Nowadays, cancer is one of the most serious problems in medicine.Specialists try to discover new treatments. In clinics, the patients with cancer that start a new treatment are closely followed. Physicians determine the optimal dose which have the minimal side effects and offers the most numerous chances of survival. Because doctors make often adjustments, the treatment given to the patients does not always match with the treatment that studies found it to be the most effective. That’s why sometimes people receiving the treatment doesn’t feel very well, even if that treatment is supposed to save their life. If the patients have to get chemotherapy it is very important to respect the recommended doses and schedule, and it is also important to know the reasons why this rules are not respected.

There are a lot of cases when different types of cancer, like breast cancer or even the Non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma, are not correctly treated and it is not given the appropriate supportive therapy. It was proved that if those patients were treated appropriately and the treatment guidelines were followed, they would have a good chance of survival and possible cure.

The Non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a very aggressive type of cancer or the most common type of lymphoma. In lymphomas are affected the lymph glands and nodes that are anywhere in the body. So this kind of cancer can occur everywhere in the body. There is also a Hodgkin’s disease that can often occur in younger patients. The incidence of the Non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma is bigger in older patients, most frequently around age 60, but latest it can occur in younger people too. There is no explanation why this is one of the cancers that affects more and more individuals over the last 20 years.

Even if it is a very aggressive form of cancer it is very responsive in treatment and potentially curable cancer, which is a resemblance with the Hodgkin’s disease. An appropriate treatment can give the patients the chance to be cured and to live a normal life. This is justified for more than half of the patients.

So it was proved that the aggressive disease is more responsive to treatment which is a kind of a paradox which can be seen in many forms of rapidly growing cancers. The cells in this cancers are rapidly dividing, but they tend to be more responsive to treatment. The scientific explanation for this phenomenon is that the chemotherapy drugs are most active against rapidly growing cells.

The whole treatment in Non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma can last for about four to five months. If there is an early stage disease, the patient may get a shorter course of chemotherapy. This method must be combined with radiation therapy to the affected area. Because the cancerous cells may be anywhere in the body the biggest part of the patients with cancer needs to be treated systemically with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a combination of four or five drugs. The whole treatment program can run over a period of about four to five months.

Even if this form of cancer is a curable one, there are people with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma who being under-treated.
This under- treatment means a substantial dose reductions or treatment delays during their chemotherapy. This is one of the reasons why some of this patients presents side effects and they don’t get cured. It was proved in clinical trials that patients who receive the appropriate treatment do better than patients whose treatment is compromised by reducing the doses or not respecting the schedule. So the chances of long-term survival and cure are influenced by the way the treatments are being given.

There are some situations when reductions in doses of the treatment are unavoidable. This happens when there are older patients, or patients with a higher stage of disease, patients who aren’t able to care for themselves. in this circumstances the treatment have to be delayed too.

The best moment to give the appropriate treatment are the early stages of the disease. Preventative care is very important. Specifically treatment to boost low white blood cell counts caused by chemotherapy, are more likely to receive the dose on time and to receive fuller dose intensity than those patients who didn’t receive these agents. There many reasons,not only cancer, for which patients received these medications from the beginning.

Another cause of under- treatment is the situations when the patient doesn’t tolerate the chemotherapy the way it was expected to be. So it increases the concern about side effects. There are situations when the reduction in dose of the treatment is established from the very beginning, before the patient had received any kind of treatment. This is a conscious decision of the doctor who consult the patient and gets to the conclusion that he won’t tolerate the chemotherapy well. Other reductions in doses of the treatment occurs after starting therapy, because of the side effects. In this case reducing the dose is a strategy to reduce the side effects of treatment. This has negative results because it is very sure that to this patients the disease will come back months or years later.

Supportive care is very important. Older patients, patients who have more intensive symptoms from their disease or a higher stage of disease, need a type of a more aggressive supportive care. If they are supported in a right way it is also recommended to be treated the same as younger patients are. This increases their chances to be cured.When giving the supportive care it is important to analyze the risk factors. This are the patient’s age that can easily lead to more side effects or in the most cases determine the physician to reduce the doses or schedule of the treatment, even before starting it. Giving the right supportive care enables the patients at a higher risk to receive the full treatment.

Supportive care helps physicians and patients with cancer to control nausea, vomiting and infections that can result because of the low white blood cell count. These are one of the most common side effects of the toxicity of the chemotherapy. Supportive care includes treatments that can improve the blood counts and also reduce the risk of infection. So if the patients seem not to tolerate the chemotherapy well, it is recommended to use the supportive care and not to modify the doses and schedule in treatment. This way the patient will be allowed to go through the full program.

There are different kinds of treatments available and it is very important for the patients recently diagnosed Non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma to ask an oncologist about the side effects of those treatments and what can be done to diminish and to prevent them. It is very important for this patients to get the full treatment and to know that the target is to minimize side effects and to increase the effects of the appropriate treatment.

For more resources about lymphoma-center.com/ lymphoma please review lymphoma-center.com/mantle-cell-lymphoma.htm lymphoma-center.com/mantle-cell-lymphoma.htm or lymphoma-center.com/cutaneous-t-cell-lymphoma.htm lymphoma-center.com/cutaneous-t-cell-lymphoma.htm

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Tags: breast cancer, chemotherapy, lymphoma

The prostate is a gland of the male reproductive system. It is not found in women. Its primary function is the production of seminal fluid, and it also stimulates orgasm in males. The prostate gland can be affected by disease, including infectious inflammation or prostatitis, and prostate cancer, the second most deadly cancer among American males. Many people recommend milking the prostate regularly as a preventative treatment against prostate cancer and prostatitis.

Prostate milking is also referred to as prostate massage. It is a fairly simple procedure and you can do it yourself if you want to. Here are the steps to take in milking the prostate on your own:

1. Perform urination or a bowel movement in order to maximize the relaxation of the area.

2. Make sure that your fingernails are trimmed and have no jagged edges jutting out.

3. Clean your body and your hands thoroughly. Then put on a sterile latex glove on your hand. Dab a little water-based lubricant on your fingers.

4. Carefully insert your finger or fingers into your anus. Move them gradually upwards and to the back, along the area of the rectum towards the front of your body. Your fingers should be moving in roughly the direction of your navel.

5. You will feel the prostate gland, which is like a small, round bulb about the size of a large walnut. Gently massage it with a light waving motion along its sides, taking care not to press hard on the central area, where the sensitive nerves are located. Avoid touching the prostate gland with your fingernails.

6. You may experience a disconcerting sensation that makes you feel like going to the bathroom although you do not have to. Try not to let it affect you, and continue with the procedure.

7. After a few minutes, the prostate gland may be stimulated enough for ejaculation to occur. You are also likely to experience sexual pleasure or orgasm. However, the procedure does not always successfully bring about ejaculation.

Prostate milking when used as a preventative treatment may carry a few risks. It is a technique that is not recommended for men who have a disease of the prostate or acute prostatitis, an acute inflammation of the glandular tissue. The problem in such cases is that the act of milking the prostate may cause the infection to spread to other areas of the body.

If you are looking for more information about prostatehealthcare.info/milking-the-prostate-and-other-ways-to-help-prevent-prostate-cancer.php milking the prostate, check out my other tips and articles at prostatehealthcare.info prostatehealthcare.info

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Tags: prostate cancer

The primary therapy for colorectal cancer is surgery. At an early stage, surgery cures it. However, more often than not, doctors would refer patients to the oncologists after the surgery. And oncologists, from my experience living in the developing country, would invariably ask patients to undergo chemotherapy even if the cancer was “caught” at an early stage. The rational is preventive, i.e., to provide “protection” against future problems.

The cytotoxic drug, fluorouracil, commonly known as 5-FU is the gold standard agent used. This drug was discovered in 1957 by Dr. Charles Heidelberger of the University of Wisconsin. According to Joel Hardman et al. (in The Pharmaceutical basis of therapeutics), 5-FU produces a partial response in 10% to 30% of patients with metastatic cancers of the breast and gastrointestinal tract. The cytotoxic activities of 5-FU is enhanced when combined with agents like leucovorin, interferon, methotrexate, cisplatin, etc.

In 1975, Dr. Charles Moetel of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, USA, found that survival of Duke’s C colon cancer patients could be prolonged when treated with a combination of 5-FU and levamisole. Levamisole is a drug used in sheep, swine and cattle to control stomach and intestinal worms. It is also commonly used to treat nematode parasite infections.

In 1998, it was found that a combination of 5-FU and leucovorin increased the five-year survival of patients with Duke’s B and C colon cancer. Leucovorin is the active form of the B complex vitamin.

Based on the above observations, chemotherapy had been touted as the necessary adjuvant treatment after surgery for colorectal cancer. It is claimed that adjuvant chemotherapy prolonged survival of cancer patients. In addition, it is said to promote the patients’ quality of life (i.e. if you believe that undergoing chemotherapy is a pleasant experience!).

In cases where 5-FU is not effective other drugs are used. For example, Irinotecan (Camptosar, CPT-11), Oxaliplatin combined with 5-FU, etc. A recent development is the use of oral chemo-drugs like Capecitabine (Xeloda) and UFT (a combination of uracil tegafur).

From the above, it appears that the state-of-the-art medical treatment of colorectal cancer is well grounded on solid research data. That is the perception the medical community would want the world to believe in.
I invite you to read the one of the many stories I have recorded from my ten years working with alternative and complementary cancer therapies. Give this story some serious thought. Form your own opinion as to what you would want to do in the event that you suffer from colorectal cancer.

Case Study: Colon cancer — surgery — declined further medical treatment — on herbs, nine years now and doing great.

It was some years ago that I last spoke to Joan, a lawyer friend of mine. Then one fine morning in January 2005, I had a surprised call from Joan. As we spoke she reminded me that her uncle was doing so well on the herbs after having a surgery for colon cancer. To be honest, I have totally forgotten about this case. After the conversation, I decided to write to Bob, the patient’s son to seek for more clarification. It was indeed wonderful that Bob was very co-operative and took time to reply to my enquiries. The following is our e-mail communication.

Dear Bob, for my record, may I ask you a few questions:

a) When did your dad has his cancer? What was his age then?
Bob: Sometime in the end of June 1997. He was then 67 years old.

b) What cancer? Colon or rectum?
B: Colon cancer.

c) He had an operation?
B: Had the operation in Singapore General Hospital on 4 July 1997.

d) After the surgery, did he do any chemotherapy or radiotherapy or both?
B: He did not do chemotherapy or radiotherapy as advised by myself after reading your book.

e) After he had the operation, what did the doctor say about the stage of the cancer?
B: It was in the early mid-stage. Luckily the cancer was detected early.

f) Was the cancer confined to the colon or has it spread to any other organs?
B: The cancer was confined to the colon although there was a spot in the left lung. Luckily the cancer did not spread to other organs.

g) Did the doctor ask him to go for chemotherapy or radiotherapy?
B: The doctor asked him to go for both therapies but I have discussed with my dad and we decided against it because he was rather weak.

h) I assume that when he declined all medical treatments, you (not your dad?) came to see me in Penang? Sorry, I can’t remember this case.
B: We did not get to see you in Penang because my dad was sick. We communicated by faxes and telephones most of the time. My aunt (Joan, the lawyer above) was the main coordinator during this time.

i) When did he start taking the herbs?
B: Yes! He took those herbs that were prescribed by you prior to the operation.

j) Was he taking anything or doing anything else besides my herbs?

B: No other medications or herbs were taken.

k) How is he now?

B: My father is in good health as he has changed his lifestyle. Walks regularly and practices careful food consumption.

It has been almost nine years now, since Bob’s dad was diagnosed with colon cancer. He was on herbs and changed his lifestyle and diet. It was indeed worth all the efforts. I would not venture to say that Bob’s father took a calculated risk (gamble some may want to say). This is because it has never been a gamble for patients to opt for another route to their healing. Or could we turn it the other way round? Could it be a gamble if one were to take the established, popular, established route?

For more views on complementary cancer therapy, visit cacare.com cacare.com, cancer-answers.blogspot.com cancer-answers.blogspot.com

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Tags: cancer patient, chemotherapy, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, healing

Albert Einstein, the Great Man of Science wrote: “It is theory that decides what we can observe.” If our mind is set (biased by the theory that we have learnt in school) then “that is all” that we can see – we can’t see anything beyond what we have learnt or been taught! It needs an open-minded person to “see” what others do not want to see or fail to see.

For twenty-six years, I devoted two lectures in my physiology class to teaching university students understand the Scientific Method. The first step for any scientific discovery is OBSERVATION of a phenomenon. If you cannot or don’t want to “see” how can you ever discover anything new?

After more than a decade working with cancer patients there is one phenomenon that I had observed: “ breast cancer patients tend to suffer metastasis (spread) to their lungs, bones, etc. pretty soon after undergoing medical treatments.” Of course, some doctors may scream at such a suggestion! I wonder if this “hunch” is an illusion? The answer came on 7 April 2007, in the form of a small, insignificant column in The Star. It had this heading: “Study: Treatment may fuel cancer’s spread.” The study reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by Dr. Carlos Arteaga and colleagues at Vanderbilt University, USA, showed that treating cancer with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation may sometimes cause tumours to spread. In their work they used doxorubicin (a common chemo-drug used for breast cancer) or radiation and found that these treatments raised levels of TGF-beta, which in turn helped breast cancer tumours to spread to the lung. The researchers wrote: “The repopulation and progression of tumours after anti-cancer therapy (such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery) is a well-recognised phenomenon.”

How many of us (doctors and patients alike) know this? If doctors know, do they tell their patients? If patients know, what is their response?

After reading this report, I spent a whole morning surfing the web to learn more about this phenomenon. This is what I learnt. The key to our understanding is a biological protein called Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGF-beta). TGF-beta exists in at least five (iso)forms, known as TGF beta 1, beta 2, beta 3, beta 4 and beta 5. The roles of TGF-beta in cancer are very complex and often confusing indeed. TGF-beta controls cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis (cell death) and motility. At the early stage of carcinogenesis (cancer process) TGF-beta is a potent inhibitor of cell proliferation but at later stages of carcinogenesis the levels of TGF-beta increase with tumour progression. It is not known how TGF-beta switches it role from being a tumour suppressor to being a promoter during the course of cancer progression.

Many disease processes are associated with loss of normal TGF-beta function, such as cancer, atherosclerosis, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Excessive TGF-beta production have been implicated in the formation of scar tissues or fibrosis (in lung and liver), development of pulmonary edema (fluid in lung), immunosuppression and successful parasite infection.

TGF-beta has been said to cause chronic pulmonary (lung) fibrosis in rats and mice exposed to chemo-drugs, bleomycin or cyclophosphamide, and in the development of hepatic (liver) fibrosis in rats exposed to radiation.

TGF-beta has been shown to promote breast cancer metastasis by acting directly on the tumour cells. TGF-beta is also shown to enhance parathyroid-hormone-related protein (PTHrP) and subsequently resulted in bone destruction in breast cancer patients. Advanced breast cancer patients have been shown to have increased plasma TGF-beta levels after chemotherapy and TGF-beta is positively associated with disease progression.

Dr. Carlos Arteaga and colleagues showed that when mice infected with human breast cancer were treated with radiation or doxorubicin, they had higher levels of TGF-beta in their blood. They also had more tiny tumour cells in their blood and these cells spread to the lungs. When the mice were treated with antibody that suppresses TGF-beta, the spread stopped. The spreading process did not occur at all in mice bred to lack TFG-beta.

Comments: What are the implications of the above? When you are asked to do chemo or radiation, ask first what is the main objective of such a treatment – to cure? to prevent cancer from spreading? or what. This study showed that treatments like chemotherapy or radiation cause the spread of cancer. This report is a direct opposite of what you are often told about the purpose of chemotherapy or radiotherapy – i.e., to kill the cancer cells or stop them from spreading!

For more information about complementary cancer therapy visit: cacare.com cacare.com, NaturalHealingForYou.com NaturalHealingForYou.com, BookOnCancer.com BookOnCancer.com

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Tags: breast cancer, cancer patient, chemotherapy, healing, prevent cancer