Lately, we encountered many breast cancer cases. Indeed pathetic. By sharing these stories with you, we hope that those who come after this unfortunate patients, can learn and understand that cure for cancer is rather elusive.

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Earlier, we posted about patients who took herbs to “cure” their breast cancer. They ended up in a deep, dark pit. It appears that we have a fool-proof scapegoat to blame. Ah, I told you so, why do such “silly” things taking those unproven and unscientific herbs! Sound familiar right?

But here are patients who did the “right thing” from the very start. They went to see their doctors, did what their doctors wanted them to do — i.e. surgery and chemotherapy. After undergoing all these treatments and having spent so much money besides enduring all the nasty side effects, they also ended up in the deep, dark pit — equally messy and equally dangerous situations like the patients who took the “unscientific” path.

Let us present you these 4 sad cases which we encountered very recently.

Case 1: Jati (not real name) is a 60-year-old Indonesian lady.  She was diagnosed with right breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. Then she underwent 12 cycles of chemotherapy and 5 sessions of radiation. She was told the cancer had already spread to her lungs. Jati took 2 cycles of Xeloda.

The cancer did not go away. Jati came to a private hospital in Penang and underwent 6 cycles of chemo. Each cycle cost her RM 4,500.

CT scan on 4 May 2016 showed:

• The mass seen in the right axilla and right retropectoral region appears slightly larger compared with the previous scan on 24 February 2016.
• The nodules in the right and left lungs are larger and more in number compared with the previous scan.

Blood test on 4 May 2016 showed her CA 125 was at 165 (High, normal 0-35) and GGT at 123 (High, normal 9-36).

The above results showed that the chemo was not effective. Not only that, the cancer had grown to be more serious. The oncologist asked Jati to do more chemo! And more chemo? Actually, Jati had just been hospitalised for 5 days due to severe diarrhea after the chemo.

Jati refused further chemotherapy and came to seek our help. Chemo made her skin turn dark like the pictures below:

Case 2: Shirley (not real name) is a 53-yer-old Indonesian lady. In 2012, she was diagnosed with Stage 2B, right breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy. Histopathology confirmed an infiltrating carcinoma, mixed ductal & lobular. The tumour size: 2.4 x 2.4 x 1.5 cm.  One of 12 lymph nodes were positive for tumour cells. The tumour was negative for estrogen receptor, negative for progresterone receptor and negative for Her 2/neu.

Shirley received 6 cycles of chemotherapy. No radiation or medication was indicated since this was a triple negative cancer.

Shirley had regular checkup and everything seemed to be normal. CT scan on 17 April 2015 showed no signs of metastatic process. Upper and lower abdominal organs are within normal ecopattern. But the good news did not last. A few months later, blood test showed the CA 15.3 was rising.

PET scan on 14 August 2015, showed:

• the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes — left collar bone and arm pit, paratracheal, etc.
• there is fluid in the lung, probably due to metastasis.
• there is a lesion in Segment 7 of the liver.
• metastatic lesions in the bone — sternum and rib bone.

Shirley was asked to undergo chemotherapy again. After 2 cycles of chemo, she was told that the treatment was not effective. Shirley then went to another hospital where she received another 3 cycles of chemo — Brexel (Docetaxel), Epirubicin and Cyclophasphamide. After that Shirley decided to give up.

The following is her blood test results — in spite of the chemo.

	CA 15.3
30 December 2015	41.99
12 February 2016	43.00
30 April 2016	114.10

Having run out of option, Shirley and her husband came to seek our help.

Case 3: Mas (not real name) is a 44-year-old Malaysian lady from Sabah. In May 2015, she felt a lump in her left breast and did not bother about it. About 7 months later, in December 2015, she went for a check-up.

Ultrasound on 4 December 2015, showed:

• a large ill-defined hypoechoic lesion at 2:00 – 26.9 x 33.0 mm.
• two ill-defined hypoechoic lesons at 11:00 – 5.5 x 5.4 mm and 8.9 x 8.2 mm.
• enlarged left axillary lymph node, 1 cm.

A mammogram on 4 December 2015, showed a large ill-defined mass with spiculated margins and architectural distortion at the left upper outer quadrant, 2 o’clock.

Mas complained of pains in her backbone. A CT scan on 15 December 2015 indicated the following:

• confirmed earlier finding of an irregular mass in the left breast, 2.0 x 3.8 x 3.8 cm in size.
• multiple hypodense lesions of varying sizes scattered in both liver lobes in keeping with liver metastasis. The largest at segment 8, measuring 3.4 x 3.2 cm.
• a small hypodense cystic lesion at pancreatic body measuring 0.5 x 0.3 cm, likely benign.
• multiple lytic lesions scattered in almost entire visualised vertebrae, both iliac bones and sternum in keeping with bone metastasis.

Mas underwent a mastectomy in January 2016.  The tumour was ER positive, PR positive and HER2 positive.

After surgery, in February 2016, Mas was started on chemotherapy (drugs: EC). The treatment was scheduled for 6 cycles but after 3 cycles the doctor stopped the treatment because Mas’s liver was badly affected. Mas also suffered side effects of the chemo for the entire 3 weeks after each cycle of chemo.

	1 March 2016	22 March 2016
ALP	308 H	455 H
ALT	153.3 H	96.1 H
AST	228.7 H	200.4 H

 

Case 4:  Yan (not real name) is a 36-year-old Indonesian. She felt a small lump in her breast in January 2016. The nipple discharged pus. A biopsy indicated cancer. Yan underwent a mastectomy on 26 February 2016 in a private hospital in Melaka, Malaysia. Histopathology confirmed an invasive ductal carcinoma. Fourteen of the 16 axillary lymph nodes showed evidence of tumor metastasis. One lymph node at Level II showed evidence of metastasis.

The tumour was positive for oestrogen receptor, negative for progesterone receptor and positive for C-erbB-2.

PET scan on 23 March 2016 confirmed the cancer had spread to the numerous lymph nodes in the body.

Yan was referred to an oncologist for follow-up. Based on the above, the oncologist recommend the following:

1. Chemotherapy – 8 cycles, 3 weeks once. Cost: AC + Gran RM 2,500 x 4 = RM 10,00. Docetaxel + Pegasta RM 5,600 x 4 = RM 22,400. So in total the 8 cycles of chemo would cost about RM 32,400.
2. Heceptin, total of 17 injections, to start at 5th chemo session. This could take a year at total cost of RM 150,000.
3. Radiotherapy, 15 sessions, for three weeks. Cost RM 10,000.
4. Hormonal therapy to take for 10 years. Nolvadix (or Tamoxifen), 20 mg, RM 150 per month.

Did you ask if the above treatments are going to cure you? I never ask! I only asked about the side effects.

What are the side effects? Total hair loss, nausea and onset of menopause.

So what do you want to do now? I don’t want to do any chemo.

A quick addition of all costs: RM 200,400 (besides the surgery).

Can we learn some lesson from all these cases?

These four patients did the “right thing” from the medical perspective. After all we have been told and made to believe that medicine is scientific and proven. Reflect on the various quotations below, then ask these question: Is the present treatment of breast cancer (or any cancer at all) based on science? Or is it just a guessing game based on biased opinions? Are you being told the truth or being misled?

Why The Current Cancer Treatment Failed

 

Cancer Treatment is a Guessing Game — no one can tell why

Am I Not Told All These?

You are not alone. Even educated people like an army colonel also got trapped. 

The Cruel, Mad and Greedy World

We really felt sorry for Yan, sitting in front of us not knowing what to do.

Let’s take a closer look at her case. She was 36 years old when diagnosed with breast cancer. After surgery, the follow-up chemo treatments alone would coast her about RM 200,000. That did not take in consideration cost of travel and stay in Malaysia (on and off) for the treatment for about a year. Let’s assume that everything comes to about RM 300,000 for the treatment.

Let us also assume that she will be cured after all these treatments — which may not necessarily be the case. She may die half way through the treatment. She may suffer a relapse after spending that RM 300,000. No one can predict, no one can tell and no one can know for sure.

If there is a recurrence, there will be another pile of medical bills to settle.

If Yan were to start saving right on  the first day when she was born, it would come to about RM 694 per month or RM 8,333 per year. Do that for 36 years to be able to raise that kind of money for her “unpredictable” breast cancer treatment.

Look at it another way. If Yan were to go to the university and started work at age 20, it would mean that each year she has to save RM 18,750 per year or RM 1,562 per month for 16 years to be able to accumulate RM 300,000 to pay for her medical bills.

Indeed, something must have gone wrong in this world today? Is it not about time that someone come out with an cheap but effective option to heal cancer?  Knowing how the world operates that is another illusion! Read these quotations:

 

After all the staggering cost and believing that there is a cure, here’s the real bomb shell

Related cases:

Listen, there is NO cure for metastatic cancer!

Breast Cancer: Surgery, Chemo, Radiation and Hormonal Therapy Did Not Cure Her. Xeloda made her miserable! Patient, Only You Should Decide What You Want To Do!

Breast Cancer: Surgery did not cure. Recurrence and cancer spread extensively to her lungs. But does she want to live?

Look at the Bigger Picture Part 2. You don’t have to “swallow” everything that they offer you!

2.3 cm Malignant Breast Lump: Surgery, Chemo and Radiation — Disaster

Breast Cancer: Surgery, Chemo, Radiation and Tamoxifen Did Not Cure Them