX-2 protects against the development of many types of cancer, the authors concluded.
A number of nutritional and herbal supplements are known to inhibit COX-2. These include curcumin, resveratrol, vitamin E, soy isoflavones (genistein), green tea (EGCG), quercetin, fish oil, garlic, feverfew, and silymarin (milk thistle). Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York created an experimentally-induced increase in COX-2 activity in human breast cells, which was completely prevented by resveratrol. Resveratol blocked the production of COX-2 within the cell, as well as blocking COX-2 enzyme activity.
Acknowledgment: These series of articles are abridged from the article Preventing Surgery-Induced Cancer Metastasis by Steven Nemeroff, ND.
To be continued (Part 5 - Conclusion).
The conventional medical approach to surgical anesthesia has been the use of general anesthesia during surgery, followed by intravenous morphine after surgery for pain control. The use of morphine directly after surgery surpresses the immune function thereby by diminishing NK cell activity. One study found that morphine increased angiogenesis and stimulated the growth of breast cancer in mice and concluded: that clinical use of morphine could potentially be harmful in patients with angiogenesis-dependent cancers.
One novel approach to minimise the above problems is to combined with regional anesthesia, which refers to anesthesia that only affects a specific part of the body. The benefits achieved with this approach are two-fold: the use of regional anesthesia reduces the amount of general anesthesia required during surgery, as well as decreasing the amount of morphine needed after surgery for pain control. This elegant approach to surgical anesthesia and pain control has been validated in scientific mice studies. Regional anesthesia reduced 70% of the metastasis-promoting effects of surgery caused by general anesthesia alone.
Doctors at Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine compared NK cell activity in patients, NK cell activity was preserved at pre-operative levels in the group that received regional anesthesia. In a pioneering study, 50 women having breast cancer surgery using general anesthesia with regional anesthesia (the type of regional anesthesia used is called a paravertebral block, which involves the injection of a local anesthetic around the spinal nerves between the vertebral bones of the spine) after a follow-up period of nearly three years shows only 6% of patients experienced a recurrence, compared to 79 women who received general anesthesia during their breast cancer surgery followed by morphine for pain control showed a 24% risk of recurrance for this group. Stated differently, women who received regional and general anesthesia had a 75% decreased risk for metastatic cancer.
Surgeons at Duke University Medical Center compared regional anesthesia alone to general anesthesia in women having surgery for breast cancer noted while 39% of the general anesthesia group required medication for nausea and vomiting, only 20% of the regional anesthesia group needed this medication. Narcotic medication was needed for pain control after surgery in 98% of the general anesthesia group, compared to only 25% of the regional anesthesia group. And 96% of the women receiving regional anesthesia had returned home within a day after surgery, compared with 76% of the women who received general anesthesia.
The results of these studies have vast implications for those undergoing cancer surgery, as a group of researchers enthusiastically announced: As regional techniques [anesthesia]are easy to implement, inexpensive, and do not pose a threat greater than general anesthesia, it would be easy for anesthesiologists to implement them, thus reducing the risk of disease recurrence and metastasis. For those requiring morphine for pain control after surgery can consider asking their doctor for a medication called tramadol instead. In one experiment, tramadol blocked the formation of lung metastasis induced by surgery in rats. Tramadol also prevented the surgery-induced suppression of NK cell activity.
Less Invasive Surgery Reduces Risk of Metastasis
Surgery places an enormous physical stress upon the body. There is considerable scientific evidence supporting that surgeries that are less invasive and therefore less traumatic pose less risk of metastasis. Laparoscopic surgery is one type of minimally invasive surgery, in which operations in the abdomen, pelvis, and other regions are performed through small incisions.
A study published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet compared laparoscopic to open surgery to remove part of the colon (colectomy) in patients with colon cancer found that the group had a 61% decreased risk of cancer recurrence coupled with a 62% decreased risk of death from colon cancer as compared to the group receiving traditional open surgery. A long-term follow-up of these patients (median time 95 months) reported a 56% decreased risk of death from colon cancer for laparoscopic surgery as compared to traditional open surgery. Another comparison of laparoscopic surgery to open surgery for colon cancer reported a five-year survival rate of 64.1% for the laparoscopic group, and a five-year survival rate of 58.5% for the group receiving open surgery.
Minimally invasive surgery has produced substantial improvements in survival for those with lung cancer. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), a minimally invasive surgery, was compared to traditional open surgery for removing lung tumors (lobectomy). The five-year survival from lung cancer was 97% in the VATS group. This greatly contrasts the 79% five-year survival in the open surgery group.
Inflammation and Metastasis
Cancer surgery causes an increased production of inflammatory chemicals, such as interleukin-1 and interleukin-6. These chemicals are known to increase the activity of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). A highly potent inflammatory enzyme, COX-2 plays a pivotal role in promoting cancer growth and metastasis. COX-2 fuels cancer growth by stimulating the formation of new blood vessels feeding the tumor.
Experiments in mice revealed that colon cancer cells expressing high levels of COX-2 metastasized freely to the liver, while colon cancer cells expressing low levels of COX-2 did not metastasize to the liver. the journal Clinical Cancer Research in 2004. Two hundred eighty-eight individuals undergoing surgery for colon cancer had their tumors examined for the presence of COX-2. The findings were alarming when other factors were controlled for, the group whose cancers tested positive for the presence of COX-2 had a 311% greater risk of death compared to the group whose cancers did not express COX-2. A subsequent study in lung cancer patients found that those with high tumor levels of COX-2 had a median survival of only 15 months, whereas those with low tumor levels of COX-2 had a median survival of 40 months.
Researchers began investigating the anti-cancer effects of COX-2 inhibitor drugs such as Celebrex. Celebrex dramatically prolonged survival in lung cancer cases and also slowed cancer progression in men with recurrent prostate cancer.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen, are COX inhibitors. The widespread use of NSAIDs for pain and arthritis has created an ideal environment in which to examine if these drugs can prevent cancer. Large-scale studies have documented a substantial reduction in cancer risk with the use of NSAIDs. A comprehensive review of the scientific literature (91 published studies) reported that the long-term use of NSAIDs (primarily aspirin) produced risk reductions of 63% for colon cancer, 39% for breast cancer, 36% for lung cancer, 39% for prostate cancer, 73% for esophageal cancer, 62% for stomach cancer, and 47% for ovarian cancer. This review provides compelling evidence that regular intake of NSAIDs that block COX-2 protects against the development of many types of cancer, the authors concluded.
A number of nutritional and herbal supplements are known to inhibit COX-2. These include curcumin, resveratrol, vitamin E, soy isoflavones (genistein), green tea (EGCG), quercetin, fish oil, garlic, feverfew, and silymarin (milk thistle). Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York created an experimentally-induced increase in COX-2 activity in human breast cells, which was completely prevented by resveratrol. Resveratol blocked the production of COX-2 within the cell, as well as blocking COX-2 enzyme activity.
Acknowledgment: These series of articles are abridged from the article Preventing Surgery-Induced Cancer Metastasis by Steven Nemeroff, ND.
To be continued (Part 5 - Conclusion).
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Surgery-Induced Cancer Metastasis - Part 3
I am now in Cameron Highlands for a short holiday.
The Immune System
Research has shown that natural killer( NK) cells can spontaneously recognize and kill a variety of cancer cells and NK cells are a type of white blood cell tasked with seeking out and destroying cancer cells.
Researchers have reported in a study, low levels of NK cell activity were associated with an increased risk of death from breast cancer. In fact, reduced NK cell activity was a better predictor of survival than the actual stage of the cancer. In another alarming study, individuals with reduced NK cell activity before surgery for colon cancer had a 350% increased risk of metastasis during the following 31 months!
The likelihood of surgery-induced metastasis requires the immune system to be highly active and vigilant in seeking out and destroying renegade cancer cells during the perioperative period (the time immediately before and after surgery). In a study, NK cell activity in women having surgery for breast cancer was reduced by over 50% on the first day after surgery might permit neoplasms [cancer] to enter the next stage of development and eventually form sizable metastases.
The surgical procedure itself reduces NK activity. This NK cell-impairing effect that occurs immediately after surgery increased the risk of metastasis. The perioperative period presents a window of opportunity to actively strengthen immune function by enhancing NK through numerous nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and medical interventions known to enhance NK cell activity.
One prominent natural supplement that can increase NK cell activity is PSK, (protein-bound polysaccharide K) a specially prepared extract from the mushroom Coriolus versicolor. PSK's ability to enhance NK cell activity helps to explain why it has been shown to dramatically improve survival in cancer patients. For example, 225 patients with lung cancer received radiation therapy with or without PSK (3 grams per day). For those with more advanced Stage 3 cancers, more than three times as many individuals taking PSK were alive after five years (26%), compared to those not taking PSK (8%). PSK more than doubled five-year survival in those individuals with less advanced Stage 1 or 2 disease (39% vs.17%). A group of colon cancer patients were randomized to receive chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy plus PSK, which was taken for two years. The group receiving PSK had an exceptional 10-year survival of 82% while those with only chemotherapy had a 10-year survival of only 51%.
Other nutraceuticals that have been documented to increase NK cell activity are garlic, glutamine, IP6 (inositol hexaphosphate), AHCC (active hexose correlated compound), and lactoferrin. One experiment in mice with breast cancer found that glutamine supplementation resulted in a 40% decrease in tumor growth paired with a 2.5-fold increase in NK cell ctivity. Pharmaceuticals used to increase NK cell activity include interferon-alpha and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. At least five days prior to surgery, it would appear logical to institute a NK cell-enhancing program involving nutrients like PSK, lactoferrin, glutamine, and others.
Heightening Immune Surveillance with Cancer Vaccines
An enlightened medical approach to cancer treatment involves the use of cancer vaccines. The concept is the same as using vaccines for infectious diseases, except that tumor vaccines target cancer cells instead of a virus. A distinguishing feature of tumor vaccines is that they are produced from a person's own cancer cells removed during surgery. This highly individualized cancer vaccine greatly amplifies the ability of the immune system to identify and target any residual cancer cells present in the body.
In a landmark study reported in 2003, 567 individuals with colon cancer were randomized to receive surgery alone, or surgery combined with vaccines derived from their own cancer cells. The median survival for the cancer vaccine group was over 7 years, compared to the median survival of 4.5 years for the group receiving surgery alone. The five-year survival was 66.5% in the cancer vaccine group, which dwarfed the 45.6% five-year survival for the group receiving surgery alone.
Cancer Surgery, Angiogenesis, and Metastasis
A clever strategy employed by cancer to thrive in the body is angiogenesis, a process by which new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing blood vessels. Formation of new blood vessels is a normal and necessary process for childhood growth and development, as well as for wound healing but unfortunately, cancers hijack this otherwise normal process in order to increase blood supply to the tumor and is an absolute requirement for successful metastasis since tumors cannot grow beyond the size of a pinhead (i.e., 1-2mm) without expanding their blood supply.
A surprising revelation is that the primary tumor produces anti-angiogenic factors which restrict the growth of metastases. However, the surgical removal of the primary cancer also results in the removal of these anti-angiogenic factors, and the growth of metastasis is no longer inhibited.
Loss of angiogenic inhibition by the primary tumor during surgery also causes another angiogenic predicament, levels of factors that increase angiogenesis also known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are significantly elevated.
A group of scientists summarized this research quite well when they asserted that after surgery, the angiogenic balance of pro-antiangiogenic factors is shifted in favor of angiogenesis to facilitate wound healing. The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are persistently elevated. This may not only benefit tumor recurrence and the formation of metastatic disease, but also result in activation of dormant micrometastases.
Various nutrients have been shown to inhibit VEGF. These include soy isoflavones(genistein), silibinin (a component of milk thistle), chrysin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from green tea, and curcumin.
In one experiment, EGCG the active constituent of green tea was administered to mice with stomach cancer. The results demonstrated that EGCG reduced the tumor mass by 60%, while also reducing the concentration of blood vessels feeding the tumor by 38%. Remarkably, EGCG decreased the expression of VEGF in cancer cells by an astounding 80%! In the evaluation of the research pertaining to curcumin anti-angiogenic effects, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine noted that Curcumin is a direct inhibitor of angiogenesis and also downregulates various proangiogenic proteins like vascular endothelial growth factor. The scientists remarked, Cell adhesion molecules are upregulated in active angiogenesis and curcumin can block this effect, adding further dimensions to curcumin antiangiogenic effect.
Five days prior to surgery, the patient may consider supplementing with standardized green tea extract, curcumin, soy genistein extract and other nutrients that suppress VEGF and thus may help protect against angiogenesis.
To be continued.
The Immune System
Research has shown that natural killer( NK) cells can spontaneously recognize and kill a variety of cancer cells and NK cells are a type of white blood cell tasked with seeking out and destroying cancer cells.
Researchers have reported in a study, low levels of NK cell activity were associated with an increased risk of death from breast cancer. In fact, reduced NK cell activity was a better predictor of survival than the actual stage of the cancer. In another alarming study, individuals with reduced NK cell activity before surgery for colon cancer had a 350% increased risk of metastasis during the following 31 months!
The likelihood of surgery-induced metastasis requires the immune system to be highly active and vigilant in seeking out and destroying renegade cancer cells during the perioperative period (the time immediately before and after surgery). In a study, NK cell activity in women having surgery for breast cancer was reduced by over 50% on the first day after surgery might permit neoplasms [cancer] to enter the next stage of development and eventually form sizable metastases.
The surgical procedure itself reduces NK activity. This NK cell-impairing effect that occurs immediately after surgery increased the risk of metastasis. The perioperative period presents a window of opportunity to actively strengthen immune function by enhancing NK through numerous nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and medical interventions known to enhance NK cell activity.
One prominent natural supplement that can increase NK cell activity is PSK, (protein-bound polysaccharide K) a specially prepared extract from the mushroom Coriolus versicolor. PSK's ability to enhance NK cell activity helps to explain why it has been shown to dramatically improve survival in cancer patients. For example, 225 patients with lung cancer received radiation therapy with or without PSK (3 grams per day). For those with more advanced Stage 3 cancers, more than three times as many individuals taking PSK were alive after five years (26%), compared to those not taking PSK (8%). PSK more than doubled five-year survival in those individuals with less advanced Stage 1 or 2 disease (39% vs.17%). A group of colon cancer patients were randomized to receive chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy plus PSK, which was taken for two years. The group receiving PSK had an exceptional 10-year survival of 82% while those with only chemotherapy had a 10-year survival of only 51%.
Other nutraceuticals that have been documented to increase NK cell activity are garlic, glutamine, IP6 (inositol hexaphosphate), AHCC (active hexose correlated compound), and lactoferrin. One experiment in mice with breast cancer found that glutamine supplementation resulted in a 40% decrease in tumor growth paired with a 2.5-fold increase in NK cell ctivity. Pharmaceuticals used to increase NK cell activity include interferon-alpha and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. At least five days prior to surgery, it would appear logical to institute a NK cell-enhancing program involving nutrients like PSK, lactoferrin, glutamine, and others.
Heightening Immune Surveillance with Cancer Vaccines
An enlightened medical approach to cancer treatment involves the use of cancer vaccines. The concept is the same as using vaccines for infectious diseases, except that tumor vaccines target cancer cells instead of a virus. A distinguishing feature of tumor vaccines is that they are produced from a person's own cancer cells removed during surgery. This highly individualized cancer vaccine greatly amplifies the ability of the immune system to identify and target any residual cancer cells present in the body.
In a landmark study reported in 2003, 567 individuals with colon cancer were randomized to receive surgery alone, or surgery combined with vaccines derived from their own cancer cells. The median survival for the cancer vaccine group was over 7 years, compared to the median survival of 4.5 years for the group receiving surgery alone. The five-year survival was 66.5% in the cancer vaccine group, which dwarfed the 45.6% five-year survival for the group receiving surgery alone.
Cancer Surgery, Angiogenesis, and Metastasis
A clever strategy employed by cancer to thrive in the body is angiogenesis, a process by which new blood vessels are formed from pre-existing blood vessels. Formation of new blood vessels is a normal and necessary process for childhood growth and development, as well as for wound healing but unfortunately, cancers hijack this otherwise normal process in order to increase blood supply to the tumor and is an absolute requirement for successful metastasis since tumors cannot grow beyond the size of a pinhead (i.e., 1-2mm) without expanding their blood supply.
A surprising revelation is that the primary tumor produces anti-angiogenic factors which restrict the growth of metastases. However, the surgical removal of the primary cancer also results in the removal of these anti-angiogenic factors, and the growth of metastasis is no longer inhibited.
Loss of angiogenic inhibition by the primary tumor during surgery also causes another angiogenic predicament, levels of factors that increase angiogenesis also known as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are significantly elevated.
A group of scientists summarized this research quite well when they asserted that after surgery, the angiogenic balance of pro-antiangiogenic factors is shifted in favor of angiogenesis to facilitate wound healing. The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are persistently elevated. This may not only benefit tumor recurrence and the formation of metastatic disease, but also result in activation of dormant micrometastases.
Various nutrients have been shown to inhibit VEGF. These include soy isoflavones(genistein), silibinin (a component of milk thistle), chrysin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from green tea, and curcumin.
In one experiment, EGCG the active constituent of green tea was administered to mice with stomach cancer. The results demonstrated that EGCG reduced the tumor mass by 60%, while also reducing the concentration of blood vessels feeding the tumor by 38%. Remarkably, EGCG decreased the expression of VEGF in cancer cells by an astounding 80%! In the evaluation of the research pertaining to curcumin anti-angiogenic effects, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine noted that Curcumin is a direct inhibitor of angiogenesis and also downregulates various proangiogenic proteins like vascular endothelial growth factor. The scientists remarked, Cell adhesion molecules are upregulated in active angiogenesis and curcumin can block this effect, adding further dimensions to curcumin antiangiogenic effect.
Five days prior to surgery, the patient may consider supplementing with standardized green tea extract, curcumin, soy genistein extract and other nutrients that suppress VEGF and thus may help protect against angiogenesis.
To be continued.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Surgery-Induced Cancer Metastasis - Part 2
Surgery Increases Cancer Cell Adhesion
Cell adhesion is a mechanism where cancer cells that have broken away from the primary tumor to boost their ability to form metastases in distant organs. These cancer cells must be able to clump together and form colonies that can expand and grow. Cancer cells use adhesion molecules—such as galectin-3—to which is present on the surface of cancer cells by allowing free-standing cancer cells to adhere to each other. Cancer cells circulating (CTC) in the bloodstream uses galectin-3 surface adhesion molecules to latch onto the lining of blood vessels is an essential step for the process of metastasis. A cancer cell that cannot adhere to the blood vessel wall will eventually meet white blood cells and get destoyed. If the CTC successfully bind to the blood vessel wall and burrow their way through the basement membrane, they will then utilize galectin-3 adhesion molecules to adhere to the organ to form a new metastatic cancer.
Combating Cancer Cell Adhesion
In one experiment that mimicked surgical conditions, scientists reported that the binding of cancer cells to the blood vessel walls was increased by 250%, compared to cancer cells not exposed to surgical conditions. Therefore, it is critically important for the person undergoing cancer surgery to take measures that can help to neutralize the surgery-induced increase in cancer cell adhesion.
A natural supplement called modified citrus pectin (MCP) can do just that. Citrus pectin—a type of dietary fiber—is not absorbed from the intestine. So the citrus pectin has been altered so that it can be absorbed into the blood and exert its anti-cancer effects. The MCP inhibits cancer cell adhesion by binding to galectin-3 adhesion molecules on the surface of cancer cells, thereby preventing cancer cells from sticking together and forming a cluster. An experiment showed that MCP blocked adhesion of galectin-3 to the lining of blood vessels by an astounding 95%. MCP also substantially decreased the adhesion of breast cancer cells to the blood vessel walls. In a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, lung metastasis was noted in 93% of the control group, whereas only 50% of the MCP group experienced lung metastasis. Even more noteworthy was the finding that the modified citrus pectin group had an 89% reduction in the size of the metastatic colonies, compared to the control group. In a similar experiment, mice injected with melanoma cancer cells that were fed modified citrus pectin experienced a greater than 90% reduction in lung metastasis compared to the control group. A prostate cancer study showed 22% of the men experienced a stabilization of their disease or improved quality of life; 12% had stable disease for more than 24 weeks.
Note: The prostate cancer study subjects already suffered from advanced disease. Patients should initiate MCP supplementation before surgical procedures to prevent metastatic colonies from being established.
A well-known over-the-counter medication, Cimetidine—commonly known as Tagamet®—is a drug historically used to alleviate heartburn. A growing body of scientific evidence has revealed that cimetidine also possesses potent anti-cancer activity. Cimetidine inhibits cancer cell adhesion by blocking the expression of an adhesive molecule—called E-selectin—on the surface of cells lining blood vessels. In a report published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2002, 64 colon cancer patients received chemotherapy with or without cimetidine (800 mg per day) for one year. The 10-year survival for the cimetidine group was almost 90%. This is in stark contrast to the control group, which had a 10-year survival of only 49.8%. Remarkably, for those patients with a more aggressive form of colon cancer, the 10-year survival was 85% in those treated with cimetidine compared to a dismal 23% in the control group. Another study with colorectal cancer patients showed cimetidine given for just seven days at the time of surgery increased three-year survival from 59% to 93%!
This data provides a compelling case for cancer patients, at least five days prior to surgery, to ingest at least 14 grams of modified citrus pectin and 800 mg of cimetidine daily. This combination regimen may be followed for a year or longer to reduce metastatic risk.
To be continued.
Cell adhesion is a mechanism where cancer cells that have broken away from the primary tumor to boost their ability to form metastases in distant organs. These cancer cells must be able to clump together and form colonies that can expand and grow. Cancer cells use adhesion molecules—such as galectin-3—to which is present on the surface of cancer cells by allowing free-standing cancer cells to adhere to each other. Cancer cells circulating (CTC) in the bloodstream uses galectin-3 surface adhesion molecules to latch onto the lining of blood vessels is an essential step for the process of metastasis. A cancer cell that cannot adhere to the blood vessel wall will eventually meet white blood cells and get destoyed. If the CTC successfully bind to the blood vessel wall and burrow their way through the basement membrane, they will then utilize galectin-3 adhesion molecules to adhere to the organ to form a new metastatic cancer.
Combating Cancer Cell Adhesion
In one experiment that mimicked surgical conditions, scientists reported that the binding of cancer cells to the blood vessel walls was increased by 250%, compared to cancer cells not exposed to surgical conditions. Therefore, it is critically important for the person undergoing cancer surgery to take measures that can help to neutralize the surgery-induced increase in cancer cell adhesion.
A natural supplement called modified citrus pectin (MCP) can do just that. Citrus pectin—a type of dietary fiber—is not absorbed from the intestine. So the citrus pectin has been altered so that it can be absorbed into the blood and exert its anti-cancer effects. The MCP inhibits cancer cell adhesion by binding to galectin-3 adhesion molecules on the surface of cancer cells, thereby preventing cancer cells from sticking together and forming a cluster. An experiment showed that MCP blocked adhesion of galectin-3 to the lining of blood vessels by an astounding 95%. MCP also substantially decreased the adhesion of breast cancer cells to the blood vessel walls. In a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, lung metastasis was noted in 93% of the control group, whereas only 50% of the MCP group experienced lung metastasis. Even more noteworthy was the finding that the modified citrus pectin group had an 89% reduction in the size of the metastatic colonies, compared to the control group. In a similar experiment, mice injected with melanoma cancer cells that were fed modified citrus pectin experienced a greater than 90% reduction in lung metastasis compared to the control group. A prostate cancer study showed 22% of the men experienced a stabilization of their disease or improved quality of life; 12% had stable disease for more than 24 weeks.
Note: The prostate cancer study subjects already suffered from advanced disease. Patients should initiate MCP supplementation before surgical procedures to prevent metastatic colonies from being established.
A well-known over-the-counter medication, Cimetidine—commonly known as Tagamet®—is a drug historically used to alleviate heartburn. A growing body of scientific evidence has revealed that cimetidine also possesses potent anti-cancer activity. Cimetidine inhibits cancer cell adhesion by blocking the expression of an adhesive molecule—called E-selectin—on the surface of cells lining blood vessels. In a report published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2002, 64 colon cancer patients received chemotherapy with or without cimetidine (800 mg per day) for one year. The 10-year survival for the cimetidine group was almost 90%. This is in stark contrast to the control group, which had a 10-year survival of only 49.8%. Remarkably, for those patients with a more aggressive form of colon cancer, the 10-year survival was 85% in those treated with cimetidine compared to a dismal 23% in the control group. Another study with colorectal cancer patients showed cimetidine given for just seven days at the time of surgery increased three-year survival from 59% to 93%!
This data provides a compelling case for cancer patients, at least five days prior to surgery, to ingest at least 14 grams of modified citrus pectin and 800 mg of cimetidine daily. This combination regimen may be followed for a year or longer to reduce metastatic risk.
To be continued.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Surgery-Induced Cancer Metastasis
Before I decided to go to Mexico for the Gerson Therapy treatment, I was contemplating about going for surgery as another option. Anyway, I have decided that in a future date, I would probably have to consider taking surgery possibly as a last resort to help my body heal, should most of the present therapies fails. You may say it's my last battle.
I met Emily in Mexico and she subsequently sent me a email link to an article by Life Magazine about surgery-induce cancer metastasis. To me, this article is earth shattering. One of my main concern about surgery was how active would the cancers cells be after the surgery is completed, i.e. during the recovery stage. Now, I think I have the answer.
Cancer Surgery: What You Need to Know Ahead of Time
The standard conventional treatment for cancer is what we called slash, burn and poison (surgery, radiation and chemotherapy) approach.
Most treatment involves surgery but many are not aware that after surgery the cancer will frequently metastasize (spread to different organs). Quite often the metastatic recurrence is far more serious than the original tumor. In fact, for many cancers it is the metastatic recurrence—and not the primary tumor—that ultimately proves to be fatal.
In order for cancer to spread to another part of the body, it goes through a complicated process which basically means the isolated cancer cells must break away from the primary tumor and enter a blood or lymphatic vessel. At this stage, the cancer cells must avoid detection until it exits the basement membrane of the blood vessel and burrow through the surrounding connective tissue to arrive at the organ that is its final destination. Now the cancer can grow at the new site.
In a study published in the medical journal Annals of Surgery in 2009, researchers reported that cancer surgery itself can create an environment in the body that greatly lessens the obstacles to metastasis that cancers cells must normally face. During cancer surgery, the removal of the tumor almost always disrupts the structural integrity of the tumor and/or the blood vessels feeding the tumor. This can lead to an unobstructed dispersal of cancer cells into the bloodstream, or seeding of these cancer cells directly into the chest or abdomen.
A study published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2001 compared the survival of women with breast cancer who had their tumors removed surgically, to the survival of women with breast cancer who did not have surgery. As expected, the findings established that surgery substantially improved survival in the early years. However, further analysis of the data determined that women who had surgery had a spike in their risk of death at eight years that was not evident in the group who did not have surgery.
Another group of researchers commenting on a study examining the surgical treatment of colon cancer were far bolder in their conclusions: clinical evidence support that surgery, although greatly reducing tumor mass and potentially curative, paradoxically can also augment metastasis development.
What You Need to Know: Cancer Surgery
■ Surgical removal of cancer typically provides the best chance of disease-free survival.
■ A growing body of evidence suggests that cancer surgery itself may increase the risk of metastasis (spread to other areas) via numerous mechanisms including: increasing cancer cell adhesion, suppressing immune function, promoting angiogenesis, and stimulating inflammation.
■ Since metastatic disease is often deadlier than the original tumor, it is important to utilize preventive strategies to prevent cancer metastasis.
■ Steps to help prevent cancer metastasis include: combating cancer cell adhesion, supporting immune health, heightening immune surveillance, inhibiting angiogenesis, minimizing inflammation, and choosing surgeons and anesthesiologists who utilize advanced techniques that may reduce metastatic risk.
■ Certain nutrients, drugs, types of anesthesia, and surgical techniques are associated with reduced risk of metastasis.
To be continued.
I met Emily in Mexico and she subsequently sent me a email link to an article by Life Magazine about surgery-induce cancer metastasis. To me, this article is earth shattering. One of my main concern about surgery was how active would the cancers cells be after the surgery is completed, i.e. during the recovery stage. Now, I think I have the answer.
Cancer Surgery: What You Need to Know Ahead of Time
The standard conventional treatment for cancer is what we called slash, burn and poison (surgery, radiation and chemotherapy) approach.
Most treatment involves surgery but many are not aware that after surgery the cancer will frequently metastasize (spread to different organs). Quite often the metastatic recurrence is far more serious than the original tumor. In fact, for many cancers it is the metastatic recurrence—and not the primary tumor—that ultimately proves to be fatal.
In order for cancer to spread to another part of the body, it goes through a complicated process which basically means the isolated cancer cells must break away from the primary tumor and enter a blood or lymphatic vessel. At this stage, the cancer cells must avoid detection until it exits the basement membrane of the blood vessel and burrow through the surrounding connective tissue to arrive at the organ that is its final destination. Now the cancer can grow at the new site.
In a study published in the medical journal Annals of Surgery in 2009, researchers reported that cancer surgery itself can create an environment in the body that greatly lessens the obstacles to metastasis that cancers cells must normally face. During cancer surgery, the removal of the tumor almost always disrupts the structural integrity of the tumor and/or the blood vessels feeding the tumor. This can lead to an unobstructed dispersal of cancer cells into the bloodstream, or seeding of these cancer cells directly into the chest or abdomen.
A study published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2001 compared the survival of women with breast cancer who had their tumors removed surgically, to the survival of women with breast cancer who did not have surgery. As expected, the findings established that surgery substantially improved survival in the early years. However, further analysis of the data determined that women who had surgery had a spike in their risk of death at eight years that was not evident in the group who did not have surgery.
Another group of researchers commenting on a study examining the surgical treatment of colon cancer were far bolder in their conclusions: clinical evidence support that surgery, although greatly reducing tumor mass and potentially curative, paradoxically can also augment metastasis development.
What You Need to Know: Cancer Surgery
■ Surgical removal of cancer typically provides the best chance of disease-free survival.
■ A growing body of evidence suggests that cancer surgery itself may increase the risk of metastasis (spread to other areas) via numerous mechanisms including: increasing cancer cell adhesion, suppressing immune function, promoting angiogenesis, and stimulating inflammation.
■ Since metastatic disease is often deadlier than the original tumor, it is important to utilize preventive strategies to prevent cancer metastasis.
■ Steps to help prevent cancer metastasis include: combating cancer cell adhesion, supporting immune health, heightening immune surveillance, inhibiting angiogenesis, minimizing inflammation, and choosing surgeons and anesthesiologists who utilize advanced techniques that may reduce metastatic risk.
■ Certain nutrients, drugs, types of anesthesia, and surgical techniques are associated with reduced risk of metastasis.
To be continued.
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