Volume 13. Cancer Drugs and Treatment Guide

Chapter 1. Cancer Drug Guide

Cancer Drugs Info

Some cancer drugs are as follows . Try looking for them at phrma.org or typing the terms into search engines to get more information.

5-Fluorouracil/ 5-FU.

Capecitabine/ Xeloda.

Cyclophosphamide/ Cytoxan.

Docetaxel/ Taxotere.

Doxorubicin/ Adriamycin, Rubex.

Epirubicin/ Ellence.

Etoposide/ VePesid.

Methotrexate.

Mitoxantrone/ Novantrone.

Mitomycin C/ Mutamycin.

Paclitaxel/ Taxol.

Trastuzumab/ Herceptin.

Vinblastine/ Velban.

Vinorelbine/ Navelbine.

The anti-abortion drug Ru-486 can shrink brain, breast and ovarian tumors.

Herceptin is the current "wonder" drug. Read about it in the New England Journal of Medicine.

There's a drug out called Rituxan for Non-Hodgkin's lymphona cancer.

A List of Specific Cancer Drugs

Find info about drugs at:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

cancerindex.org

Yervoy

Opdivo

\Keytruda

Abraxane

Amsacrine

Amygdalin/Laetrile®

Aspirin

Azacitidine

Banerji Protocol

Beljanski Remedies

Bendamustine

Bleomycin

Busulfan

Cabazitaxel

Capecitabine

Carboplatin

Carmustine

Chlorambucil

Cimetidine (Tagamet®)

Cisplatin

Cladribine

Clofarabine

Crisantaspase

Cromolyn

C-Statin®

Cyclophosphamide

Cytarabine

Dacarbazine

Dactinomycin

Daunorubicin

Dichloroacetate (Dca)

Docetaxel

Doxorubicin

Epirubicin

Escozul

Etoposide

Everolimus (Afinitor)

Fludarabine

Fluorouracil

Gemcitabine

Gliadel implants

Hydroxycarbamide

Idarubicin

Ifosfamide

Indomethacin (Indocin®)

Interleukin-2 (IL-2)

Ipilimumab (Yervoy)

Irinotecan

Leucovorin

Liposomal Daunorubicin

Liposomal Doxorubicin

Lomustine

Low-Dose Naltrexone

Melatonin

Melphalan

Mercaptopurine

Mesna

Metformin

Metformin and the Overall Risk of Cancer

Methotrexate

Mitomycin

Mitotane

Mitoxantrone

Nedaplatin

Negative Studies on Melatonin

Nilotinib (Tasigna)

Obinutuzumab (Gazyva)

Oxaliplatin

Paclitaxel

Pamidronate (Aredia)

Pazopanib (Votrient)

Pemetrexed

Pentostatin

PolyMVA

Procarbazine

Raltitrexed

Rasburicase

ROSE BENGAL (PV-10)

Satraplatin

Streptozocin

Taurolidine

Tegafur-uracil

Temozolomide

Temsirolimus (Torisel)

Teniposide

Thiotepa

Tioguanine

Topotecan

Trabectedin

Treosulfan

Vemurafenib (Zelboraf)

Vinblastine

Vincristine

Vindesine

Vinorelbine

Cancer Drug Websites

Books about cancer drugs are at #616.994 or RC271 at the library.

meds.com, has drug forums, etc.

drugs.com/clinical_trials

astrazeneca.ca, cancer drugs.

astrazeneca-us.com, drug co., cancer drugs.

bms.com, drug company, cancer research.

cancersupportivecare.com/drug_assistance.html

cis./fact, look for effects of many different drugs.

cis./fact/7_39.htm, hydrazine sulfate.

fda.gov/cder/cancer/access.htm, 800-532-4440, get experimental cancer drugs.

fda.gov/cder, 888-463-6332, import a foreign drug not approved in the u.s.

fda.gov/oashi/cancer/cancer.html, 888-463-6332, info about clinical trials.

pharminfo.com/pubs/msb/msbonc.html, cancer drugs.

Cancer Liason Program

FDA

#9-49cfh-12

5600 Fishers Ln.

Rockille, Md 20857

301-827-4462

fda.gov

Information about new drugs.

National Cancer Institute

Public Information Office

Bldg. 31

#10a24

9000 Rockville Pike

Bethesda, Md 20892

800-4cancer

Cancer Fax: 301-402-5874

cancertrials.

If you'd like to be a part of experimental treatments and drugs, contact them.

Oncology Pharmacy Organizations

asop.at, Austrian Society of Oncology Pharmacy, ASOP. Founded 2001.

Austria

afphb.be/doc/afphb/Bopp.htm, Belgian Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners, BOPP.

Hospital Pharmacists From Belgium.

Belgium

bpsweb.org/specialties/oncology.cfm, Board of Pharmacy Specialties; Oncology Pharmacy, BPS. BPS is a division of the American Pharmacists Association. Provides certification for Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist(BCOP).

USA

bopawebsite.org, British Oncology Pharmacy Association, BOPA. A professional membership association in 1996.

capho.org, Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology, CAPhO. Canada

dgop.org, German Society of Oncology Pharmacy, DGOP.

Germany

esop.eu, European Society of Oncology Pharmacy, ESOP.

Europe

hoparx.org, Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association, HOPA.

USA

isopp.org, International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners, ISOPP.

psfo.org, Polish Association of Oncology Pharmacists, PSFO.

Poland

sfpo.com, French Society of Oncology Pharmacy, SFPO.

France

saop.co.za, South African Association of Oncology Pharmacists, SAOP.

South Africa

afop.ch, Association for Oncology Pharmacy, AFOP.

Switzerland

Cancer Drug Journals

anti-cancerdrugs.com

liebertonline.com/cbr, Cancer Biotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals

link.springer.com/journal/280, Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology

opp.sagepub.com, Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Compassionate Use of Drugs for Cancer Patients

This article is about:

getting drugs if you’re poor

getting drugs not approved by the system, could still be in the tsting process

canceractionnow.org, access a scientifically-tested cancer drug before

the therapy is FDA-approved

cureourchildren.org/compassionateuse.htm, get Drugs not FDA Approved Yet

abigail-alliance.org, wider access to developmental cancer drugs

cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/understanding/approval-process-for-cancer-

drugs/page4, Understanding the Approval Process for New Cancer

Treatments: Special Needs.

Partnership for Prescription Assistance

pparx.org T

patients who lack prescription coverage

ClinicalTrials.gov What is an Expanded Access Protocol?

nlm.nih.gov/services/ctexpaccess.html

essentialdrugs.org, fundamental right of every country to have access to the basic drugs

fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/CDER/default.htm, Center for Drug Evaluation and Researchs. National Cancer Institute

cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/investigational-drug-acces s, Access to Investigational Drugs

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Phrma

phrma.org/newmedicines, New Medicines in Development.

Chapter 2. Cancer Treatments

Cancer Treatment In f o

Blood tests, biopsies, pap t ests, mammograms, stool slide tests, digital rectal exams and radiological imaging can be used to detect early signs of cancer but there is no simple universal test as of yet. If you get a positive result, get a second opinion right away to make sure.

A hydroxyproline test is used for bone cancer. Alkaline phosphatase values are used for bone and liver cancer. There are several other tests such as radiography, nuclear scanning, ultrasound and computerized tomography that could be used to locate cancerous tumors in the body. These techniques use various methods to kind of "look into" your body.

The basic treatments which can be done alone or in combination are:

Surgery, cut the tumor or toxic tissue out.

Chemotherapy, chemicals, drugs.

Immunotherapy, use of interferon and interleukins to strenghten the immune system.

Radiation therapy, blast infected areas with killer rays.

Lasers in cancer treatment.

Bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

Alternative holistic treatments like lifestyle, diet, etc.

There are side effects for all these treatments. The paradox is that they destroy your immune system while destroying the poison in your system.

Holistic treatments are basically common sense about living a healthy lifestyle.

When undergoing any cancer treatment, the patient should strive to understand what has been explained to them about the procedures and even do some research on their own.

The patient will have to give informed consent, written permission to receive the therapy. Some things the patient should make it a point to know beforehand are:

How it will the procedure be performed and how long it will take?

What are the potential side effects?

How likely it is that the procedure will have complications?

What are the potential risks of the procedure?

What other options are available?

Biological therapy, also-called immunotherapy, biotherapy or biological response modifier therapy, uses the body's immune system to either lessen side effects that may be caused by some cancer treatments or to fight the cancer directly.

When the immune system is strong, it recognizes the difference between healthy cells and cancerous cells and kills the latter. Cancer cells will develop a stronghold when the immune system breaks down or is overwhelmed.

Biological therapies are designed to strengthen the immune system's natural fighting abilities. Antibodies, which are the immune system's soldiers, work against cancer and other diseases by creating an immune response against foreign invaders (antigens).

Antibodies respond to antigens by latching on to, or binding with them and nullifying them. Biological response modifiers (Brms) improve the body's ability to fight foreign invaders.

Brms are substances that occur naturally in the body but scientists can create them artificially. They can slow or stop tumor cell growth and help healthy cells stay strong in fighting cancer.

Most biologic therapies can be done on an outpatient basis by injection of the Brms into a muscle, under the skin, or directly into a cancerous area in the skin or injection into a vein.

Hormonal therapy is used to prevent the growth, spread, or recurrence of cancer. If lab tests show that a tumor depends on estrogen or progesterone hormones to grow, it will be described as estrogen-positive or progesterone-positive.

These hormones feed the cancerous cells so the logical solution is to inhibit their circulation throughout the body or around the infected area as much as you can. Hormonal therapy strives to block the body's natural hormones from reaching cancer cells.

The basic types of hormone treatments used for people who have cancer are:

Corticosteroids (steroids) are produced by a small gland called the adrenal gland.

Antiestrogens are often used to treat cancers in which estrogen promotes growth of cancer, such as breast cancers.

Progestins (another hormone produced in the ovaries) or androgens (male hormones) may be considered after other hormone treatments have been tried in advanced breast cancer.

Luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) analogs are drugs that decrease the amount of testosterone produced by a man's testicles.

Anti-androgens are drugs that block the body's ability to use androgens.Anti-androgens often are used in combination with orchiectomy or LHRH analogs. This combination is called total androgen blockade.

cancer.health.ivillage.com/chemoradiationcancertherapy/hormonetherapy.cfm

Conventional Treatments For Cancer

This is a gove rnment article from 1990 that still applies today.

Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy (drug therapy), hormonal therapy and immunotherapy are the main tools of conventional cancer treatment.

Surgery is the oldest and still most effective

mainstream treatment for solid tumors and is

curative in many cases of localized cancer in which all or nearly all cancerous tissue can be removed.

When used with chemotherapy, radiation, or both, surgery's aim is to remove as much tumor as possible without disabling the patient, so that the other treatments have a greater chance of successfully eliminating the remaining tumor cells. In advanced stages of cancer, surgery is sometimes used for palliative purposes, to alleviate the physical

interference of a cancer with other organs.

Advances in oncologic surgery include a move toward less radical operations for some cancers, particularly early stage breast cancer. The shift is based on the results of large randomized clinical

trials of various degrees of surgical removal (from removing the least amount of tissue, "lumpectomy," to the most, radical mastectomy), which demonstrated that, combined with appropriate adjunctive treatment, surgery that is less radical results in survival equivalent to that of more radical surgery. Another trend has been toward more aggressive surgical removal of metastatic tumors.

Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are used as primary treatments for some leukemias and lymphomas and are used in addition to ("adjuvant" to) surgery for solid tumors that have advanced beyond their original location, including both regional and distant (metastatic) spread. Out of the thousands that have been tested, a relatively small number of drugs (about 50) are approved for use today. The regimens considered "state of the art" vary according to the site of the cancer, in some cases the type of cells that make up the tumor, the stage of the cancer, and, to some extent, characteristics of the patient.

General rules for mainstream cancer chemotherapy are that the highest tolerated doses be used and that multiple drugs be used in combination. The use of high doses, the systemic administration and the toxic properties of many anticancer drugs account for the often severe side effects of cancer treatment. The rules are based on the observation that some cancer cells are resistant to the effects of some drugs. One of the most widespread mechanisms of naturally occurring drug resistance is a molecular "pump" which works to transport chemotherapeutic drugs out of the cancer cell before any damage takes place. A number of other mechanisms are known, though all drug resistance is not explained with current knowledge. If clones of resistant cells proliferate, there is little hope for control with existing chemotherapy. The emergence of resistant clones and regrowth of drug-resistant cancers is a particular problem after treatment with lower than optimal doses of chemotherapy.

Efforts to improve the success of chemotherapy include developing means of more specifically targeting the drug to the tumor and devising ways of increasing the doses. An example of the former is linking cell-killing agents to monoclinal antibodies that are attracted to specific proteins on the surface of cancer cells. When the 'conjugated' molecule is administered, it will not find appropriate sites on most normal cells to which it can attach, but will link to cancer cells.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is another approach still under development to provide localized cancer treatment, though its use is still quite limited.

PDT capitalizes on the greater attraction of "hematoporphyrin" molecules (the sensitizer) to tumor tissue than to normal tissue, though the basis of the attraction is not well understood.

Some time after the sensitizer is administered, the area of the tumor is illuminated with light of a particular wavelength, either from the surface or from inserted fiber optics. The light provides energy for a chemical reaction that results in the release of oxygen, which kills cancer cells by damaging them physically.

Hormonal treatment has been successful for types of cancer that are "hormone dependent," notably breast and prostate cancers. The theory behind hormonal, or endocrine, therapy, is that hormones produced internally are "blocked" by drugs. These drugs bind to receptors on the surface of tumor cells where the hormones would normally bind, but they do not cause the cell to grow or replicate.

These drugs are generally taken for long periods of time following surgery to prevent metastatic disease.

Radiation therapy is used most often as an adjunct to surgery and maybe used before or after surgery in different situations. It is also used as a palliative measure, to reduce the pain of bone metastasis and to shrink tumors in other parts of the body. Radiation may be applied at or near the site of the tumor as an implant (by insertion of a radioactive isotope) or it may be delivered to the site of the tumor by a high-energy x-ray generator (teletherapy). (Wholebody irradiation is used to intentionally destroy the bone marrow of patients being prepared for bone marrow transplantation.)

It is thought that the main effect of ionizing radiation on cells is to interfere with the capacity of the DNA molecule in the nucleus to reproduce, but cells may be harmed in other ways as well. In general, therefore, it is at the time the cells are dividing that they die. Since ionizing radiation also affects normal cells, the dose must be modulated to achieve the greatest antitumor effect while attempting to minimize effects on normal tissue, to optimize the therapeutic index.

The use of radiation therapy began early in the 20th century, preceding chemotherapy and preceding the wide-scale use of randomized clinical trials to determine the effectiveness of medical treatments. It is only in recent years, therefore, that radiation therapy has been subjected to rigorous evaluation. It is likely that radiation has been used routinely beyond its effectiveness for many types of cancer; valid evidence for these practices still is being gathered.

Advances in radiation therapy have centered on more precise delivery systems and on attempts to pair radiation with specific chemotherapeutic agents to enhance their effectiveness.

"Biologic therapy," the most recent approach in conventional cancer treatment, refers tocancer treatment that produces antitumor effects primarily through the action of natural host defense mechanisms or by the administration of natural mammalian substances'.

Though biologic treatments for cancer are relatively new, the field of biologic therapy, also called "biotherapy," developed from observations and experimentation in the late 19th century, which suggested that an immune response could effect tumor regressions.

Biotherapy is based on the principle that tumor cells are immunologically "different" from normal cells and that the immune system, which has developed to protect against "nonself,' can be manipulated to destroy cancer cells.

Mainstream biologic therapy includes a number of approaches.

One line of development has been to attempt to induce reaction in the patient's own immune system, either with nonspecific stimulators (e.g., Bacillus Calmette-Guerin; BCG) or, more currently, with stimulators related to the tumor itself. The latter includes efforts to develop "tumor vaccines" that would cause the body's immune system to activate against tumor cells. Another approach is to inject the patient directly with immune system products and cells (e.g.lymphokineactivated killer cells). Cytokines (soluble proteins produced by certain immune system cells), particularly the interleukins, have been the focus of considerable attention in the last few years.

Another group of cytokines, the interferon, was studied intensively throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Many of the biological treatments that have been tried have produced some encouraging effects in cancer patients, but, as of yet, few are of lasting benefit to patients. Research in biological therapy is geared toward increasing understanding of immune function and on developing effective ways to apply these tools in conjunction with other forms of cancer treatment.

The trend toward increased participation by patients in decisions about their medical treatment has affected mainstream medicine.

Whereas in the past few people would have questioned the recommendation of a physician, questioning has become common, perhaps even the norm. In addition, public discussion about health and disease, including all aspects of cancer, has risen and the level of detailed coverage of cancer by the press has grown continuously.

A panel evaluating the measurement of progress against cancer strongly emphasized the various dimensions embodied in "quality of life" as being aspects of the impact of cancer on which systematic data should be collected on a nationwide basis. Such dimensions include: physical side effects (of treatment) such as nausea, general health conditions and pain; functional status including self-care (eating, dressing and bathing), mobility and physical activities such as walking and doing household chores; psychological morbidity including emotional distress, anxiety and depression; and social interaction including everyday interpersonal contacts, social support and the work role.

Criticism Of Mainstream Cancer Treatment

This is a government article from 1990 that still applies today.

During the past few years, the rates of success of conventional cancer treatment have increasingly been examined, debated and subjected to criticism by both scientists and the general public. Attention has focused on the lack of substantial progress in successfully treating the most common and life-threatening types of cancer. While the last few decades have seen undisputed success in treating a number of cancers-particularly those affecting children and young adults-the gains in survival for most solid tumors (lung and colon cancer, in particular) are small or nil.

Individuals in the cancer research community and in government have begun to examine the results of the "War on Cancer," begun officially in 1971 and have noted a lack of significant progress in treating most cancers. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has been criticized for misleading the public about what the results have actually been. One journal article, in particular, became a centerpiece of the debate. Progress Against Cancer? by John Bailar and Elaine Smith, which appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in May 1986, took abroad view of the emphases in cancer research and the changes in various measures of the disease since 1950 and noted that the age-adjusted mortality rate, which was chosen as a measure of overall progress, has risen since 1950.

They concluded that treatment for most cancers hasn't gotten much better and that the greatest promise for cancer control lies in research on prevention. Bailar commented further on his position in a later article, in which he stated:

"Modern medicine already has much to offer to virtually every cancer patient, for palliation if not always for cure; the problem is the lack of any substantial recent improvement in treating the most common forms of cancer.'

The article by Bailar and Smith stirred up interest and controversy, which was furthered by a report by the General Accounting Office (GAO, a congressional agency) that looked at NCI'S reporting of cancer survival statistics. GAO examined changes in survival since 1950 for 12 different kinds of cancer and compared its independent findings with those reported by NCI. NCI reported gains for all 12 types.

In each case, GAO found a more modest improvement than did NCI, or no gain at all. These results, released in early 1987, again raised controversy about the rate at which progress in treating cancer is being made and further opened the debate about cancer treatment to public scrutiny. The article by Bailar and Smith and the GAO report have been used by supporters of unconventional treatments to challenge the dominance of the NCI, ACS and mainstream medicine in general.

The widespread use of chemotherapy among classes of patients unlikely to benefit, or for which benefits have not yet been demonstrated, also has drawn criticism from respected researchers. The cancer research community itself has been reexamining the value of long-accepted chemotherapy for certain types of cancer. An example is adjuvant treatment of cancers of the colon and rectum, the most common types of cancer in the United States.

Debate was focused by a review of all the randomized clinical trials of radiotherapy and standard chemotherapy for these cancers, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1988. The review suggested that these treatments might offer little survival advantage, or at least less than had been assumed, beyond the benefits of surgery, which is the primary treatment. A debate in the medical literature ensued with opinions strongly held for and against the value of adjuvant treatment, based on differing interpretations of the same data. (This debate preceded the dissemination of the results of advanced colon cancer treatment with a new combination of agents, which has shown a survival advantage.)

Another debate concerns the use of adjuvant chemotherapy for women who have undergone surgery. for early stage breast cancer. Early results from clinical trials prompted the NCI to issue a "Clinical Alert" with the strong message that women with early (stage 2) breast cancer without evidence of cancer in the lymph nodes can benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. The Clinical Alert elicited strong criticism from prominent members of the medical community, who objected mainly on grounds that the data available from the trials were only preliminary and that they were insufficient to support recommending widespread treatment with toxic chemotherapy.

One result of the debate over progress in cancer was a request by the Senate Appropriations Committee to NCI in 1988 to establish a panel of technical experts and nonexpert public representatives from outside NCI to "recommend what measures or series of measures are most appropriate to assess progress in cancer". The panel reviewed measures of progress currently in use and suggested additional approaches.

Conventional Surgery Seems to be the Most Successful Cancer Treatment so Far

According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer cure statstics are:

surgery, surgical removal of tumor, 60%

Radiation therapy, 25%

chemotherapy, 15%

Inoperable does not mean incurable.

It could mean that the cancer has spread through the entire organ or body.

It could mean that the physiciasn can’t get to it like a tumor dep in the brain.

It doesn’t mean that you cannot be treated by methods other than surgery.

The problem, based on my experience, is that most people are naïve and scared, patient and their friends and family alike. I tried to help cancer patients by telling them not to eat anything with sugar in it, eat baking soda, mistletoe, etc. but they don’t listen. They think I’m the naysayer peddling quackery while they trust anything their overworked, brainwashed one-dimensional doctor says.

Radiation and chemotherapy could reduce the size of the tumor to the point where it is operable.

If one surgeon won’t operate and you got money, you can find a surgeon somewhere willing to cut the tumor out.

In any case, surgery or any treatment is not enough. Even after a conventional treatment, fight all you can with as many holistic ideas as you can.

Surgery has limits.

Cancer is a whole body disease:

the immune system cannot handle the poisonous cells so fight the poisonous cells en-masse.

Cancer Treatment Websites 1

cancer.gov › About Cancer › Cancer Treatment

baycare.org/diseases-and-conditions/common-types-of-cancer

breastcancer.org/treatment

britannica.com/science/cancer-disease

cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/diagnosis-and-treatment

cancer.net/cancer

cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer/treatment

cancer.org › Treatments and Side Effects

cancer.org › Treatments and Side Effects › Treatment Types

cancercenter.com/cancer

cancercenter.com/terms/blood-cancers

cancerresearchuk.org › Eye cancer › Treatment › Surgery

cancerresearchuk.org › Lung cancer › Treatment › Surgery

cancertreatment.net/cancer-types

cancertutor.com/category/types-of-cancer

cancertutor.com/types-of-cancer

cancervic.org.au › Cancer information

cbcf.org/Diagnosis/Pages/BreastCancerTypes.aspx

cdc.gov › Cancer Home

consumerhealthdigest.com/health-conditions/cancer.html

credihealth.com › … › Cancer Section › Blood Cancer

dog-health-handbook.com/dog-cancer-treatment.html

emedicinehealth.com › home › cancer center › cancer a-z list

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treatment_of_cancer

liver.ca/liver-disease/types/liver-cancer.aspx

lung.ca/lung-health/lung-disease/lung-cancer/treatment

macmillan.org.uk › Home › Cancer information

macmillan.org.uk › How can we help you today?

medicinenet.com/breast_cancer_facts_stages/article.htm

medicinenet.com/cancer/article.htm

mskcc.org/cancer-care/types

oasisofhope.com/cancer-treatment-types

onhealth.com/content/1/cancer_types_treatments

organicfacts.net › Home Remedies

siteman.wustl.edu/treatment/cancer-types

thyca.org/about/types

ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/cancer/cancer_types/lymphoma.html

verywell.com/cancer-types-4013927

verywell.com/methods-of-treatment-for-cancer-514496

webmd.com/slideshow-cancer-treatments

webmd.com/cancer/default.htm

Cancer Treatment Center of America

800-559-6741

800-761-0252

800-234-2493

877-200-5639

cancercenter.com

Cancer Treatment Websites 2

cureourchildren.org/stemcell.htm

amgen.com/product/AboutNeupogen.html

cobebct.com/index.html, Gambro® BCT formerly Cobe BCT. Stem

cells are frozen and preserved

cobebct.com/Products/Spectra/index.html, here.

bmtinfonet.org

lymphomainfo.net/therapy/transplants/bmt.html, The Lymphoma Info Network Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Page, cancer stem cell treatments.

clinicalresearch.nl/EBMTNEW, The European Group for Blood

and Marrow Transplantation.

intouch.cancernetwork.com/textbook/morev10.htm, Autologous

Transplantation: Basic Concepts and Controversies.

hadassah.org.il/departments/06bonemarrow.html, Sidney Weisner

Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cancer Immunobiology in Israel (Brother-Sister Stem Cell Infusion).

centerwatch.com/cgi-bin/cl.pl?p=studies/stu8055.htm, Columbia

Presbyterian Lymphoma Tandem Transplant Clinical Trials.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, look up cancer stem cell

royalmarsden.org/home.asp, The Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Sutton,

Surrey, UK. Article Citation: Bone Marrow Transplant 1997

Nov;20(10):843-6. add_date="895945506,

Med&list_uids=10490725&dopt=Abstract, Autologous stem cell

transplantation for high-risk pediatric solid tumors. by authors:

Perentesis J, Katsanis E, DeFor T, Neglia J, Ramsay N. Facility: Bone

Marrow

cancer.umn.edu/page/research/trsplant/bmt3.html#peds, Transplantation Program, Department of Pediatrics and Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

nymc.edu, New York Medical College, Valhalla 10595

chop.edu, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104

infotrieve.com, Infotrieve Information Services.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, Medline NCBI Database Search

Chapter 3. Specific Cancer Therapies

Lots of Conventional and Holistic Therapies

There are conventional cancer treatents at conventional hospitals.

Naturopathic doctors/ NDs and Chinese medicine practitioners generally offer holistic cancer treatments in the U.S.

Very few holistic people operate in the U.S. because the FDA is a strong police force guarding conventional medicine.

Outside of the U.S., many clinics offer a mix of conventional and holistic treatments together.

Conventional cancer treatments focus on getting rid of the tumors.

Holistic cancer treatments can be anything to strengthen the immune system like nutrition, supplements, relaxation, exercise, visualization and some offbeat ideas.

Just look at my list of holistic treatments later on in this book. It’s massive.

Here is a list of some therapies I didn’t cover much in this book. Plug them into search engines.

714X

Advanced Gene-Targeted Cancer Treatment

autohemotherapy

Bacille Calmette-Guérin (Bcg)

BX Energy Catalyst Protocol®

Cancer Vaccine Treatment Programs

cimetidine

Coley's Fluid

C-statin from bindweed for angiogenesis inhibition

Cytokine, LAK Cell, NK Cell, Stem Cell Cancer Treatment

Dendritic Cell Vaccines

Electroacupuncture

Electro-Capacitive Cancer Therapy (Ecct)

Electrochemotherapy (Echt)/ Galvanotherapy

Floressence

Focused Ultrasound/ High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, Hifu

GcMAF

high doses of vitamin C,

hyaluronan, HA

Hydrazine Suflate

Hydrogen Peroxide

hyperbaric oxygen

indomethacin

Infra red Sauna

Insulin Potentiated Therapy

intravenous ozone

Intravenous Poly MVA with Hyaluronic Acid

Iscador

Laetrile

Laetrile and Dendritic Cell Therapy to reduce tumor size

low-dose chemotherapy

MRV vaccine

Neural Therapy

Newcastle Disease Virus (Ndv) Vaccine

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

Radiofrequency Ablation (Rfa)

Rigvir®

Sonophotodynamic Therapy (Spdt)

Tumorin

Viral Therapy (Oncolytic Viruses)

Virotherapy

whole body negative ionisation

Wobe-mugos

cancertutor.com/clinics has a Huge List of Treatments in the Search Box

3-Bromopyruvate (3-BP) Metabolic Therapy

AARSOTA Bioimmunotherapy

Acupuncture

Acupuncture Meridian Assessment

Adrenal Stress Testing

AMMA Therapy

Antiangiogenesis

Anti-Oxident IV Therapy

Apoptosis therapy

Aromatherapy - Pure Certified Oils

ASYRA

ATP I Therapy

Autohemotherapy

Bach Flowers

Bemer Bed Therapy

Bio-Cleanse

Bioenergetic Restoration

Bioidentical Hormone Therapy

Biological Dentistry

BioMat

Biomodulator Therapy

BioPhotonic Scan

Bioresonance Therapy

BIO-STAR TEST AND THERAPY

Brain Induction Programs

Budwig Protocol

Cannabis

Castor Oil Enema

Cesium Chloride

Chakra/ Energy therapy

Chamomile Enema

Chelation Therapy

Chemosensitivity Tests

Chiropractic

Chronosemantics

CME TEST AND THERAPY

Coffee Enema

Colloidal Silver

Colon Hydrotherapy

Cronaxel Therapy

Deep Sleep Therapy

Dendritic Cell Therapy

Detoxification

Dichloroacetate (DCA)

Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO)

Dr. Hulda Clark Therapy

Eat Right for Your Blood Type diet

EAV Testing

EIDAM CRT2000

Emotional Therapy (EFT)

Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP)

Enzyme supplementation

Epigenetic Therapies

EWOT (Exercise With Oxygen Therapy)

Far Infrared Sauna Therapy

Full Spectrum Nutrition

Gc Macrophage Activating Factor (GcMAF)

Genipin

Gerson Therapy

GORYAEV'S Matrix Treatment

Group Therapy

Halo Light Therapy

Herbs and Minerals

High Dose Sodium Selenite

High pH Therapy

Homeopathy

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperthermia

Immune Enhancement

Immune Power Plus

Immunotherapy

Individual Counseling

Insulin Potentiation Chemotherapy (IPT)

Intra Arterial Therapy (IAT)

Ion Foot Cleanse

Iridology

IV Anti Viral

IV Anti-Cancer Program

IV Artesunate

IV B12

IV Cesium Chloride

IV Curcumin

IV Glutathione

IV Green Tea Extract

IV Hydrogen Peroxide

IV Meyers Cocktail

IV NAD Therapy

IV Nutritional Therapy

IV PolyMVA

IV Resvertrol

IV Taurolodin

IV Vitamin C

Juicing

Ketogenic diet

Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH)

Laetrile

Laser Therapy

Light Beam Generator Therapy

Limbic Stress Assessment

Live Blood audit

Live Cell Therapy

Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)

Lymph Drainage Therapy

Magnet Therapy

Magnetic Oxygen

Massage Therapy

Medical Exercise

Mental and Spiritual Wellness

Mesotherapy

Methionine Restricted Diet

Microcurrent Therapy

Mind Body Medicine

Mistletoe Therapy

Natural Pain Management

Naturopathic Medicine

Near Infra-Red Lamp Therapy

Near Infra-Red Sauna

Neural Therapy

Neurofeedback

Nutraceuticals

Nutritional Therapy

Oligoscan

Ondamed

Organ Cleanse

Oxidative Therapies

Oxygen Therapies

Ozone Insufflation

Ozone Therapy

Pain Neutralization Technique (PNT)

Parasite Cleanse

Parbiomagnetism

Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT)

Platelet-Rich Plasma

Poultices

Prolotherapy

Prolozone therapies

Psycho Oncological Counseling

Psychoneuroimmunology (Mind-Body Medicine)

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF)

Radio Frequency Therapy

Recall Healing

Reflexology

RIFE

Rigvir Virotherapy

Salicinium

Salt Therapy

Saunex

Scenar Therapy

Sensitive Imago

Shikonin

Simonton Counseling

Sono-Photo Dynamic Therapy

Sound Therapy

Stem Cell Therapy

Supportive Oligonucleotide Technique (SOT)

Thermography

Touch For Health

Trigger Point Treatment For Pain

TurboSonic Therapy

Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation

Umbilical Stem Cell Therapy

Vega

Vitamin E Succinate

Vitamin K3

Wellness Program

Whole Body Ozone

cancertutor.com/category/treatments/supplemental-treatments/

cancertutor.com/chemotherapy-alternatives/

cancertutor.com/clinics/

cancertutor.com/author/dr-kevin-conners/

cancertutor.com/author/dr-carlos-m-garcia/

cancertutor.com/clinics/utopia-wellness/

cancertutor.com/author/dr-antonio-jimenez/

cancertutor.com/clinics/hope4cancer-institute-tijuana/

cancertutor.com/author/dr-jonathan-stegall/

cancertutor.com/clinics/the-center-for-advanced-medicine/

cancertutor.com/author/dr-andrew-dickens/

cancertutor.com/author/dr-lloyd-jenkins/

cancertutor.com/hyperbaric-chamber/

cancertutor.com/rigvir-virotherapy/

cancertutor.com/dr-hulda-clark-prevention-cure/

cancertutor.com/cesium-chloride/

cancertutor.com/ctc-monitoring-targeted-therapy-remission/

cancertutor.com/aarsota-bio-immunology/

cancertutor.com/msm_cs/

cancertutor.com/vitaminc_ivc/

cancertutor.com/hyperthermia/

cancertutor.com/cancerdetox/

cancertutor.com/ozone/

cancertutor.com/mind-body-cancer-connection/

cancertutor.com/ultraviolet-blood-irradiation/

cancertutor.com/lymph-drainage-therapy/

cancertutor.com/a-deeper-look-into-cancer-and-essential-oils/

cancertutor.com/chelation-therapy/

cancertutor.com/dpt/

cancertutor.com/coffee-enema/

cancertutor.com/near-infra-red-sauna/

cancertutor.com/polymva/

cancertutor.com/rawfood/

cancertutor.com/psychoneuroimmunology/

cancertutor.com/laetrile/

cancertutor.com/ipt/

cancertutor.com/budwig__old_keep/

cancertutor.com/liverflush/

cancertutor.com/sono-photo-dynamic-therapy/

cancertutor.com/immunotherapy-cancer-treatment/

cancertutor.com/cannabis-medicinal-molecules/

cancertutor.com/gcmaf-potential-cure/

cancertutor.com/vital-role-curcumin-cancer/

cancertutor.com/thermography-detection-future/

cancertutor.com/low-dose-naltrexone-ldn/

cancertutor.com/biological-dentistry/

cancertutor.com/hydrogenperoxide/

cancertutor.com/gerson-therapy/

cancertutor.com/choices-cure-cancer/

cancertutor.com/revert/

cancertutor.com/iv-artesunate/

cancertutor.com/fitness-cancer-exercise/

cancertutor.com/recall-healing/

cancertutor.com/ideal-time-cleanse/

cancertutor.com/dca-treatment-for-cancer/

cancertutor.com/rifebeck/

cancertutor.com/cellect_budwig/

cancertutor.com/freqgenerators/

cancertutor.com/dirtcheapprotocol/

cancertutor.com/budwig/

cancertutor.com/simoncini/

cancertutor.com/henderson/

cancertutor.com/metabolic/

Electricity Therapy for Cancer

I cover the Rife generator in the holistic section.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrotherapy

Electrotherapy is the use of electrical energy as a medical treatment.

kurzweilai.net/electrical-pulse-treatment-pokes-holes-to-treat

PET scans of lung tumor near airway before (left) and 3 months after (right) irreversible electroporation treatment

New way to use electric fields to deliver cancer …

sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150204184236.htm

Electricity Treatment Offers Hope To Brain Cancer …

wbur.org/hereandnow/2015/10/09/electricity-brain-cancer-treatment

Electric Fields Kill Tumors - MIT Technology Review

technologyreview.com/s/408374/electric-fields-kill-tumors

A promising device uses electric fields to destroy cancer cells

Poking Holes in Cancer — One Electric Current at a …

mskcc.org/blog/poking-holes-one-electric-current-time

Treating cancer with electric fields

ted.com/talks/bill_doyle_treating_cancer_with_electric

Electric shock that softens up cancer tumours

dailymail.co.uk./Electric-shock-softens-cancer-tumours.html

Electric Shock of Tumors can Help Cancer Treatment

cancertreatment.net/news/all-cancers/electric-shock-tumors-can

Gamma Knife Surgery Info

Gamma Knife Surgery is a non-invasive way to treat tumors.

ucsfhealth.org, university of california san francisco, type gamma surgery into the search box.

americanradiosurgery.net

Hyperthermia for Cancer/ Thermal Therapy/ Thermotherapy

Hyperthermia therapy heats cancer tumors either as the main therapy or as a preparation for radiation therapy.

Heat can damage or kill cancer cells in some tumors.

It makes radiation therapy more effective in treating some malignant tumors.

Hyperthermia can be used at two levels:

all over the body like sauna or inducing a fever

localised hyperthermia called HIFU, high intensity focussed ultrasound.

beaumont.edu/cancer/cancer-services/radiation-oncology/hyperthermia-therapy

Body tissue is exposed to high temperatures (up to 113°F).

cancer.ca./cancer-research/hyperthermia-treatments/?region=on

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperthermia_therapy

alternative-cancer-care.com/hyperthermia-cancer-treatment.html

Laser-assisted Immunotherapy

Shoot lasers at tumors.

Breast Cancer Topic: Laser-assisted Immunotherapy!!!!!!!

community.breastcancer.org/forum/73/topics/800581

smile.org.au/Laser Immunotherapy.html

Light Therapy for Cancer/ Photodynamic therapy (PDT) for Cancer

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses drugs, called photosensitizing agents, along with light to kill cancer cells.

Light therapy is normally limited to illnesses that are skin-deep.

cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/treatmenttypes/photodynamic-therapy

Targeted Light Therapy Destroys Cancer Cells

nih.gov › News and Events › NIH Research Matters

Photodynamic Therapy for Cancer

cancer.gov

engadget.com/2015/03/18/light-therapy-treats-deep-cancer

Light Therapy Fights Cancer - webmd.com

webmd.com/cancer/news/20020315/light-therapy-fights-cancer

Light therapy - Risks - Mayo Clinic

mayoclinic.org › … › Tests and Procedures

Illumacell Inc. Cancer Light Therapy

cancerlighttherapy.com

Light therapy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DPL_Therapy

NASA Light Technology

nasa.gov/topics/nasalife/features/heals.html

Could light therapy beat cancer in a single day?

dailymail.co.uk.light-therapy-beat-cancer-single-day.html

medicinenet.com/photodynamic_therapy/article.htm

Blue-Light Therapy | University of Iowa Hospitals …

uihc.org/health-library/blue-light-therapy-warding-skin-cancer

How a light beam cured my cancer - Telegraph

telegraph.co.uk./10294405/How-a-light-beam-cured-my-cancer.html

Light therapy may be alternative treatment

news-medical.net

Photodynamic Therapy Worth it? Reviews, Cost, …

realself.com/Photodynamic-Therapy/reviews

Light Therapy… A Simple Tool to Ease Cancer

sunbox.com

Photodynamic therapy information - ASDS

asds.net/PhotodynamicTherapyInformation.aspx

Cancer with Intranasal Light Therapy, Mediclights

mediclights.com/cancer-intranasal-light-therapy

Sound Therapy for Cancer/ Ultrasound for Cancer

Effect of sound on cancer cells - Delamora Sound …

delamora.life/sound-therapy/cancer-sound-healing

Himalayan/Tibetan Bowl Sound Healing and …

soundenergyhealing.com/pages/articles_cancer.html

High intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) | Cancer cancerresearchuk.org › … › Other treatments

High-power sound waves used to blast cancer cells.

theguardian.com › Science › Cancer research

Sound Therapy Proven to Help You Heal During Cancer Treatments

naturalhealth365.com/breast-cancer-sound-therapy-1582.html

Sound Healing for Cancer Therapy - Healtone.com

healtone.com/categories/Cancer

BioWaves Sound Therapy

biowaves.com

Sound wave treatment zaps prostate tumours …

dailymail.co.uk./Sound-wave-treatment-zaps-prostate-tumours

Using Sound Therapy to Treat Diseases

newsmax.com/Health/Ronni-Gordon/cancer-music-cure-Andrew-Weil

Sound Healing Classes - Globe Institute

soundhealingcenter.com/therapyctr.html

Cymatherapy® is a non-invasive sound therapy

ucl.ac.uk./1204/120417-prostate-sound-waves

Sound therapy? - lisahal's Question - Cancer …

whatnext.com/questions/sound-therapy

Books-Sound Therapy, Color Therapy,Alternative

biowaves.com/Products/Books

Sound Therapy with Healing Sounds

healtone.com

Sound Therapy - Cancer Care Program

cancercliniccanada.com/sound-therapy

Ultrasound for Prostate Cancer | CTCA

cancercenter.com/prostate-cancer/ultrasound

Thermal Ablation Therapy

A type of heat therapy ca lled thermal ablation therapy is what cancer doctors use to focus a heat laser on cancerous tumors to destroy them while causing minimal damage to surrounding tissue.

ajronline.org/cgi/content/full/174/2/323

bsdmedical.com, systems to treat cancer and benign diseases using heat therapy as provided by focused radio frequency and microwaves.

Irreversible Electroporation/ Nanoknife, Mnimally Invasive Cancer Surgery

Irreversible electroporation/ IRE or NTIRE for non-thermal irreversible electroporation is a soft tissue ablation cancer technique using short strong electrical fields to create permanent nanopores in the cell membrane to disrupt cellular homeostasis.

They use short, non-thermal high-energy electrical pulses to destroy cancer cells.

The brand name is NanoKnife®.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irreversible_electroporation

pancreaticcanceraction.org

Irreversible Electroporation (NanoKnife) - Aetna

aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/800_899/0828.html

mskcc.org/videos

NanoKnife: Minimally Invasive Option for Cancer …

cancercenter.com/treatments/nanoknife

NanoKnife® Tissue Ablation System From …

angiodynamics.com/products/nanoknife

[PDF]Irreversible Electroporation (NanoKnife) - …

avmed.org

Cancer Immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapy is a type of treatment that fights cancer by using boosting the body’s immune system in some way to kill cancer.

Immunotherapies are categorized as:

active

passive

hybrid (active and passive).

Cancer Immunotherapy - American Cancer Society

cancer.org › Treatments and Side Effects › Treatment Types › Immunotherapy

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_immunotherapy

cancerresearch.org/cancer-immunotherapy

cancer.gov › … › Research Areas › Cancer Treatment Research

webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/immunotherapy

cancercenter.com/treatments/immunotherapy

cancer.net./understanding-immunotherapy

cnn.com/2017/06/02/health/immunotherapy-cancer-debate-explainer

scientificamerican.com/article/cancer-immunotherapy

mdanderson.org/treatment-options/immunotherapy.html

Active Specific Immunotherapy Vaccines

Active specific immunotherapy vaccines are given to the patient in an attempt to stimulate and strengthen the immune system’s response to cancer.

Some are vaccines but there are other methods.

Active Immunotherapy - CEL-SCI

cel-sci.com/active_immunotherapy.html

Active Specific Immunotherapy

researchgate.net

Active immunotherapy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_immunotherapy

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7055781

Active Non-Specific Immunotherapy/ Coley's Fluid

Coley’s fluid is a type of vaccine geared to strengthen the immune syatem.

topics.revolvy.com/topic/Active immunotherapy

pvanuden.com/2014/03/immunotherapy-to-cure-cancer-perhaps_21.html

cancercompassalternateroute.com/therapies/coleys-toxins

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_immunotherapy

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_immunotherapy

Poly-MVA

Lipoic acid is bound to Palladium (LAPd) and combined with minerals, vitamins and amino acids.

It has no side effects.

It is selective for malignant tissue.

polymva.com

Ultraviolet Therapy

A portion of a patient’s blood is withdrawn, exposed to ultraviolet light then out back into the patient’s body.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)

Oxygen is carried by red blood cells.

There is a limit to how much oxygen the cells can carry.

In a hyperbaric chamber, pure oxygen under pressure has the effect of dissolving oxygen into the plasma delivering much more oxygen into the body.

Oxygen is the enemy of cancer.

Epigenetics and Gene Therapy

Reprogram the cancer cell to turn on a “death” switch.

Enzymatic Therapy

Enzymes are natural proteins that stimulate and accelerate biological reactions in the body. Certain enzymes break down protective coating of cancer cells weakening them.

IV Chelation

This is a way to remove heavy metals from tissues and organs.

Removal of these poisons strengthens the body.

Oncothermia and Hyperthermia

The destructive force of heat, applied skillfully, can help to treat cancer.

Oxygenation, Ozonation, Ozone Therapy

Cancer cells thrive and grow only in an oxygen-poor environment.

Insulin Potentiated Oxidative Therapy (IPOT)

mega doses of vitamin C and oxygen to increase oxygen levels and create oxidative stress in and around cancer cells.

Insulin potentiation therapy (IPT)/ insulin-potentiated targeted low-dose (IPTLD)

When you get chemotherapy, they also administer insulin.

The dose of “chemo” is typically 10 to 15 percent of normal range.

Insulin allows chemotherapy to target cancer cells with far less side-effects.

Supposedly insulin makes cancer cells responsive to small

doses of chemotherapy because of insulin-like receptors on the cells.

cancertutor.com/ipt

preventcancer.aicr.org

GcMAF Treatment

GcMAF (Gc protein macrophage activation factor) is an immune-regulating compound that is supposedly manufactured in the body and isolated to be an immune booster.

It’s the human protein that keeps us cancer free.

gcmaf.se

gcmaf.biz

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gc-MAF

cancertutor.com/gcmaf-pot

betterhealthguy.com/gcmaf

facebook.com/FirstImmune

gcmaf.se/how-gcmaf-works

gcmaf.info

anticancerfund.org/therapies/gcmaf

BX Protocol

Looks like scam to me, them trying to be secretive about it like KFC’s secret chicken recipe.

youtube.com/user/BXPROTOCOL

rationalwiki.org/wiki/BX_Protocol

cancertutor.com/bx_energy_catalyst/)

bxprotocol.com

Riga Virus/ Rigvir Viral Therapy

Rigvir was developed at the August Kirchenstein Microbiological Institute at Rīga Stradiņš University in Latvia.

It is a cancer-killing virus called ECHO-7 which stands for

Enteric Cytopathic Human Orphan virus no. 7 found in the

intestines.

Rigvir contains live ECHO-7 viruses that have immune-modulating and cancer cell-killing properties.

eoncosurg.com/viroterapiya-novoe-v-lechenii-melanom

rigvir.com

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIGVIR

hope4cancer.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/rigvir-ebook.pdf ·

cancertutor.com/rigvir-virotherapy

wellness4cancer.com/treatments/rigvir-virotherapy

Electrodermal Screening (EAV)/ Electroacupuncture According to Voll (EAV)

A doctor measures the electrical conductance of the skin above an individual’s acupuncture point.

This measures electrical flow.

Based on this, they diagnose and treat you.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=electroacupuncture+voll

Chapter 4. Chemotherapy Guide

Chemotherapy Info

Chemotherapy helps about one of five recipients. It helps kill people.

C hemotherapy is the use of medic ines to help people with cancer. It is one therapy among several. Chemotherapy can be used in a number of ways depending on the type of cancer and its stage of development.

It can be used to cure cancer, to keep it from spreading, to slow its growth, to kill cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body and to relieve symptoms that may be caused by the cancer.

Although doctors could use only a single drug in treatment, generally chemotherapy drugs are more powerful when used in combination with each other.

There are currently about 80 types of chemotherapy drugs in use to fight cancer. The advantage of using several chemotherapy drugs at the same time is that each has a different action to eliminate cancer.

Some chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells so tumors may shrink or even disappear. Other drugs work by stopping cancer from spreading. Each anticancer drug has a different function. Together, they help maximize a patient's chances.

Combination use also reduces the chance that a person will develop a resistance to one particular drug.

Oftentimes, chemotherapy is used in conjunction with other treatments like surgery and/or radiation therapy.It could be used to shrink a tumor before surgery or radiation therapy is started (neoadjuvant therapy ) or used after surgery or radiation therapy to help destroy any remaining cancer cells (adjuvant therapy).

Depending on the type of cancer and the drug or drugs given, a person may receive chemotherapy these ways:

Orally, by mouth in a pill, capsule, or liquid form. This method may be less expensive since the drugs can be taken at home.

Intra-muscular injection, by injection into a muscle, under the skin, or directly into a cancerous area in the skin.

Transdermal, on the skin. The medication will be applied onto the surface of the skin.

Intravenous, into a vein. There are several ways this can be done. A needle inserted into a vein, usually on the forearm. The drug could be given over the spece of a few minutes which is called an intravenous (IV) push or as an infusion which can last 30 minutes or a few hours.

Intravenous infusions are also given by means of a skin catheter, a thin tube that is placed into a large vein in the body and remains there as long as it is needed. If using a catheter, sometimes a pump is used as well to help regulate the amount of drugs entering the body.

There are both internal and external pumps. External pumps are usually small, portable machines, often on wheels for maximum portability.

Internal pumps are placed surgically inside the body, usually right under the skin. They contain a small storage area that delivers the drugs into the catheter that goes to the vein or specific target site.

Chemotherapy can be expensive. Some health insurance plans will only cover it if done in a hospital not in a doctor's office. Some plans don't cover drugs not approved by the FDA.

If you have problems in this area, call the Assn. of Community Cancer Centers at accc-cancer.org, 301-984-9496, to see they can help you out.

Many cancer patients end up suing their health insurance company and winning.

If you have no health insurance, try the Social Security Disability Office, ssa.gov, medicare.gov, medicaid.gov, social assistance from your state health and human service office. Try the big societies and associations and the federal government's national institute of health for help too.

Make an appeal to the drug companies supplying your drug. Try the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers' Assn. at 800-pma-info and ask for their Directory of Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs.

The reactions are diverse. Some people can handle it, others get weak and disoriented.

Chemotherapy kills not just cancer cells, but all cells. Modern medicine simply hopes that it will kill the cancer cells before it has killed enough healthy ones to kill the patient.

Chemotherapy also kills the cells that form the immune system.

Try #616.994 or RC271 at the library.

Types of Chemical or Chemo Therapies

There are different chemicals and different methods to get them into the body and different ways they’re targeted, some at the whole body, some at a part of it.

Try these terms in search engines.

Low-dose cyclophosphamide

Hepatic Arterial Infusion (HAI)

Chemoembolization

Anti-Angiogenesis Drugs

Molecular And Genomic Testing

Circulating Tumor Cells (Cellsearch)

Monoclonal Antibodies

Immune Checkpoint Blockade (Icb)

Cancer Stem Cells (Cscs)

VeraStem and Defactinib (VS-6063)

BBI-608 (Napabucasin) and BBI-503

The LSU "Super Cocktail"

Chemotherapy Money Racket

A German epidemiologist, Dr. Ulrich Abel said:

the overall worldwide success rate of chemotherapy is ‘appalling’ because there is no scientific evidence available anywhere that chemotherapy can ‘extend the lives of patients

Chemotherapy is horrible to live with too after you do it. It’s a money-racket.

Chemotherapy kills a lot of people.

It’s a stupid gamble, zap your body all to crap in the hopes that you kill the disease.

Try quitting all sugar and using hemp.

Untreated Cancer Patients Live Four Times Longer Th an Treated Patients

You got three options:

conventional treatment

no treatment

alternative and self treatment

In 1975, the British medical journal Lancet reported on a study on chemotherapy where they concluded:

No treatment proved a significantly better policy for patients for survival and for quality of remaining life.

Before You Get Chemotherapy, Try to Get as Strong as You Can

I was listening to Gary Null who said he had a cancer convention some time ago.

One of the insights was that if you’re weak and get chemo, the chemo could kill you.

He said do as many healthy things as you can before you get chemo like:

detoxify your body

get rid of mercury fillings

eat health foods

drink green and black tea

eat probiotic foods like yogurt or sauerkraut

He’s on prn.fm or youtube. I listen to him. He’s one of the few people who’s up on almost everything. He’s way smarter than any average brainwashed doctor.

Chemotherapy Side Effects

You feel weak, tired, nauseous.

You might need help going to the bathroom.

You might have trouble swallowing.

Hair usually fall out. People often shave their heads or cut their hair before they get chemo.

Buy a wig or hats in advance.

Chemotherapy Websites

cancer researchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/treatment/chemothera py, Chemotherapy

cancerresearchuk.org

macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmenttype s/Chemotherapy/Chemotherapy.aspx, Chemotherapy

macmillan.org.uk

youtube.com, chemotherapy

chemocoach.com

chemoready.ca

cancer.gov/cancertopics/chemo-side-effects

jonbarron.org/newsletters/05/06062005.php

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chemotherapy chemotherapysideeffects.ca

immunesig.org/chemotherapynonxeno.html

cancer.gov/cancertopics/chemotherapy-and-you chemocareheadwear.com

cancer.gov, enter "chemotherapy and you."

cancer.med.upenn.edu/specialty/med_onc/chemo

cancersupportivecare.com/pharmacy

chemheritage.org/educationalservices

meds.com/dchome.html, chemotherapy info.

meds.com/mol/chem-you.html

/chemotherapy/chemoint.html

neupogen.com/pub/index1.htm

oncolink.upenn.edu/specialty/

oncolink.upenn.edu/specialty/alternative

oncolink.upenn.edu/specialty/med-onc

oncolink.upenn.edu/specialty/pain

oncolink.upenn.edu/specialty/ped-onc

oncolink.upenn.edu/specialty/rad-onc

oncolink.upenn.edu/specialty/surg-onc

tirgan.com/chemolst.htm, list of chemotherapy drugs.

yana.org, support for those going through chemotherapy.

Chemocare

800-55chemo

Support group.

Chemotherapy Foundation

183 Madison Ave.

#403

Nyc 10016

212-213-9292

Fax: 212-689-5164

Chapter 5. Radiation Therapy/ Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy Info

Radiation causes cancer yer they use it as a cancer therapy.

Radiation therapy, also known as radiotherapy, x-ray therapy or irradiation, is the treatment of cancer and other diseases by zapping infected areas with high-energy particles or waves such as x-rays, gamma rays, electrons and protons in order to destroy them.

Radiotherapy is the treatment of cancer with high-energy (ionising)

radiation.

Ionising radiation damages or destroys cells in the entire area being

treated so it destroys both cancer and healthy cells.

Most radiotherapy is delivered with external beam radiotherapy in the

form of high energy X-rays or Gamma rays from outside the body.

Internal radiotherapy is a process where a radioactive implant is

surgically placed near a tumor inside the body.

Radiation therapy is the primary treatment for some types of cancer, such as certain non-melanoma skin cancers, some head and neck cancers, early stage Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and some cancers of the lung, breast, cervix, prostate, testes, bladder, thyroid and brain.

In the pre-surgical assessment called a simulation, the patient will lay on a table while the radiation therapist uses an x-ray machine to define the exact place on the body where the treatment will be aimed.

He then marks the area with a marker which is where the radiation will be beamed when the therapy is done.

While other cancer therapies affect the entire body, the advantage of radiation therapy is that it affects only the tumor and the surrounding area.

Although normal cells in the field of treatment will be affected by radiation, most appear to recover fully from the effects of the treatment.

For some kinds of cancer, radiation alone can cure the cancer. It is more likely, however, to be used in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, or biologic therapy.

Radiation therapy is administered in two forms: external and internal. Some people receive both types of therapy.

External radiation, also-called external beam radiation, uses a machine that directs high-energy rays at the cancer and some normal surrounding tissue.

Internal radiation therapy, also-called brachytherapy, places the source of the high-energy rays as close as possible to the cancer cells so that fewer normal cells are exposed to radiation. With internal radiation therapy, the doctor can give a higher total dose of radiation than with external treatment.

With internal radiation, instead of using a large radiation machine, the radioactive material is placed directly into or as close as possible to the affected area. Some of the radioactive substances used for internal radiation treatment include radium, cesium, iridium, iodine, phosphorus and palladium.

Internal radiation therapy often is used for cancers in sensitive areas such as cancers of the head and neck, breast, uterus, thyroid, cervix and prostate.

Types of Radiation Therapy

Try these terms in search engines.

Proton Beam Therapy (PBT)

Sir Spheres®

Intraoperative Radiation Therapy

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

Fractionated Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Total Body Irradiation

Radiation Therapy Websites

hps.org, health physics society, radiation protection.

rtog.org, radiation therapy oncology group.

rtanswers.org

cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/therapy/radiation

cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/radiation-therapy-and-you, Radiation Therapy and You

youtube.com, radiotherapy treatment.

cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/treatment/radiotherapy, Radiotherapy

macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmenttypes/Radiotherapy/Radiotherapy.aspx, Radiotherapy

cancer.net/all-about-cancer/cancernet-feature-articles/treatments-tests-and-procedures/understanding-radiation-therapy, Understanding

Radiation Therapy

cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/treatmenttypes/radiation/understandingradiationtherapyaguideforpatientsandfamilies/understanding-radiation-therapy-intro, Understanding Radiation Therapy: A Guidefor Patients and Families

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Brachytherapy Info

Brachytherapy is a therapy where radioactive pellets (seeds) or wires are placed in the body.

A doctor uses ultrasound, x-rays or CT scans to see the tumor then place the pellet close to it.

Brachytherapy is used with prostate, cervical, endometrial and other cancers.

Different types are:

Interstitial radiation, the radiation seed is placed into or next to the tumor

Intracavitary radiation, a container of radioactive material is placed in a cavity such as the chest, rectum, uterus or vagina.

The seeds might be left there after their radioactive material is used

up.

macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmenttypes/Radiotherapy/Internalradiotherapy/Brachytherapy.aspx, Brachytherapy

cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/treatment/radiotherapy/internal, Internal radiotherapy

americanbrachytherapy.org/aboutbrachytherapy/index.cfm, About

Brachytherapy

youtube.com, Brachytherapy

cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/treatmenttypes/radiatio

n/radiationtherapyprinciples/radiation-therapy-principles-how-is-radiation-given-internal-radiation, Internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy)

prostatepointers.org/SeedPods, SeedPods

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Treatment, Brachytherapy

americanbrachytherapy.org, American Brachytherapy Society

estro.org/about/governance-organisation/committees-activities/gec-estro-brachytherapy-committee-activities, GEC-ESTRO Brachytherapy Committee

Radiation Therapy Journals

karger.com/frato, Frontiers of Radiation Therapy and Oncology

sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03603016, International Journal of

Radiation Oncology Biology Physics

sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18798, Practical Radiation

Oncology

pubmedcentral.gov/tocrender.fcgi?journal=402, Radiation Oncology

journals.elsevier.com/seminars-in-radiation-oncology, Seminars in

Radiation Oncology

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Radiation Oncology Websites

americanbrachytherapy.org, American Brachytherapy Society.

acro.org, American College of Radiation Oncology, ACRO.

USA

astro.org, American Society for Radiation Oncology, ASTRO.

USA

abro-bvro.be, Belgian Association of Oncological Radiotherapy,

ABRO.

Belgium

aroi.org, Association of Radiation Oncologists of India, AROI.

India

radioterapiaitalia.it, Italian Association of Radiation Oncology,

AIRO.

Italy

caro-acro.ca, Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology, CARO.

Canada

degro.org, German Society of Radiation Oncology, DEGRO.

Germany

estro.org, European Society for Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology,

ESTRO.

Europe

oncol.hu/husro/index2.htm, Hungarian Society for Radiation

Oncology, HUSRO.

Hungary

ntro.com.au, Northern Territory Radiation Oncology, NTRO.

Australia

intpros.org, Paediatric Radiation Oncology Society, PROS.

International

rtog.org, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, RTOG.

running radiotherapy trials

USA

multibriefs.com/briefs/acro, RadOnc Weekly.

by the American College of Radiation Oncology.

USA

srrom.ro, Romanian Society for Radiotherapy and Medical Oncology,

RSRMO.

Romania

sasro.ch, Scientific Association of Swiss Radiation Oncology,

SASRO.

Switzerland

sfro.org, French Society of Radiation Oncology, SFRO.

France

sroa.org, Society for Radiation Oncology Administrators, SROA.

USA

sascro.co.za, South African Society for Clinical and Radiation

Oncologists, SASCRO.

South Africa

satro.org, Southern Association of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology,

SATRO.

USA

srobf.cz, Spoleonost radiaoni onkologie biologie a

fyziky, SROBF.

Czech Republic

radonc.stanford.edu, Stanford University School of Medicine;

Department of Radiation Oncology.

USA

trod.org.tr, Turkish Society for Radiation Oncology, TROD.

Turkey

keck.usc.edu/en/Education/Academic_Department_and_Divisions/Department_of_Radiation_Oncology.aspx, University of Southern

California; Department of Radiation Oncology.

USA

isro.org.ir, Iranian Society of Radiation Oncology, ISRO.

Iran

eng.kosro.or.kr, Korean Society for Radiation Oncology, KOSRO.

Oncologist Job Websites/ Cancer Doctor

American Board of Internal Medicine ABIM

510 Walnut Street, Suite 1700

Philadelphia, PA 19106-3699

800 441-2246

abim.org

American Cancer Society ACS

250 Williams St., NW

Atlanta, GA 30303

800 227-2345

cancer.org

American Society of Clinical Oncology ASCO

2318 Mill Road, Suite 800

Alexandria, VA 22314-6834

888 651-3038

contactus@cancer.net

asco.org

SEIU. Doctors Council SEIU

50 Broadway, 11th Floor, Suite 1101

New York, NY 10004

855 362-7348

info@doctorscouncil.org

doctorscouncil.org

Radiation Therapy Oncology Group RTOG

1818 Market Street, Suite 1720

Philadelphia, PA 19103-3609

215 574-3150

rtog.org

The Union of American Physicians

Dentists

180 Grand Avenue, Suite 1380

Oakland, CA 94612

800 622-0909

uapd@uapd.com

uapd.com

Chapter 6. Biological Therapies/ Targeted Therapies / Biological Response Modifiers (BRM)

Biological Therapies/ Targeted Therapies/ Biological Response Modifiers (BRM)

Biological Therapies use the following things to fight cancer and other diseases called

biological materials or biological response modifiers:

Genes

Cells

Tissues

organs

Serumvaccines

humoral agents.

They may be used to stimulate the immune system to fight cancer, control the cancer cells, kill them or otherwise make the patient feel healthier.

macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmenttypes/Biologicaltherapies/Biologicaltherapies.aspx, Biological or targeted therapies

cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/treatment/biological, Biological therapy

oncolink.org/treatment/article1.cfm?c=231&id=333, Biologic Therapy: The Guide

cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/biological, Biological Therapies for Cancer

cancerresearch.org, Cancer Research Institute

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Biological Therapies, Search PubMed database for Biological Therapies, Biological Therapies

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Biological Therapy

isicr.org, International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research

sitcancer.org, Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

cancer.gov/flash/targetedtherapies/flex/main.html#app=931b&121b-i d=M01-S01-A0, Understanding Targeted Therapies.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors

Angiogenesis is a process that forms new blood vessels. Tumors need new blood to bring them glucose and other nutrients so that they can thrive, grow and multiply.

If you inhibit the growth of new blood vessels, you can slow the tumor growth process down.

Inhibitors work in different ways:

by blocking angiogenesis growth, substances, such as VEGF promote the process of developing blood vessels.

blocking signalling within the cells, Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors prevent VEGF receptors from sending growth signals into the cell

acting on the chemical messengers

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angiogenesis_inhibitor, Angiogenesis inhibitor.

cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/angiogenesis-inhibitors, Angiogenesis Inhibitors.

cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/treatment/biological/t ypes/drugs-that-block-cancer-blood-vessel-growth, Drugs block cancer blood vessel growth (anti angiogenics).

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Angiogenesis Inhibitors

listserv.acor.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ACOR.EXE?A0=ANGIOGEN, ANGIOGEN.

link.springer.com/journal/1043, Angiogenesis.

angio.org, Angiogenesis Foundation.

fdg.unimaas.nl/angiogenesislab/default.htm, Angiogenesis Laboratory Amsterdam.

youtube.com, Angiogenesis and Cancer

Monoclonal Antibodies

The immune system has cells that recognize toxic cells and fight them.

Monoclonal antibodies are these types of antibody cells made in a laboratory, designed to attach to receptors on cancer cells and kill them.

This is a targeted therapy, geared to kill cancer cells only unlike chemotherapy which is geared to kill all cells.

There are several types of monoclonal antibody treatments like:

signal the immune system to attack the cancer cells, cause the cell to destroy itself (apoptosis)

block the receptor from binding with protein

cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/treatment/biological/t ypes/about-monoclonal-antibodies, About monoclonal antibodies.

cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/treatmenttypes/immun otherapy/immunotherapy-monoclonal-antibodies, Monoclonal antibodies.

macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmenttype s/Biologicaltherapies/Monoclonalantibodies/Monoclonalantibodies.aspx, Monoclonal antibodies.

cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Therapy/targeted, Targeted Cancer Therapies.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Interferon alpha Websites

Type I interferons are produced by peripheral blood leukocytes and lymphoblastoid cells to protect the body from toxins.

They attach to immune system cells, activating them to fight infections and cancer cells.

Artificial versions are used for immunotherapy to boost the body's immune system.

A sub-type, Alpha interferons, are used to treat leukemias and lymphomas, skin melanomas, Kaposi sarcoma, etc.

cancer.ie/cancer-information/treatments/biological-therapies/interfero n, Interferon.

cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/treatment/cancer-dru gs/interferon, Interferon (Intron A).

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a690006.html, Interferon Alfa-2a and Alfa-2b Injection.

macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmenttype s/Biologicaltherapies/Interferon.aspx, Interferon alpha

cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/guidetocancerdrugs/int erferons-alfa, Interferons, Alfa.

isicr.org, International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research.

liebertpub.com/jir, Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research.

Interleukin 2 (Aldesleukin) Websites

Interleukin 2 (Aldesleukin)/ Interleukin 2 (IL-2) is a signaling protein important within immune system function. Cytokine is made by T-lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. It stimulates the immune system.

Aldesleukin/ Interleukin 2 made in the laboratory can be used to boost the immune system.

pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?sid=134224740&l oc=es_rss, 2D structure of Interleukin II

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a692009.html, Aldesleukin

evidence.nhs.uk/medicine/aldesleukin, Aldesleukin

macmillan.org.uk/Cancerinformation/Cancertreatment/Treatmenttype s/Biologicaltherapies/Aldesleukin.aspx, Aldesleukin

cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/treatment/cancer-dru gs/aldesleukin-or-il2, Aldesleukin or IL-2

cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/guidetocancerdrugs/int erleukin-2, Interleukin-2 (Aldesleukin)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed

Chapter 7. Cryosurgery and Cancer

Cryosurgery in Gen eral For Wart and Heel Spur Removal

Cryosurgery is a method of super-freezing tissue using liquid nitrogen in order to destroy it.

Cryosurgery has often been used to freeze off warts, heel spurs and other skin abrasions in the hands and feet.

The technique is also used to treat cancerous tumors, mostly in the liver, prostate and cervix.

berkeley.edu/cryosurgery, american college of cryosurgery.

cryogenicsociety.org/cryo_central/cryosurgery.php, cryogenic society of america.

boccryospeed.co.uk/cryospeed/equipment/cryosurgery_equipment/index.asp, supplies liquid oxygen, nitrogen.

britannica.com/eb/article-9028074/cryosurgery

brymill.com/cryosurgery_faqs.html

cryoforum.org

cryosurgery.at

cryosurgery-plantar-fasciitis.dzca.com

drhowardpenn.com/cryosurgery.shtml, podiatry.

egeneralmedical.com/egeneralmedical/brymcryogsys.html, cryosurgery equipment.

ellisfischel.org/liver/cryotherapy.shtml

familydoctor.org/105.xml, wart removal.

footfreezer.com

general-anaesthesia.com/cryosurgery.html

heelspurs.com/bbs/bbi.cgi?s=cry

miami-med.com/cryosurgery1.htm

nemc.org/urology/q8.htm, are there any side effects after cryosurgery?

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002322.htm

pamkirby.com/static.php?art=cryosurg

phoenix5.org/articles/krcryosurgery0215.html

rattler.cameron.edu/iceballs/

skinstreet.net/cryosurgery.html

Cryosurgery/ Cryotherapy/ Cryoablation For Cancer

Cryosurgery is a method of super-freezing tissue using liquid nitrogen in order to destroy it.

Cryosurgery has often been used to freeze off warts, heel spurs and other skin abrasions in the hands and feet.

The technique is also used to treat cancerous tumors, mostly in the liver, prostate and cervix.

The tumor is frozen, turned into an ice ball and removed as dead tissue.

berkeley.edu/cryosurgery, american college of cryosurgery.

cryogenicsociety.org/cryo_central/cryosurgery.php, cryogenic society of america.

cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/therapy/cryosurgery

cis./fact/7_34.htm

clinicaltrials.gov, cryosurgery trials in liver cancer.

cyrosurgerygyncancers. dead website/library/weekly/aa120302a.htm, cryosurgery of the cervix.

endometrial verywell.com/overview-of-cancer-4014677, cryosurgery of the cervix

graylab.ac.uk/cancernet/600734.html

healthlink.mcw.edu/article/957905401.html, cryosurgery freezes and kills liver tumors.

justeves.com/surgeries/cervical_cryosurgery.shtml, for cervical cancer.

myosarcoma.org.uk/rfa.htm, radio frequency ablation [rfa]cryosurgery.

livercancer.com/treatments/cryosurgery.html

livercancertreatment.org/treatment/cryosur gery.asp

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002322.htm

phoenix5.org/articles/krcryosurgery0215.html

sarcoma.org/main.php?page=cryo

ucop.edu/srphome/bcrp/progressreport/abstracts/innov/2cb-0034.html, cryosurgery in breast cancer.

Cryoablation for Cancer

Cryoablation is a treatment usig extreme cold to kill cancer cells.

A thin, wand-like needle called a cryoprobe is inserted through the skin into the tumor.

A gas is pumped into the cryoprobe to freeze the tissue.

The tissue thawa and dies.

mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cryoablation-for-cancer/basics/definition/prc-20022444

mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/cryoablation-for-cancer/basics.

cancercenter.com/treatments/cryoablation

breastlink.com/blog/cryoablation-breast-cancer-tumor

galilmedical.com/treatments/kidney-cancer

ablativeoncology.uci.edu/more-kidney.asp

Cryosurgery For Prostate Cancer

Cryosurgery is a m ethod of super-freezing

tissue using liquid nitrogen in order to destroy it.

Cryosurgery has often been used to freeze off warts, heel spurs and other skin abrasions in the hands and feet.

The technique is also used to treat cancerous tumors, mostly in the liver, prostate and cervix.

The tumor is frozen, turned into an ice ball and removed as dead tissue.

berkeley.edu/cryosurgery, american college of cryosurgery.

cryogenicsociety.org/cryo_central/cryosurgery.php, cryogenic society of america.

cancer.org, effects from cryosurgery.

cancernews.com/cryosurgery.htm

cis./fact/7_34.htm

cryosurgery.co.uk/qanda.html

drbevan-thomas.com/cryosurgery-prostate-california.htm, san ramon, ca.

dukehealth.org/services/prostatecancer/treatments/cryosurgery

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cryosurgery

general-anaesthesia.com/cryosurgery.html

hopeforprostatecancer.com, florida.

nemc.org/urology/q8.htm, are there any side effects after cryosurgery?

nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002322.htm

pamkirby.com/static.php?art=cryosurg

phoenix5.org/articles/krcryosurgery0215.html

prostate.com

prostate-cancer.org.uk/info/treatment_cryosurgery.asp

prostate-cancer-institute.org

prostatefoundation.org

rattler.cameron.edu/iceballs/

sarcoma.org/main.php?page=cryo

sjo.org, st. joseph hospital, advanced medical care for prostate cancer patients, orange, ca.

skinstreet.net/cryosurgery.html

uant.com, urology associates of north texas.

upmccancercenters.com/cancer/prostate/cryosurgery.html

urologychannel.com/cryosurgery, michigan.

Chapter 8. Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation/ BMT

Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation Websites

In a bone marrow transplant, BMT, marrow with healthy stem

cells is added to replace the cells damaged by the radiation therapy so

that the patient can produce blood cells again.

Allogenic transplants are when marrow is donated by another person.

Autologous transplants happen when cells are taken from the patient, stored, then reinfused following some toxic therapy.

Syngenic transplants are when the donor is an identical twin.

neorcc.on.ca/research/estemcell.htm, Autologous Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation following High Dose Chemotherapy (N.E. Ontario Regional Cancer Center, Canada)

bonemarrow.org, Bone Marrow Foundation; Lifeline Online (USA)

acor.org/diseases/hematology/Leukemia/bmtctrs.html, Bone Marrow Transplant Resources (Leukemia Links)

bmtsupport.ie, Bone Marrow Transplant Support Group (Ireland)

imsdd.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/400110.html, Bone Marrow Transplantation and Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation booklet

hslc.org/emb/bctoc.html, ECRI Patient Reference Guide: High-dose chemotherapy with BMT for breast cancer

royalmarsden.org.uk/patientinfo/booklets/ibone_marrow/index.asp, Going home after a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant (Royal Marsden Hospital, UK)

listserv.acor.org/archives/gvhd.html, GVHD; Email Support Group for post BMT patients (ACOR)

leukemia-lymphoma.org/CMS/body.cgi?action=static&v=PF&pageI D=3243418, I'm Having a Bone Marrow Transplant (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, USA) a coloring book

icla.org, Icla da Silva Foundation non profit organization providing assistance to families with children

ai.mit.edu/people/laurel/laurel.html, Laurel Simmons' Home Page (BMT/ Leukemia info)

links to cancer resources.

chsys.org/Speciality_Care/lowder_stem_cell_transplant_unit.htm, Lowder Stem Cell Transplant Unit

The Children's Hopspital in Birmingham, Alabama.

transplantfund.org, National Transplant Assistance Fund (USA)

cancerbacup.org.uk/info/stemcell.htm, Understanding Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplants (BACUP, UK)

peds.umn.edu/divisions/bmt/directory.html, University of Minnesota; Pediatrics: Division of BMT

peds.umn.edu/Centers/BMT, Universityof Minnesota: Bone Marrow Transplant Program (USA)

World Registries and Transplantation Programs

The more similar the donor's HL-A antigens are to the patient, the less likely the transplant will rejected.

Registries find the donors with the best match.

cursitor.com/aclt, African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (UK)

abmdr.org, American Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR)

ashi-hla.org, American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI)

anthonynolan.org.uk, Anthony Nolan Trust (UK)

the UK register of potential donors.

binger.re.uokhsc.edu/sections/hemaonco/bbmt.htm, Blood and Marrow Transplant Program; Oklahoma University/ Columbia Presbyterian Hospital (USA)

Children's Hospital of Oklahoma

ch.nus.sg:80/bmdp, Bone Marrow Donor Programme (Singapore)

bmdw.org, Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide

iccbmt.com, Bone Marrow, Cord Blood and Stem Cell Transplant Program (University Hospitals Ireland Cancer Center, Cleveland, USA)

crir.org, Caitlin Raymond International Registry (USA)

ibmtr.org, International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry/ ABMTR

fgm.fr, Le registre Francais Des Donneurs Volontaires De Moelle Osseuse (France) French language.

mgh.harvard.edu/depts/HEME-ONC/BMT.htm, Massachusetts General Hospital Bone Marrow Transplant Center (Harvard University)

marrow.org, National Marrow Donor Program (USA) NMDP

bloodntissue.org, South Texas Blood and Tissue Center (USA)

uchsc.edu/uh/marrow/www, University of Colorodo Bone Marrow Transplant Program (USA)

zkrd.uni-ulm.de, Zentrales Knochenmarkspenderregister fcr die Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Germany)

BMT Newsletters/ Discussion Lists

listserv.acor.org/archives/bmt-talk.html2, BMT-TALK (ACOR)

Cord Blood

The umbilical cord connects a baby to the placenta supplying blood and nutrients. Stem cells from the cord blood are being used as an alternative to bone marrow for treating some types of cancers and blood disorders.

An expectant mother can:

donate the cord to a public bank

pay a commercial company to save the cord blood for possible use in the future if the child gets cancer

rmoldwin.bsd.uchicago.edu/CordBlood/CCCBB_Frame_Page.htm, Chicago Community Cord Blood Bank (USA

corcell.com, CorCell $ A company providing cord blood storage facilities

cordblooddonor.org, Cord Blood Donor Foundation (USA) a not-for-profit public benefit organisation

cordblood.com, Cord Blood Registry largest private cord blood bank in the world.

leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_mat_toc.adp?item_id=9622412, Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, USA) Fact Sheet

lifebank.com, Lifebank (Canada) A Vancouver based commercial company cord blood storage

cordbloodbank.co.uk, UK Cord Blood Bank (UK) A private bank

uscryo.com/bio.html, United States Center for Cord Blood Florida based company

BMT Websites for Health Professionals

anthonynolan.com/research.html, Anthony Nolan Research Institute (Royal Free Hospital, London, UK)

listserv.acor.org/archives/bmt-dr.html, BMT-DR Email List

Medical Professionals involved in BMT

naturesj.com/bmt, Bone Marrow Transplantation (Journal)

bshi.org.uk, British Society of Immunogenetics and Histocompatibility (BSHI)

path.upmc.edu/cases/case67.html, Case study (Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh)

mdacc.tmc.edu/~citm3, Current Issues in Transplant Medicine; Newsletter (MD Anderson Cancer Center)

ebmt.org, European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT)

unmc.edu/Community/fahct/Default.htm, Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT)

citi2.fr/MARGRITE/margrite.html, Marrow Graft Integrated Telematics in Europe (MAGRITE)

bmdw.org/ebmt/ebmtnews.html, News from the European Bone Marrow Transplant Group

mc.duke.edu/9200bmt/329, Nurses of Duke University Medical Center's Adult Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant Program

Chapter 9. Side-Effects after Treatment

Lymphology and Lymphedema/ Swelling

imsdd.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet

imsdd.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/442.html, Lymphedema (CancerNet) Patients information about lymphedema

lymphaticresearch.org, Lymphatic Research Foundation

royalmarsden.org.uk/patientinfo/booklets/lymphoedema/index.asp, Lymphoedema (Royal Marsden Hospital, UK)

royalmarsden.org.uk/patientinfo/booklets/lymphoedema_guide/index.asp, Lymphoedema; A guide for cancer patients

lymphoedema.org.au, Lymphoedema Association of Australia

snonet.org/lana/3323, Lymphology Association of North America

lymphnet.org1, National Lymphedema Network

lymphedema.com, Peninsula Medical, Inc. Information about Lymphedema

cancerbacup.org.uk/info/lymphedema.htm

imsdd.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/300442.html, Physician's PDQ Statement for Lymphedema (CancerNet)

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Nausea and Vomiting

A number of cancer treatments make people feel queasy.

hmc.psu.edu/hematology/homeguide/nausea.htm, pediatric hematology/oncology.

cancerbackup.org.uk/resourcessupport/symptomssideeffects/othersymptomssideeffects/nauseavomiting

cancernausea.com

cancer.gov, enter "nausea" for info about cancer sickness.

chemocare.com/managing/nausea_vomiting__chemotherapy.asp

imsdd.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/34466.html, Nausea and vomiting (CancerNet) Patient's information

royalmarsden.org.uk/patientinfo/booklets/coping/nausea.asp, Coping with nausea and vomiting (Royal Marsden Hospital, UK)

mskcc.org/patients_n_public/about_cancer_and_treatment/side_effec ts/nausea_and_vomiting.html, Nausea and Vomiting

imsdd.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/304466.html, Physician's PDQ Statement for Nausea and vomiting (CancerNet)

Cancer Fatigue Websites

listserv.acor.org/archives/cancer-fatigue.html

cancerfatigue.org, Oncology Nursing Society,USA

imsdd.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/34461.html, Fatigue

leukemia-lymphoma.org, Fatigue (Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, USA)

mskcc.org/patients_n_public/about_cancer_and_treatment/side_effec ts/fatigue_and_anemia.html363, Fatigue and Anemia

imsdd.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/304461.html, Physician's PDQ Statement for Fatigue in Cancer Patients

Rehabilitation after Cancer

aapmr.org, American Academy of Physical Medicine andRehabilitation (USA)

naric.com/naric/home.html, National Rehabilitation Center HomePage (USA)

icic./imperatives/trtmnt.htm, Physiologic Long-Term and Late Effects of Cancer Treatment

Volume 14. Free Bloch Cancer Foundation Ebook about Cancer Therapies

Chapter 1. blochcancer.org/books/guide-for-cancer-supporters, Free ebook

Book Summary, The Guide for Cancer Supporters Step-by-step ways to help a relative or friend fight cancer

The Guide for Cancer Supporters Step-by-step ways to help a relative or friend fight cancer by Annette and Richard Bloch is a free ebook online:

blochcancer.org/books/guide-for-cancer-supporters

lochcancer.org/book/guide_for_cancer_supporters.pdf

R. A. Bloch Cancer Foundation, Inc

One H&R Block Way

Kansas City, Missouri 64105

816-854-5050

800-433-0464

BlochCancer.org

hotline@blochcancer.org

Learn about the disease, especially the holistic treatments.

Understand the patient that you’re helping. Ask them what they want. Know their personality like when they want to be alone. Know when to push them to get out of bed to do stuff.

Make a decision to fight.

Don’t listen too much to the conventional medical people. They’re so brainwashed by chemo, surgery and radiation/

Be realistic. When someone is going to die, don’t shy away. Be brave. Help them through it.

Replace nonactivity and depression with any kind of action. Action is the key to a good life.

Be positive.

This book has a section on Treatments which I will reproduce here:

Surgery

Chemotherapy

Gene Therapy

Radiation Therapy

Immunization Therapy

Hyperthermia

Hormonal Manipulation

Dye-Laser

Monoclonal Antibodies

Common Cancer Terms in Lay Language

With all your concern for the patient, do not forget to take care of yourself.

If you allow yourself to get overly tired, run down and ill, you will not only be of no possible help, but possibly a hindrance. Instead of an asset, you could become a burden at least emotionally if not physically.

Pace yourself.

Give yourself space.

Limit your time spent with the patient and allow yourself time for outside activities.

Get away by yourself or with others and clear your mind. In this way, you can actually do more for the patient in the long run.

Eat well.

Sleep well.

Take care of yourself.

Your goal is to have the patient recover and have the best quality of life possible.

Do everything you can that will help and nothing that will hurt their chances of recovery and their long term quality of life.

Don't be afraid to use the word cancer. Call it what it is.

Make it clear that you are with the patient to help and give support, not to offer sympathy. Be calm and just be there.

Be a good listener.

If the patient expresses feelings of being a burden, reassure them by saying you have chosen freely to be there.

Treat the patient as if you expect them to live. You need not believe they will, you only need believe they can recover.

Have patience. Not everyone hears the information the first time.

Don't be afraid to cry with the patient and family. This can lead to meaningful conversations.

Don't tell them to keep a stiff upper lip or keep smiling. You can say it must be very hard or very tiring or very frightening.

Allow them to express anger when it is to relieve stress.

Express love, caring and concern verbally and through actions at every opportunity. Letters, cards and flowers are tangible methods.

Cancer is not contagious. Touch, hug, kiss. Human contact is very necessary.

The patient needs reassurance that you love them even though their physical appearance might have changed.

Give them something special they might not want to buy for themself.

Provide companionship with the patient during meals and other appropriate times.

Act cheerful whenever you are around the patient. Being depressed and gloomy is contagious and the patient could catch it.

Be completely honest with the patient in a constructive and optimistic manner.

Keep no secrets from the patient.

Do not whisper to others in front of the patient.

Think of the patient as an individual, a unique human being, not a statistic.

Discuss all the normal things with the patient that they have always been interested in. While cancer might have become the dominant item in their life, their interests have not changed.

Encourage the patient to believe that their actions could make a difference in the outcome and the quality of their life.

Make no prognosis. It can only cast doubts on your credibility.

See that the patient makes a verbal commitment to do everything in their power to fight the disease.

Allow the patient to make all their own decisions when possible.

Encourage the patient to learn everything about their cancer that they can.

Make them do everything for themselves that they can. This includes making telecalls, reading, keeping lists, scheduling appointments and doing personal things.

See that they treat their cancer promptly, properly and thoroughly.

Make certain their doctor is qualified to treat them and believes he can successfully treat them.

See that they relate well to their physician. Have them write down all their questions before seeing their physician and make sure they understand the answers.

Be certain they read, understand and practice everything in Fighting Cancer.

They should understand each component of their treatment as to what it is, what it is supposed to do and how it is supposed to do it.

If the patient has adverse side effects from treatments, encourage them to realize what it is doing to those weak cancer cells.

Keep pleasant activities planned for the future.

True love is never having to say, "I'm sorry." Erase that phrase from your vocabulary. Sympathize with them, not for them.

See that the patient spends 15 minutes, 3 times a day practicing relaxation and visual imagery.

Be certain the patient takes the mental attitude quiz in the book Fighting Cancer

Get the patient into one or more support groups or set one up. Join one yourself if available.

Plan regular physical exercise in accordance with their abilities.

Advise the patient that you are saying prayers for them and urge them to say prayers for themself.

Do not assume the patient is going to die. Many are cured.

See that the patient eats a well-balanced diet sufficient to maintain their strength and their weight.

A pet can be very beneficial in providing a purpose, companionship, pleasant tasks in caring and amusement.

Tape record messages, favorite music or books.

Share your feelings with the children. Allow them to participate and help with the care. Help them talk and share their feelings.

Encourage the patient to keep as physically and mentally active as they are capable.

Don't be afraid to be funny and laugh. Laughter is therapy. Rent funny movies. Give joke books.

Do not tell horror stories of other cancer patients.

Talk about past occasions and reminisce about good times. Discuss how they have been special and meaningful to your life.

Never discourage an optimistic outlook.

See that the patient keeps themself clean and neat at all times. Personal hygiene is very important.

Provide pedicure, manicure, hair stylist or pretty scarves - anything to build their self-esteem. Give a make-up lesson or gentle massage.

Encourage a second opinion.

See that they keep all appointments on time.

Do not encourage the patient to try alternative therapies.

As the patient gets better, do not diminish your attention to them. Subconsciously, they may wish themself ill only to regain your lost attention.

Take care of yourself.

Do everything you can as the opportunity presents itself so that you will never look back and say, "I wish I would have"

You did not create the problem.

You did not cause the problem.

You have no control over the outcome.

Regardless of the results, if you care and do everything possible at the time, there can be no blame.

You tried your best and that is all any human being can do.

With your help, the medical team's help and the patient's efforts, let's hope and pray that the outcome is every bit as good as can be desired.

Be considerate of yourself. Remember that you are a supporter, not a magician.

You cannot change anyone else. You can only change the way you relate to them.

Find a hermit spot. Use it daily.

Give support, encouragement and praise to friends and professionals. Learn to accept it in return.

At times you are bound to feel helpless. That is normal. Don't be hard on yourself.

Change your routine often and your tasks when you can.

Recognize the difference between complaining that relieves and complaining that reinforces negative stress.

Each night, focus on a good thing that happened during the day.

Be a resource to yourself.

If you never say "no," what is your "yes" worth?

Don't feel guilty when you take time off for yourself.

Winner vs. Loser

The Winner is always part of the answer.

The Loser is always part of the problem.

The Winner always has a program.

The Loser always has an excuse.

The Winner says, "Let me do it for you."

The Loser says, "That's not my job."

The Winner sees an answer for every problem.

The Loser sees a problem for every answer.

The Winner sees a green near every sand trap.

The Loser sees sand traps near every green.

The Winner says, "It may be difficult but it is possible."

The Loser says, "It may be possible but it is too difficult."

Be a Winner!

Surgery

At a meeting at the National Cancer Institute, we were told that today surgery is given credit for 60% of those cured from cancer.

Radiation therapy is credited for 25% and chemotherapy 15%.

As you can see from these statistics, if someone has a tumor that is surgically removable, their case has an optimistic outlook.

But don't get the wrong impression.

First of all, not too many years ago surgery was the only possible treatment for cancer.

Therefore, surgery's current cure rate of 60% is a reduction from 100% a short time ago.

Secondly, don't confuse inoperable with incurable.

Maybe they sound somewhat alike, but they don't mean anything similar.

Inoperable means that at the moment, in the opinion of the doctor who is examining you, it cannot be operated on.

It does not mean that the patient cannot be successfully treated without surgery.

Also, it does not mean that other treatments could not make the patient operable.

In my case, radiation and chemotherapy reduced the size of the tumor to the point where it was operable.

In addition, it does not necessarily mean that another surgeon with more experience or skills could not successfully perform the surgery.

Surgery, other than taking a biopsy or debulking a tumor, is generally used in cancer treatment only when it can cure a patient or solve a particular problem, such as a stopped-up colon or ureter.

Therefore, if surgery cannot be expected to completely cure a patient, it would not be considered the treatment of choice and other options should be examined.

There is no reason to debilitate the patient, postponing possibly curative treatments, for the sake of performing surgery.

Furthermore, in my personal opinion, while surgery is properly given credit for 60% of those cured from cancer, I believe that failure to give additional treatments prior to or following surgery is responsible for many of the deaths from cancer.

I was given radiation first to make my tumor operable, but I was also given a short course of chemotherapy prior to surgery so that my cancer would not metastasize during the period of time I was recuperating from the surgery.

That is why I urge every patient to receive a multidisciplinary opinion prior to any treatment, or to confirm with a board-certified oncologist the surgeon's statement that no further treatments are necessary.

Some refuse surgery because of the fear that it will spread cancer.

This should never be a concern.

In the hands of a properly trained surgeon today, cancer cannot and will not be spread because of surgery.

Since surgery is the treatment of choice in many cancers, the National Cancer Institute is proposing to direct a major expenditure for improving the use of surgery in cancer cases.

At the beginning of a presentation on improving surgery, we were given a note of caution in the form of a quotation from an eminent surgeon: "There must be a final limit to the development of manipulative surgery.

The knife cannot always have fresh fields for conquest and although methods of practice may be modified and varied and even improved to some extent, it must be within a certain limit, that this limit has nearly if not quite been reached.

It will appear evident if we reflect on the great achievements of modern operative surgery; very little remains for the boldest to devise or the most dexterous to perform." This quote is from Sir John Erickson and was published in Lancet, a leading British medical publication on June 15, 1863!

Chemotherapy

Once the black sheep of cancer treatments, chemotherapy has become the leading weapon for increasing the number of patients who can be cured of cancer.

At the same time, researchers are reducing the debilitating side effects that chemotherapy patients have typically had to endure.

"When chemotherapy was developed in the 1950's, cancer statistics were pretty much static," observed Dr.

Bruce Chabner, head of the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Treatment.

"Surgery had gone as far as it could go in curing local disease and the radiation therapy of the 1960's and 1970's only improved the cure of local and regional disease.

Unfortunately, at the time of diagnosis, about half of cancer patients already have spread of their disease beyond their original site and the only therapy that has made inroads against these cancers is chemotherapy." Now an additional 50,000 patients with cancer who cannot be cured by surgery or radiation are being saved each year by drug treatments.

Five years ago, chemotherapy cured just a few thousand patients annually.

The future promise of chemotherapy is very bright.

Recent discoveries of ways to improve the effectiveness of drugs and overcome resistance to them, as well as better understanding of how cancer cells spread to other parts of the body, are beginning to produce new treatment tactics that should further increase drug cures and extend chemotherapy to common cancers not currently vulnerable to its effect.

"The prognosis for patients with disseminated malignancy has improved considerably," Dr. Chabner said.

Especially notable is the increase in long-term disease-free survival time for patients with testicular cancer from 10% in 1973 to 70% in 1983.

Supposedly today the cure rate approaches 100%.

Similarly, the response rate for patients with ovarian cancer has risen from 30% in 1973 to 90% today.

Further improvements in the efficacy of chemotherapy are expected to be attained with the refinement of high-dose chemotherapy, regional chemotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, the use of colony-forming assays to predict response, the use of combinations of noncross-resistant drugs and the development of analogs of currently used agents.

The new chemotherapy approaches are increasing the damage done to cancer cells and diminishing effects on normal tissue.

Chemotherapists are also better able to control the occasional side effects of nausea and vomiting.

Currently, one patient in four who receive chemotherapy is cured!

The importance of drugs is universally acknowledged now that cancer specialists realize that the disease is often systemic, or bodywide, not confined to one site or tissue.

In such cases, only treatments like drugs that can reach the nooks and crannies of the body wherever cancer cells may be hiding can be successful.

Cancer cells lose their ability to control their own growth.

Normal cells know when to stop growing.

If half of your liver is removed in an operation, for example, your liver will grow back.

Once local repair is complete, growth stops.

Something happens to cancer cells so that they lose their ability to respond to the body's signal to stop growing.

They become wild, erratic cells that keep multiplying.

By themselves, cancer cells are not usually destructive, but they keep proliferating in the body so that they eventually crowd out the normal tissue of organs.

That's what kills the patient.

If the cancer is in the lungs, for example, the eventual replacement of healthy tissues by malignant cells interferes with breathing.

Many of the new drugs and biological agents now being tested are aimed at controlling the growth of cancer cells rather than destroying them.

In a sense, we want to give cancer cells the correct signal to stop growing and behave like normal cells.

The drugs fall into four main categories:

Alkylating agents.

The genetic material, or DNA, of a cell is made up of molecules, called bases, that must be duplicated and precisely paired when the cell divides.

Alkylating agents interfere with the orderly pairing process and prevent successful division.

Some of the prominent drugs in this family: Cytoxan and L-PAM.

Antimetabolites.

These compounds chemically resemble vitamins or other nutrients and are therefore absorbed by the cell.

But once inside, they disrupt the cell's metabolic machinery.

Such agents include methotrexate, 5-FU and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP).

5-FU, for example, resembles uracil, a substance the cell needs to make DNA.

It is not, however, a proper substitute and effectively blocks DNA synthesis.

Antibiotics.

Some of these were discovered in research for new drugs to fight infections.

They disrupt the synthesis of RNA, a substance the cell needs to make essential proteins.

Two leading antibiotics in cancer therapy: bleomycin and adriamycin.

Steroids.

It isn't precisely known how these hormones, which include prednisone and estrogen, work against cancer.

They are believed to prevent the production of proteins or other key enzymes.

Some of the anti-cancer drugs don't fall into general categories.

Vinblastine and vincristine, derived from the periwinkle plant, prevent the cell from doubling.

The drug L-Alparaginase is an enzyme that destroys asparagine, an amino acid that some cancer cells can't make for themselves and must draw from the bloodstream.

Normal cells, which synthesize the asparagine they need, are apparently unaffected by the drug.

Among the new developments are these:

The growing use of drugs to treat possible hidden cancer immediately after the obvious tumor has been removed by surgery or destroyed by radiation.

This approach is called adjuvant chemotherapy.

The drugs are believed to kill off the seeds of spreading cancer, or metastasis.

The realization that chemotherapists have been "too timid" and that more intensive drug regimens given for shorter periods of time are likely to result in a greater number of lasting remissions, which are considered tantamount to cure.

Dr. Chabner said, "We get the best results when patients are given full doses of the drugs as fast as possible immediately after surgery or radiation." Traditionally, when toxic effects of drugs got too severe, therapists reduced or stopped treatment.

Now they know more about how to help patients survive the treatment, both physically and emotionally.

The use of drug treatments to shrink tumors before they are treated with surgery or radiation, a technique that converts some inoperable cancers into ones that can now be removed or destroyed.

At the same time, this technique can improve the cosmetic effects of cancer treatment, permitting less radical surgery or less extensive radiation.

Tumors are often most responsive to chemotherapy when first discovered, before they are treated with surgery or radiation.

The development of analogues of established drugs that retain their cancer fighting properties but have fewer toxic effects.

The linking of toxic chemicals to immunological weapons like monoclonal antibodies that are capable of recognizing and attacking specific cells.

This technique allows the linked chemotherapy agents to attack just the cancer cells and not normal cells.

The administration of drugs to a limited area of the body, such as the bladder, colon or abdominal cavity, to destroy cancerous tissue with minimal damage to normal tissue.

This technique, called regional perfusion, can improve the drug response, reduce the risk of recurrence and minimize the side effects in some patients.

The discovery of new drugs that can overcome the resistance cancer cells often develop to established drugs.

Drug resistance has been the major roadblock to the successful use of chemotherapy in patients with widespread metastatic disease.

Of the 10,000 new compounds that are now tested annually, approximately 8 are brought to clinical trials each year.

From 1971 through 1985, 25 of the 91 compounds that reached clinical trials have shown significant antitumor activity.

Out of 1,000 laboratory-engineered chemical relatives of cis-platinum, the most potent of the recently developed chemotherapy agents, 2 have been found to retain their potency but have less severe side effects.

Many people expect worse side effects from chemotherapy than actually occur.

The patient's doctor must and rightfully so, warn them of all the possible side effects that have happened to anyone taking that particular drug.

Many patients are able to work and perform most or all of their normal activities while receiving chemotherapy.

Ask the doctor to detail the expected side effects after enumerating all the possible side effects.

Cyto-differentiators: A new class of nontoxic drugs that render malignant cancer cells benign instead of killing them.

In recent years, researchers discovered that normal cells, when very young, are much like cancer cells.

They divide and spread rapidly and are undifferentiated, that is, without specific functions like skin or blood cells.

If the young cell is disrupted, perhaps by a carcinogen, as it is growing toward the more mature, differentiated stage, it can become stuck in its immature phase, proliferating randomly and eventually forming a tumor.

Gene Therapy

Gene therapy has a particular potential application to cancer because there is a strong genetic basis to many cancers.

Cancers often grow and spread because of the mutations in their genes.

The cancer cell's mutations may make them invisible to the immune system so they can't be rejected, or the mutations may take away the growth controls built into all cells resulting in their uncontrolled growth.

Gene therapy puts genes into cancer cells to make them stimulate the immune system or to restore growth control.

Another approach is to put genes into the body's white blood cells to make them effective killers of the patient's cancer cells.

Gene therapy, at the present time, is considered to be highly experimental.

All gene therapy treatments are part of scientific protocols which investigate the safety and side effects of the treatment as well as its effect on the cancer.

All gene therapy protocols are also highly regulated in order to protect the patient participants.

This includes a special committee of the National Institute of Health called RAC (recombinant DNA advisory committee).

It consists of doctors, scientists, ethicists, lawyers and lay people.

The most highly developed approach to cancer gene therapy is the use of gene-modified cancer cells as vaccines.

Patient's tumors are removed, the cancer cells extracted, the genes are inserted and then the patients are immunized with their own gene-modified tumor cells.

This approach works very well in animal models of gene therapy, but it is to be confirmed in human cancer.

Overall, gene therapy is a highly promising approach to cancer treatment but it is experimental and unproven at the present time.

Radiation Therapy

As a result of technical advances and training programs, radiation oncology has developed into a highly refined specialty.

Now, with superb accuracy, a radiation beam can be focused on the tumor without damaging surrounding normal tissue.

Linear accelerators, which hit tumors with up to 40 million electron volts, many times the dose of earlier machines, provide deeper penetration and a more precise beam that does less damage to healthy cells.

By itself, as well as in combination with other therapies, radiation therapy is an increasingly potent tool.

Radiation therapy, in contrast to what many people imagine, does not destroy or dissolve cancer cells like a laser beam would.

Possibly, if the dose were multiplied many, many times, it would.

However, it is given in such small doses that its prime mission is to damage the DNA of a malignant cell.

The cell does not die instantly, but when it tries to divide, it is unable to and dies at that time.

Therefore, radiation treatments continue to be effective on the tumor after the treatments are completed, often for 90 days and more.

Sometimes, tumors shrink primarily after the therapy is finished.

Radiation treatments are normally given 5 days a week, not because the doctors don't like to work on the weekends or have a strong union, but because during the other two days, normal healthy cells will repair the damage done to their DNA.

Cancerous cells are unable to repair this damage.

Because scar tissue will continue to build up, changes could be noticed in follow up X-rays even though the tumor is gone.

Also, no changes may be noticed in a bone scan for some time even though the radiation did its job because the bone mending itself after radiation will give the same image as a tumor on a scan.

Immunization Therapy

Some of the most exciting possibilities are offered by drugs that work in entirely different ways from the conventional ones.

One such approach is immunotherapy, using drugs that cause the body's immune system to attack cancer just as it fights off infections.

The concept is based on two theories.

First, cancer cells can be perceived by the immune system as "foreign" and, with proper help, rejected.

The second is that cancer victims have lost their natural powers of rejection because of their debilitating disease.

The widely publicized drug, interferon, stemmed from immunological research.

Discovered in the 1950's, it is a protein produced by body cells to help fight off viral infections.

In cancer, researchers think it fastens onto cells and causes the release of enzymes that inhibit growth.

And, because it is a natural substance, experts hope the side effects will be limited.

So far, this is mostly theory; until recently, large scale testing of interferon hasn't been possible because it could be extracted only in minute quantities and at great cost from donated white blood cells.

The emergence of recombinant DNA technology, in which common bacteria can be programmed genetically to manufacture quantities of proteins, has only recently made it possible to obtain enough interferon for cancer research.

On December 5, 1985, the New England Journal of Medicine carried a story on Dr. Steve Rosenberg's treatment of Interleukin II combined with LAK cells.

That started a torrent of publicity throughout the winter of 1985-1986.

Simply stated, this treatment took the natural killer cells from a patient's blood, treated them with IL-2 and reinjected them and more IL-2 back into the patient.

These IL-2 armed white cells, called LAK or lymphokine-activated "killer cells," destroy tumors for months after administration in some cases, until the patient is clear of detectable cancer.

Only patients who had failed all other treatments were accepted for this protocol.

The success in reducing tumor burden by 50% or more was striking in several types of advanced cancer.

In February, 1986, we received a report that Dr.

Rosenberg had been successful in 100% (6 out of 6) of the cases of renal cell cancer and 50% (5 out of 10) of the cases of advanced malignant melanoma.

Both of these types of cancers were relatively untreatable using other methods of treatment if surgery failed.

Steps are underway to confirm and extend these results in other centers.

The most exciting aspect of this treatment is that IL-2 is not intended to harm the malignant cells.

It is solely to stimulate the patient's own immune system which in turn destroys the cancer.

Surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, the methods of treatment most physicians are used to discussing in fighting cancer, are each designed to damage malignant cells in their own way.

The mere concept of IL-2, as well as the success of the treatments, emphasizes the importance of the patient's immune system.

It throws wide open a new and separate field in fighting cancer.

It seems that there are a number of substances that occur naturally in the body to maintain normal growth and development which may be utilized to stimulate the body's natural defenses against cancer.

The National Cancer Institute has established a special research program to explore intensively the therapeutic applications of these naturally occurring substances called "Biological Response Modifiers." In addition to IL-2 and interferon, this group includes thymosin, IL-1, IL-3, IL-4, IL-6, IL-12 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF).

Hyperthermia

This is the process of heating a tumor approximately 10 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is generally done with a microwave type mechanism.

This in and of itself is capable of killing certain types of cancers.

But that is not where the great promise lies.

It has been found that hyperthermia can magnify the benefits of chemotherapy or radiation therapy several fold without much downside risk.

A critical matter is monitoring the exact temperature of the tumor and the surrounding tissue.

For this reason, it had previously been done on lesions relatively near the surface.

However, great advances are being made and it is being tried with many types of cancers.

The moderate increase in temperature is not damaging to ordinary cells and not dramatically uncomfortable to the patient.

In many applications, hyperthermia is considered experimental today with tremendous potential.

Hormonal Manipulation

The art of treating certain cancers by denying needed hormones, hormonal manipulation is normally one of the more pleasant treatments as it is non-toxic and has very minimal side effects.

The possibility of its use is tested for regularly in breast cancer.

If applicable, it is certainly a treatment of choice and can be used along with other forms of therapy.

A pathologist described it in a fascinating way.

A malignant cell is examined and found to be estrogen or progesterone positive, meaning it is dependent on those substances for survival.

There is a door on the side of each malignant cell that opens to allow those substances to enter.

By giving a certain pill, those doors are sealed shut and the malignant cells are deprived of this hormone they need to survive and divide and are killed.

Dye-Laser

Also known as photodynamic therapy, it was developed at Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo, New York in the early 1970's.

A non-toxic drug, Hpd, is injected and is absorbed only by malignant cells.

It sensitizes these malignant cells to light.

About three days later, an intense laser light is shined on the tumor for 8 to 10 minutes, producing high-powered singlet oxygen inside the cell so reactive that it burns up everything in sight, destroying the cancerous growth.

Since the light can only penetrate 5 to 10 millimeters, it does not work well on treating thick or deep-seated tumors.

It appears to work best on early to middle-stage cancers of the lung, bronchi and bladder.

The use of die laser is increasing dramatically in many major cities, but it is still generally considered an experimental therapy.

Monoclonal Antibodies

These are stirring great interest among researchers.

The surfaces of viruses, bacteria and even normal cells contain specific molecules that are called antigens.

When they enter the body, these molecules trigger certain blood cells to produce antibodies, proteins that lock onto the antigens and render them harmless.

All vaccines are made from antigens that induce the formation of antibodies in advance to ward off infectious diseases.

First, researchers inject a mouse with an antigen, for example, a human cancer cell.

The mouse then makes antibodies to different components of the cancer cell, including abnormal proteins associated with cancer itself.

The investigator removes the mouse's spleen, where much of the antibody production occurs and extracts its cells.

They then fuse these cells with cancer cells from another mouse with myeloma.

These tumor cells are used because they are immortal: they will continue to divide ad infinitum and make the fused hybrid do the same.

Finally, the scientists select the hybrid cells that are producing the particular antibodies they want and encourage them to reproduce, or clone, in separate tissue cultures.

All of this is done in the laboratory.

The products are called monoclonal antibodies because each come from a single line, or clone, of cells.

If special antigens can be found on cancer cells that are not present on normal cells, the lab-produced antibodies would home in on tumors like heat-seeking missiles while ignoring normal tissue.

These antibodies could be tagged with radioactive substances or chemicals to carry lethal doses directly to cancer cells while bypassing normal cells.

One application currently being tried for pancreas cancer is arming these monoclonal antibodies with the patient's own white blood cells to kill the malignant cells.

The entire treatment is done in one day with usually no side effects for this normally fatal disease.

Also, they have the potential of causing a revolution in diagnosis.

Doctors can tag these antibodies with radioisotopes and scan the whole body for individual clusters of cancer cells that cannot be detected with current methods.

While today they have been developed for only a few of the many types of cancer and what has been developed is in extremely short supply compared to the demand, the entire concept of monoclonal antibodies is mind boggling and the potential is enormous.

Common Cancer Terms in Lay Language

Adjuvant treatment.
Treatments to fight cancer when there is no physical evidence of remaining cancer in the body.

Benign.
Cells forming a tumor that are not presently cancerous and cannot spread from their original site and reach the blood stream or lymphatic system.

Biopsy. The examination of tissue to determine whether it is malignant or benign.

Cancer. The uncontrolled growth of malignant cells.

Carcinogen. A cancer causing substance.

Carcinoma. A malignant tumor arising in the sheets of cells covering the surface of the body and lining of various glands.

Chemotherapy. Treatment through the use of chemicals.

Immunization Therapy. Treatment by activating the immune system.

Leukemia. Cancer arising in the blood forming cells of the bone marrow.

Lymphoma. Cancer arising in the lymph nodes.

Malignant. Cells which will continue to grow geometrically and

are considered cancerous.

Metastasize. The breaking away of cancer cells from the original tumor, settling elsewhere in the body and forming a new tumor.

Nuclear Medicine. Another term for scans or tomagrams.

Oncologist. A doctor specializing in the treatment of cancer. He may further specialize in medicine, radiation or surgery, but always in relation to cancer.

Palliative Treatment. Treatment that relieves pain and symptoms

but is not intended to cure disease.

Pathology. The examination of tissues and body fluids to determine whether malignant cells are present and to ascertain the type or origin of these cells.

Prognosis. The projected future course of the illness.

Protocol. A specific treatment or series of treatments that has been developed to treat cancer.

Radiotherapy. Treatment by the use of radiation or X-rays.

Recurrence. The return of cancer after it was thought to be in remission or cured.

Remission. When cancer can no longer be found to be present but cannot be determined as cured.

Sarcoma. A malignant tumor arising in supporting structures such as fibrous tissue and blood vessels.

Scan. A picture of a particular part of the body, such as bones, brain or liver, produced by counting the radiation caused by radioactive particles being absorbed by that part of the body.

Tomogram. A computer produced vertical X-ray capable of giving continuous "vertical slices" of various parts of the body.

Tumor. The mass caused by a concentration of cells, either benign or malignant.

Monday, 29 November 2021

Cancer Drugs and Treatments

Chapter 1. Cancer Drug Guide

Cancer Treatment Info

Cancer Treatment Websites 1

Chapter 3. Specific Cancer Therapies

Oncologist Job Websites/ Cancer Doctor

Chapter 6. Biological Therapies/ Targeted Therapies/ Biological Response Modifiers (BRM)

Biological Therapies/ Targeted Therapies/ Biological Response Modifiers (BRM)

Cryosurgery in General For Wart and Heel Spur Removal

Chapter 8. Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation/ BMT

Lymphology and Lymphedema/ Swelling

Volume 14. Free Bloch Cancer Foundation Ebook about Cancer Therapies

Chapter 1. blochcancer.org/books/guide-for-cancer-supporters, Free ebook

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Cancer Treatment In f o

Chapter 6. Biological Therapies/ Targeted Therapies / Biological Response Modifiers (BRM)

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