.: health.convential medical treatments for cancer

I must admit that prior to my diagnosis, I never really gave much thought to how cancer was treated. Although both my parents died from cancer, I really was more engrossed in my own world than I was paying attention to all the details of the medical care they received other than the symptomatic relief of pain toward the ends of their lives. Now that I am in that same boat, the perspective has changed greatly. Sad, but true as I will bet it is with most people who will read this.

Conventional medical wisdom treats cancer one of three ways: slash, drug, and burn. These titles may sound a little stark or crude, but just what do you think you are facing? Surgeons cut things out; oncologists chemically drug them out; radiologists burn them out with radiation. That's the sum and total of medical wisdom. Of course there are some very fine, highly skilled members of the medical profession involved in these procedures, but it still boils down to slash, drug or burn.

Many times one of these three options may in fact be the best choice for someone to make. It all boils down to what your priorities and expectations are about your quality of life. I am not going to spend a great deal of time discussing any of these approaches. There is so much dependent on each individual case, that to make broad generalizations about what is right for you is just not something to do in good conscience.

Introduction
Surgery
Chemotherapy
Radiation

Introduction

By now we are well beyond the "how can it be me?" phase and are facing the stark realities. In the following notes are some things you will most probably need to consider as you undergo whatever medical path you choose. You cannot procrastinate in your decision making.

Lets start with your general physician. As I have noted elsewhere, you need to be sure your doctor is right for you. Most by a vast majority do in fact care for their patients. They are people just like you and I. They have a life outside of work; a family, friends, hobbies, dreams, and aspirations. They pay taxes, have cars that break down, and kids that are kids. What is tough from their perspective is dealing day in and day out with sickness, disease, and death. Nobody goes to the doctor when they are well, just to visit. You show up on their doorstep at your physical worst. You come with or under the influence of being tired, cranky, upset stomach, fever, chills, diarrhea, broken bones, cuts scrapes, and/or a host of other basic ailments. You also show up there when you are facing death by cancer. And, through all this, your doctor must keep a smile on his (her) face, show great patience and restraint, be comforting and reassuring to you, and on top of it all, cure you of your ailment. Quite a tall order. Unfortunately, not everything is curable and frequently patients vent their anger and frustration at the bearer of bad tidings when it is not their fault you have what you have. Your doctor must endure this too.

Because the general practitioner or family doctor you have chosen is the spearhead of your medical team, you must be totally confident in his judgment and capability. If you are not, find another doctor as quickly as possible. You can do that. I have switched doctors to find one who is willing to work with what I have chosen as the path I will follow. My GP was a very kind, caring individual, but he was not versed in dealing with what I am facing and I replaced him with someone on the cutting edge of combining holistic treatment with regular medical practices. This is right for me, but not necessarily the right choice for you. Finding a doctor to fit what you want can be a tough search if you are not satisfied with whom you have, but not impossible. At any rate, once you are satisfied with the medical approach you are taking, stay the course. Never forget, doctors are there to provide medical guidance, not to make decisions for you. You need someone who will present both the pros and the cons of what you are facing, not just do it because I say so.

Here are a few things to think about in conjunction with your doctor:

• Do you trust him (her)?
• Does he have a good reputation?
• Is he board certified?
• Will he allow you to tape your office visits so you can have a precise record of what is going on?
• Will he give you copies of all medical reports?
• Is the office easy to reach?
• Is he easy to get in contact with when you need him? (Will he call you back?)
• Does he have any background in cancer, even more specifically what you have?
• Does he participate in ongoing research or study projects?
• Does he have a teaching affiliation?
• Does his office have a book keeper or accounting department to be sure your insurance submissions are timely and you do not end up with unnecessary bills?
• Is he aggressive or conservative in his cancer treatment program? And, more importantly, does his plan fit into your wellness plan?
• How does his staff treat you? (After all, they are an extension of your doctor and you want care and concern from them as well as your physician.)
• Is the office clean and efficient?
• Can you set up a payment plan to cover what is not paid by insurance?

If you can answer no less than 10 and preferably above 12 questions with positive answers, you have a doctor that you can work with. BOTTOM LINE: Do you like and trust your doctor?

Do not be afraid to ask questions. It will do little good after the procedure is finished. You need to make decisions based upon sound knowledge, not just a feeling or intuition. Think about this, if your intuition is so good that you can bet your life on it, you should be making your living at the race track. Point being, information not speculation is what you need.

Here are some of the tough ones that need answering, once you are satisfied with your medical team:

• Exactly what do I have?
• What stage is it?
• What is the prognosis for what variations in treatment?
• Is the cancer localized or has it spread to other body parts?
• What kind of tests need to be run to track my cancer progress?
• What kind of cancer markers are you looking for in my case and what is the count?
• What is the normal count for my type of marker?
• What else has been checked for signs of cancer?
• What is your recommended choice of treatment?
• Why?
• What are the alternatives to what you you have recommended for me?
• How much success have you had?
• How about a second opinion? (NOTE: many insurance companies require a second opinion before any major treatment program is undertaken. Even so, this is your life we are talking about and you should seriously consider a second opinion before anything is done.)
• What should I be doing as far as nutrition and supplementation to build up my body for whatever the course of treatment will be? HINT: it is never too late to strengthen the body any way you can.
• What do you recommend for an exercise regimen to strengthen me?
• As to surgery, how much chance is there to miss part of the tumor being removed?
• How long will it take to recover?
• What are the possible long term effects of surgery?
• Who will do the actual surgery and what is the experience level of the surgeon?
• Will there be chemotherapy or radiation in conjunction with the surgery?
• In the case of transplants, what are the survival rates getting to the transplant stage?
• What are the probabilities of finding a suitable donor?
• What is the rejection rate of transplants?
• What is the regimen I will be on for life to support the transplant?
• What is the survivor rate after transplantation?
• As to chemotherapy, what is the drug or combination of drugs I will be taking?
• What are the known side effects?
• What current studies have been done?
• How many treatments?
• How about the long term side effects?
• How do I know if the treatments are working?
• If there are problems with the side effects, who do I see?
• If I also get radiation, who do I see?
• Is radiation proven effective for what I have?
• What current clinical studies have been done?
• Should this be done at a cancer research hospital?
• Can my cancer or another one related to the treatments be spread during treatment?
• What do I look for to tell if the cancer is coming back?
• What is my white blood cell count and what is normal?
• What is my HGB or red blood cell count and what is normal?

Surgery

A great example of surgery as a good choice would be in the case of localized skin cancers. One of my wife's immediate family members has this problem and on an almost regular basis, he has small moles cut out. It works well in that the areas are small and localized. Nothing else would realistically work as quickly or effectively for him. Quite often, breast cancer is also treated with surgery. From lumpectomies (removal of individual lumps or masses) to radical mastectomies (the complete removal of a breast and frequently the lymph nodes under the arm pit as well) has a very high rate of "cure". It is not a comfortable thought, but I personally know a number of women and one man (yes, men get breast cancer also) who have gone through these types of breast cancer operations and lived for many years afterwards with no reoccurrences of any kind. That is what I would term successful treatment. Other types of cancer are much more complex and just cutting the tumor out does not represent a quality choice.

Brain tumors wrapped around the cerebral cortex, tumors attached to the spinal cord, and in many cases, tumors found in the lymph system are three quick examples of non-operable conditions. Cancer that has metastasized to a number of places generally makes surgery a non-viable entity other than for the possibility of controlling pain.

With what I am facing, surgery would have been the best conventional option for me as neither chemo nor radiation are more than 5 - 7% effective. Yet I would be on hemodialysis for a minimum of 5 years provided no other cancer showed up anywhere in my body. Then they would look for a transplant and if one is found, put it in and see what happens. One big problem being the enlarged lymph nodes found in the CT scans. Perhaps they are just fighting the cancer and perhaps they are cancerous. But unless they cut my stomach open half way around my back and remove a kidney as well as the enlarged lymph nodes, I probably won't know in the near future. If they are cancerous, I just underwent a tremendous amount of pain and agony for realistically nothing. If they are not, then that is the gamble. It is the same kind of decision you will be facing if you have not already done so. The only thing I can say for certainty is that once the kidneys are removed, I will never get cancer in those two particular organs again. Not much comfort there. Have I made the right choice? I feel so and every day I am more confident I did the right thing, regardless of how long I live. To me the quality of my remaining time is the single most important factor. I am free to do many things as long as I stop for a minute or two every few hours, take either vitamins or supplements of some type and eat food that will be of benefit to my body.

The vast majority of cancer treatment programs begin with surgery to remove the tumor. It can range from in office operations such as cancerous warts/moles on the skin, to highly complex operations requiring many hours of skilled surgical work to complete. Throughout the surgical process and continuing for some number of days or even weeks after, your immune system will be highly suppressed. One of the things I found while reading is that even a blood transfusion of only one pint can severely restrict the immune system's functional capability for several weeks. Proper nutrition and supplementation can very dramatically reduce the shock effect on your immune system as well as provide overall better health.

One of the big concerns with any surgery is the anesthesia. The drugs used and the techniques have made remarkable strides since WWII. Still, there is a risk to consider as to the toxicity and your possible allergic reaction. You need to discuss this fully with your doctor. One word of caution about spinals. For localized surgery, these are the preferred means of anesthesia; not because it is better for you, but because it is easier for the doctor. There can be a risk of reaction that leaves permanent pain in your back for the rest of your life. I know a number of people who have this very problem. Under no circumstance that I can think of would I allow this to happen to me. But once again, the choice is up to you if this is offered.

Surgery will also add significantly to your stress level. Cancer is a real stress breeder and the surgical aspects of treatment will significantly add to the problem, even if on a temporary basis. Stress can bring on heart failure either during or post operative. Stress also suppresses your immune system. Stress can be a contributor to the production of free radicals in your system that can promote any remaining cancer cells.

Please understand that I am in no way telling you not to have surgery if it is what you prefer as your method of treatment. I am merely laying out some known problems that you need to discuss fully with your doctor. You need to be informed of all the pros and cons of what you are facing, not just a glossing over of the potential positive aspects. Thousands of people treat cancer with surgery very successfully. Just be sure that if you choose this as the right road for you to travel, you know the pitfalls and can work to protect yourself as best you can.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a two-edged sword. In some cases it does a remarkable job with relatively high rates of successful remissions. But many times, it is quite ineffective although more and more doctors plow ahead and utilize it anyhow. No matter what, do not forget that today the survival rate for all cancers from the point of detection is only 40% making it 5 years utilizing chemotherapy. That is up nearly 10% from 30 years ago, but that still is cause for major concern. Be aware there are several critical elements to discuss with your doctor/oncologist.

Lets begin with the fact that most chemotherapy drugs can also cause cancer themselves. What makes this even more scary is the fact that the cancer they develop can lay dormant for a number of years. Be sure you fully discuss this issue before making a decision.

The desire to build your body up with nutrition and supplements is something I have mentioned frequently throughout these writings. When you talk with your oncologist, the first thing he will come unglued about is supplements that fight free radicals.

What is a free radical? In very simple terms, they are a highly reactive chemical particles that oxidize (burns) just about anything they come in contact with. When inside a cell, they burn fat, including cell membranes. They also attack proteins and DNA. When free radicals hit a cell wall, they burn the fat molecules which starts a chain reaction of the polyunsaturated fats called lipids. The peroxidation of lipids in turn generates more free radicals and ultimately leads to all other cell damage.

What he will then tell you is that he is killing your tumor by putting chemicals in your body that create excessive amounts of free radicals that will attack the cancer cells. Unfortunately they attack everything else as well. He will then tell you that supplements designed to counteract free radicals will ultimately negate the effect of his chemo treatments. There are other actions going on within his chemo treatments that you also need to be aware of. Several of the cancer fighting mechanisms are the same ones utilized by the phytochemicals in green vegetables. The only difference here is that the green veggies' phytochemicals will not destroy the good good cells in your body. OOPS.

Next you need to discuss the terms "cure" and "control". I have mentioned this a number of times thus far and it becomes a very critical item at this juncture. Most doctors consider cancer as "cured" if it does not re-appear for 5 years after treatment is completed. There is a growing mound of evidence that many cancers never are in the cure group. They simply get put in remission. Often times doctors refer to cancer is cured when the do in fact know that is not the case. This is why there are continual repeat studies performed on you to be sure the tumors have not started again.

There is a a wonderful euphemism for this condition and it is "tumor response" to treatment. A tumor responds when it either quits growing or starts to shrink, no matter for how short of an interval recorded. This is not a "cure".

The core or heart of the problem with chemotherapy appears to be the multi-billions of dollars invested in the chemotherapy business. The profits drive the solutions and this can lead to very deceptive results from clinical trials. Clinical trials are supposed to be designed to mask the products tested so that a fair and impartial verdict is gained. The issue here can be that the control group (the baseline group of people given a placebo to judge performance against) can be tainted by the actual placebo given. Example: if sugar is used in the placebo, both the immune system and the tumor are effected. The immune system response is partially blocked by the digestive process of sugars and the tumor readily feeds on the sugar itself. Both of these reactions to the placebo can in fact reduce the lifespan of the control group participants thereby artificially inflating the comparative longevity of chemotherapy recipients.

Yet another deceptive factor in reporting "cure rates" deals with how early cancer is detected overall today compared to 20 or 30 years ago. As most earlier studies started with larger, more virulent tumors, the successful treatment of smaller growths today are not a fair comparison.

Another deception deals with dosage quantities of the chemo drugs themselves. It is readily possible to conclude that higher dosage treatments are more effective at "curing" cancer than lower dosages; and more people today are put on higher dosages thus leading to the conclusion that the drugs are more effective. Because cancers are detected earlier, people's physical condition is generally better. Chemo takes a terrible toll on body condition and the better shape you are in, the more you can withstand. With higher dosage levels, more people also drop out of the treatment programs because of serious side effects they cannot withstand. Those that remain on the higher levels of drugs, would have in all likelihood survived longer without treatment of any kind because of their improved body condition with the earlier detection. This again artificially inflates the success ratios.

A further problem is the toxicity of the chemotherapy treatments. They kill cells and unfortunately not just cancer cells. For instance, in the brain, you have not only the non-reproducing brain cells which generally are not attacked by chemo, but also stem cells, astroglia, microgila, all of which do reproduce and are critical to brain and body function. And, what about the liver? The liver is your baseline filter to remove dead and dying cancer cells from your system, yet all forms of chemo do attack liver cells to some degree. If you are seriously nutritionally impaired, you tend to also run the risk of toxic reaction that cannot be flushed from your body.

Just as there can be synergistic actions when combining supplements and nutrients to build up your body, there are also some very synergistic combinations of toxic chemicals in chemotherapy drugs that can reek havoc on your body.

One quick example. Consider the article published in the 1995 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology about a combination commonly known as ICE (ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide). Even in the lowest dosages given, the complications were unbelievable:

• Thirty-nine percent of patients had permanent damage to the gastrointestinal tract.
• A staggering 67 percent suffered permanent damage to the mucous membranes of the mouth.
• When you move up to a moderate dosage level, 50% had nervous system and lung damage.
• The high dosage users suffered 61% liver toxicity, and 81% also had some form of hearing impairment.
• On top of all that, 94% of all patients suffered some form of heart damage.  
• And the last, but not least statistic was that 13% died as a direct result of the chemotherapy.

The real kicker here is that this is considered to be a highly effective drug combination that is well tolerated. I cannot conceive of any product on the market today that the FDA would allow to be sold if it routinely killed 13% of the people using it; yet here is one such instance reported in a mainline medical journal. TOP THAT IF YOU CAN!

Typical side effects of chemotherapy range from partial or complete hair loss, to nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, many possible other physical problems, and even death as noted above.

Again, this is not to say that chemotherapy will not be a good choice for you. But you need to have some knowledge of both pros and cons before undertaking this type of treatment. Press your doctor for  complete answers about the proposed treatment plan for you. Be very informed about the risks as well as the rewards before you charge ahead.

Radiation

Radiation kills more than just cancer cells, without a doubt. Both Madame Currie and her daughter died of radiation poisoning from years of exposure to radium. At the very least, exposure to x-rays can cause burns, poisoning, nausea, and hair loss. Yet this is one of the cornerstones of conventional medicine for cancer treatment. Lets again just look at the subject. I am neither condemning or condoning its use. I am presenting some thoughts that you need to carry back to your doctor and discuss fully before you embark on this as a course of treatment. Again, it well could be the best choice for your specific circumstances. That is not for me or anyone else to say. That is your decision.

One of the scary concepts about radiation treatment is the general lack of consensus as to what entails a "safe level" of exposure to any form of x-ray. And, I am not talking here about x-rays as a form of treatment, but rather as a diagnostic tool which utilizes hundreds of times less energy than therapeutic amounts. Right off the bat I am wary of the potential consequences. It is more and more becoming the tool of norm for post surgery treatment, even though its utilization is neither recommended or required. This is why you need to investigate fully what can be your path of treatment and perhaps what you should research before saying yes or no.

The improvements in the technology over the last 100 or so years it has been in use have moved x-ray from a marginally functional concept to the forefront of modern medical technology. That is one giant step. How many people died from exposure of the wrong kind or length will never be known. Yet today it can be very effective. Learning to take out the alpha and beta particles from the power beams was probably the single biggest step in harnessing its potential. Learning that the very young are much more sensitive to its effects and that the very old are less sensitive has also taught much in who can benefit from its application.

Another fact to tuck away for consultation with your doctor will be the accumulative effect of radiation. The damage it does can wait literally decades to make itself known. Often times this is well beyond the natural age of the cancer sufferer and is of no consequence. The types of cells and how they respond are also important to note. Lung cells take much longer to show the effects of radiation than do bone marrow cells. Be sure you ask for as much information as possible as to how radiation will react to what you are attempting to treat.

Other factors that enter into the danger concerns for radiation treatment include suffering from chronic illnesses (long term suppression of the natural immune system), low intake of fruits and vegetables, marijuana use, extreme athletic exertion (this goes far, far beyond a good exercise program), chemotherapy, high intake of copper, high intake of soluble iron (can come from excessive amounts of red meat), poor general nutrition practices, and just poor general health. All these issues need to be discussed with your doctor BEFORE you commit to a course of action. Again, I am not saying that this is not a viable concept for you, its just that you need to be very well informed before you commit yourself.

Be very careful, for instance of how radiation is applied to you. If by chance the beam passes through the spinal column or the brain, you could see radionecrosis flare up within 2 years of treatment. When associated with the nervous system, just the accidental exposure is enough to cause all kinds of neurological maladies down the road. The same problems hold true for someone who is having radiation of the brain because of a local tumor. It makes the decision difficult and the treatment difficult and the recovery potential difficult. I have seen radionecrosis referred to, in several places while reading, as looking like a tumor and having the consistency of rubber. Not something to cherish the formation of inside your body.

If brain tumor treatment is in your future, here are a couple of things to consider supplementing your body with prior to treatments. This will help avoid or at least reduce the effects of radionecrosis. As a matter of fact, these items can help your body overall if any type of radiation is in your treatment plan. Take 25,000 IU's of mixed carotenoids; take a minimum of 500 mgs quercetin 3 times daily; take 750 mgs minimum daily of magenisium ascorbate 3 times daily on an empty stomach; 400 IU daily of vitamin E succinate; a good multivitamin without iron or copper. There are a number of other things that can be taken, but I did not research them as my time is limited and radiation is not in my future. All these things should be done as quickly as possible for as long as possible before radiation begins and throughout the radiation process. It would also be advisable to continue them for several weeks after as well. Again, if this was me, this is what I would do, plus a whole lot more research on the subject. Before doing anything, contact your doctor and fully discuss supplementing yourself to help ward off the unwanted effects of radiation treatments. Building up the rest of your non-cancerous body will never be something done in vain. Seek out a good alternative health professional to help with supplementation if your doctor is not knowledgeable on the subject. Remember, it is your decision and you need to do the best you can to protect yourself.

If you are a person who has naturally occurring defects in your DNA or suffer from fragile chromosomes, you are up to 10 times more likely to develop cancer than someone who does not have these defects. These problems are much more sure to occur if radiation and chemotherapy are combined as forms of treatment.

There definitely is cause for concern. Yet, it can be used effectively with proper restraints and safeguards. As noted above a proper supplementation regimen can be of benefit. Proper nutrition will also help you help your body to naturally fight the cancer inside you. One last time, ask questions. If you don't get logical sounding answers, ask again or ask someone else, but do not just sit down and let it happen to you without understanding what is going on.