Cancer ... conquered or conqueror? (Page6)

Alternative Treatments for Cancer

It is important that the cancer patient initially consider the value of both conventional and alternative treatments before making a decision about which approach to health to follow. Conventional cancer patients view cancer as a tumor which, if not caught quickly enough, will spread it's poison throughout the body and eventualy cause death.

At present, the three major treatments employed by conventional physicians to treat cancer are : chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. Each of these treatments is highly invasive and can pose severe side effects , and each may actually shorten the cancer patient's life, rather than saving it. For example, the chemicals used in chemotherapy are themselves toxic and carcinogenic, and may destroy the body's immune system, which is why some patients die of chemotherapeutic drugs before they actually succumb to cancer. Alan Levin, MD, of the University of California Medical School, ponts out, for instance, that women with breast cancer are likely to die faster with chemotherapy than without it. And John Cairns, MD, of the Harvard University School of Public Health notes that of the approximately half a million people who die each year of cancer, only about 2 to 3 percent of them actually gain any benefit from chemotherapy.

Surgery to remove cancerous tumors grew out of the premise, since discarded, that localized tumors were isolated manifestations of the disease and that removal of the diseased body part, if caught in time, would prevent the cancer from spreading. Surgery removes as much of the cancer as possible (very often leaving dangerous cancer cells behind), but does not correct the underlying cause of the cancer. Consequently, the tumor often re-occurs. Physicians now know, as well, that a cancer may already have spread to distant parts of the body long before it becomes detected elsewhere as a lump. This has been borne out by studies which show that mastectomy (the removal of breast tissue, underlying muscle, and all lymph nodes in the armpit) presents no advantage, in terms of survival, over a lumpectomy and radiation.

Radiation also poses inherent health hazards. Patients who receive radiation often experience painful sores in the mouth, throat, genitals, and other parts of the body, as well as the onset of ulcers, diarrhea, gastrointestinal disorders, reproductive problems, and birth defects. Ironically, they can also develop further cancer, because patients who undergo radiation therapy face a significantly increased risk of leukemia.

Conventional medicine rarely treats cancer as a systemic illness. Alternative medicine, by contrast, regards cancer as the manifestation of an unhealthy body whose defenses are so imbalanced that they can no longer destroy cells that turn cancerous, as would normally occur in a state of health. It's essential premise is that healthy bodies do not develop cancer, and that cancer is a reflection of the body as a whole, rather than a localized disease in one particular part of the body. (see Holistic vs Traditional Medicine) Therefore alternative therapies seek to strengthen the immune system of the cancer patient, and generally shun the use of highly toxic modalities, such as radiation and chemotherapy. Instead, they prfer to heal the entire body, and employ a multifaceted, nontoxic approach to doing so, incorporating treatments which rely on boipharmaceutical, immune enhancement, metabolic, nutritional, and herbal, nontoxic methods.

Because cancer is a disease with multiple causes, it is important to realize that the best chance of treating it lies in an approach which addresses all of the factors involved. The therapies which follow are among the ones which offer the most promise as cancer treatments.

Caution : The information presented in this chapter is not to be used in the non-professional treatment of cancer. The material is meant solely in the education process concerning cancer and the factors involved in it's treatment.

Biopharmaceutical Therapies

Biopharmaceutical therapies include antineoplaston therapy, the work of Gaston Naessens, the use of hydrazine sulfate, shark cartilage, Vitamin C therapy, and laetrile. Each of these therapies has been developed by highly credentialed physicians and medical researchers. What they have in common is the use of non-toxic, naturally-derived compounds that rebalance the body's boichemical functioning.

Antineoplaston Therapy

General Background : Stanislaw Burzynski, MD, PhD, based in Houston, Texas, is a graduate of the Lublin Medical Academy in Poland, where he graduated first in his class in 1967. A year later, at the age of twenty five, he earned a PhD in boichemistry. Dr. Burzynski's treatment is based on the theory that the body has a parallel biochemical defense system independant of the immune system. Dr. Burzynski, who is credited with discovering this system, refers to it as the Biochemical Defense System (BDS). " The mechanism of defense in this system is completely different than in the immune system, " Dr. Burzynski explains. " It is a reprogramming of defensive cells . It's no longer killing of the cells, but changing the program inside the defective cell, which means that the cell will begin to function normally. In the case of cancer, for instance, if all of the cancer cells will be reprogrammed and function normally, then, ultimately, we won't have cancer anymore."

Dr. Burzynski has found that the BDS consists of short-chain amino acids, known as polypeptides, that are able to inhibit cancer cell growth. He has named these polypeptides antineoplastons (meaning new growth).

According to Dr. Burzynski, cancer is largely a disease caused by a malfunction in information processing. " The cell develops according to the program for cellular differentiation, " he notes. " Millions of cells are differentiated in the human body every day, bringing up the possibility of errors in the program for differentiation. Taking under consideration such large numbers of cells undergoing differentiation, it is more that likely that a significant number of these cells will develop toward neoplasia (tumor growth).

Antineoplastons, he claims, are able to reprogram cancer cells to restore this process to normal. They interact with the DNA of the cells, actually becoming part of the DNA and taking the place of carcinogens which would otherwise occupy the same spots on the DNA strand. As this occurs, the antineoplastons redirect the DNA back into normal reproduction.

The body of the cancer patient has only about two or three percent of the amount of antineoplastons of the body of a healthy person. Because of this, the BDS becomes deficient against the chemical and physical carcinogens, viruses, and other cancer-causing agents, leading to the development and continued growth of cancer.

Antineoplastons can be extracted from blood serum and urine, and manufactured synthetically. Approximately 95 % of Dr. Burzynski's patients receive synthetic neoplastons. Over 2,000 patients have been treated at the Burzynski Research Institute (BRI), most of them diagnosed with advanced or terminal cancer. The majority of them have benefited from antineoplaston therapy, experiencing complete or partial remission, or stabilization of their conditions. In Addition, few side-effects have been noted. The range of cancers which Dr. Burzynski has treated include lymphoma, breast cancer, leukemia, bone cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, and cancer of the bladder.

Despite these well-documented successes, including a 1977 study which found that 86 % of advanced cancer patients given antineoplastons improved, and the non-toxic nature of antineoplaston therapy, the American Cancer Society placed Dr. Burzynski's work of it's "Unproven Methods" list in 1983. In Europe, Japan, and other areas of the world, however, Dr. Burzynski's work is heralded as an important breakthrough in cancer treatment. In addition, he regularly is invited to share his research on cancer treatments at symposiums worldwide, including most recently at the July 1993, 18th International Congress of Chemotherapy in Stockholm Sweden. There, along with fellow MD's, and PhD's from the United States, Brazil, The Netherlands, Poland, and Japan, he presented the latest results in cancer treatment based on his work.

Phase II clinical trials investigating different forms of antineoplaston treatment, such as capsules or injections, in groups of 15 to 35 patients diagnosed with a specific type of cancer, such as breast or prostate, were conducted from 1988 through 1990. The first trial was with patients with astrocytoma, a highly malignant form of brain tumor. Most of these patients' tumors had progressed to stage four before the trials began. Previously, these patients had undergone surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy, yet their tumors were still growing. Each night, for six weeks, they received seven hours of intravenous drip. The majority of the patients were treated on an outpatient basis, and most of them improved rapidly, to the point where, after six weeks, some of the adults were able to resume working part-time, and the children were going back to school. According to Dr. Burzynski, 80% of the patients experienced "objective response", meaning complete or partial remisssion, or stabilization of their tumors.

In October 1991, The National Cancer Institute (NCI) sent investigators to conduct an on-site investigation at Dr. Burzynski's Institute. Based on their findings, the NCI issued an official statement approving Dr. Burzynski's documentation of seven out of eight patients who recovered from advanced , inoperable brain tumors. Thereafter, the NCI issued it's approval for Dr. Burzynski to undertake four phase II outside clinical trials involving various forms of brain tumors. In 1989, the FDA had previously allowed Dr. Burzynski to clinically test antineoplastons in breast cancer patients.

Antineoplastons may be especially effective in cases where cancer is diagnosed quite early, and in the prevention of cancer, according to Dr. Burzynski. Patients generally are treated on an outpatient basis. The treatment of benign tumors, such as fibrocystic breast disease, benign brain tumors, and genital warts, is also possible with antineoplastons. In such cases, Dr. Burzynski points out that the antineoplastons can be taken orally. Antineoplaston therapy can be used with conventional modes of therapy, as well because the antineoplastons stimulate bone marrow function.

Case History : In 1989, one of Dr. Burzynski's patients, a ten year old boy, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the most highly advanced brain tumor. He underwent radiation therapy that proved largely ineffective and in fact damaged the viability of his growth-related pituitary gland. His mental function was also diminished by the therapy, according to his mother. Despite harsh criticisms from his physicians, the boy began antineoplaston treatments with Dr. Burzynski in the Spring of 1990. Within one month, the tumor mass began to break down. By November 1990, he was in complete remission, and he remains cancer free. A July, 1993 segment of CBS's "Street Stories" on Dr. Burzynski showed the boy visibly healthy and playing basketball with his friends.

Integrating Treatment methods

Perhaps the best illustration of what needs to be done when a person is diagnosed with cancer comes from the experience of Neal Dublinsky. In November 1987, Neal, then 24 years old and recently embarked on a career as a corporate attorney in Los Angeles, was diagnosed with the most advanced stage of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma stage 4. The bulky tumor had spread to his entire abdomen and there was fluid buildup in his lungs. " I was shocked when I got the diagnosis, and was in extreme physical pain," Neal recalls. " My doctor told me that I had to undergo chemotherapy if I wanted to live. I didn't know better, so I did it."

Neal received chemotherapy for four months. The treatments reduced the tumor but the reduction was short-lived. They also caused traumatizing side effects, including total hair loss, a feeling of being poisoned, and high level gastrointestinal distress. " During this time, I was taking an agressive combination of six different drugs, and every three weeks I received more chemotherapy," Neal says. " Afterwards, I was completely incapacitated, and each time I returned for another treatment it got worse."

After the fourth month, Neal underwent radiation therapy for three more weeks. " The radiation only took a minute," Neal notes. " But within an hour I would be violently ill and retching from my core, and I could no longer eat solid foods. After the daily radiation treatments ended, Neal then underwent a bone marrow transplant using his own bone marrow.

" That was the worst time in my life," Neal continues, " but once it was over, it looked like I would be alright." Only four months later, though, a new tumor emerged in his pelvic area that was beginning to compress his right kidney. At this point, all Neal's doctors could offer him was the prospect of another series of even harsher chemotherapy to buy him a little more time, but with no hope of a cure.

Neal had lost faith in what conventional medicine could do for him by this point. " The physician who performed the bone marrow transplant knew everything about transplants, but almost nothing about other treatment options," he says. " It was that way with each of my doctors. Even though they meant well and were experts in their fields, none of them were able to put it all together and see the big picture ( See Holistic or Traditional - LRU )

Instead of giving up, Neal contacted alternative cancer associations, including the International Association of Cancer Victors and the Cancer Control Society. He also bought books and read voraciously, educating himself about every alternative therapy he could find. In addition, he phoned over twenty cancer survivors to learn about their experiences with the therapies he was discovering.

Neal was particularly intrigued by the antineoplaston therapy developed by conventionally-trained physician Stanislaw Burzynski, MD, PhD, of Houston Texas. " I spoke with ten of Dr. Burzynski's former patients," he relates. " They had all responded well to his therapy and had suffered from similar kinds of cancer as my own. They spoke of Dr. Burzynski in glowing terms and encouraged me to see him. I decided to follow their advice, but ultimately my decision to go was a leap of faith, because my doctors' attitudes about alternative therapies was dismissive. I figured if I was going to die, I was going to die fighting."

In December 1988, Neal began treatment. The first thing he noticed was that it was not painful. Dr> Burzynski put him on an IV drip of antineoplastons that ran ten hours a day. For ten months, Neal remained on the drip as an outpatient. " Within weeks of beginning the treatment, my biochemical profile improved," he reports. His liver and kidney function progressed, and he started to feel better. His tumor was gradually regressing, showing slow and steady improvement.

After ten months, Neal received four injections of antineoplastons per day, together with oral capsules. Six months later, he achieved complete remission. He stayed with the treatment for another eighteen months, taking the capsules for maitenance, then he was taken off the medicine altogether. During this time he also adopted a dairyless, vegetarian diet, augmented with nutritional and herbal supplements. He underwent a series of localized hyperthermia treatments and colonic irrigations, as well, and had his mercury amalgam fillings removed from his mouth. " I began to incorporate elements of many health programs, because I wanted to survive," he says.

He has. Today Neal continues on in good health. When asked about his experience with conventional medicine, he becomes angry. " I feel I was ripped off," he says. " I should have been told about antineoplastons in the first place. The chemotherapy may have temporarily shrunk my tumor, but it did not resolve my underlying problem. It was only after I met Dr. Burzynski that I started to make progress. I am eternally grateful to him, because as far as I am concerned, he saved my life."

Neal's suggestion to others diagnosed with cancer is simple. " Learn about all the alternative therapies," he says. " You should know more than you will ever use. Read, explore, and research everything, keeping an open mind. Visit the clinics. Consult with the doctors. Interview patients, especially those whose histories, type of cancer, stage, and background are most like your own, because different therapies have better track records for different types of cancer. Most importantly, don't become passive. Your treatment is a choice. Don't let others make it for you. Take charge and face it head on."

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