Category: Esophagus

Cancer of the Oesophagus: Surgery, chemo and radiation failed. RM 200K gone!

PK is a 61-year-old Malaysian. In April 2017 he had difficulty swallowing. He consulted a doctor in Ipoh.

A CT scan on 14 April 2017 indicated:

  • Long segmental circumferential wall thickening of the mid-oesophagus with luminal narrowing.
  • No evidence of local infiltrations or mediastinal lymphadeopathy.

PK was referred to a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur for further management.

PET scan on 10 August 2017 indicated:

  • FDG avid primary at the mid oesophagus.
  • Intense FDG uptake in the left upper lobe lung nodule — suspicious of metastasis.
  • Small focal FDG avid lesion at L3 vertebra — suspicious of small volume metastasis.
  • No conclusive FDG avid lesion demonstrated elsewhere.

PK was told to proceed with one cycle of chemotherapy immediately. Five days later he had surgery. The total length of the tissue removed is 20.05 cm (picture below). This is made up of 10.04 cm oesophagus and 5.0 cm stomach tissue.

Histopathology report confirmed a moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, ypT2ypN2.

Four of the 26 lymph nodes examined were positive for tumour metastases.

Following the standard procedure, PK underwent six cycles of chemotherapy and 25 sessions of radiotherapy.

A repeat PET scan was done seven months later. Is the cancer gone or is he getting worse?

Study the three pictures below and compare them with the PET scan done on 10 August 2017 (above).  You don’t need to be a doctor to know that PK is not getter better. He is getting worse and the cancer has spread more widely.

The PET scan report of 11 April 2018 stated the following:

  • New development of large reticulonodular changes at the left upper lobe, probably related to post-radiation inflammation.
  • New FDG avid mediastinal nodes, probably reactive nodes from inflammation.
  • Metabolic increment in the left level IV cervical node.
  • Mixed metabolic changes in the retroperitoneal and pelvic nodes.
  • New development seen at thoracic stomach wall nodule and peri-bowel node at celiac axis, and celiac trunk nodes.

His blood test results are as follows:

30 July 18 27 Sept 18
 CEA 25.7 H 33.8 H
 CA 19.9 132.1 H 164.2 H

All told, PK had spent about RM200,000 for this failed medical treatment. He was asked to undergo more chemotherapy. PK refused and came to seek our help.

Below is excerpts of our conversation that morning.

Part 1: Surgery, chemo and radiation failed

 

Part 2: My advice

Comments 

Generally most patients who come to us are those who have undergone all medical treatments and failed, like PK’s case. They probably have nowhere else to go. Then suddenly through words of a friend or the internet, they discovered CA Care. That is okay — after all this is what CA Care is about — to help those who are lost and in need of help.

Unfortunately, some patients are rather unrealistic. Even at this point of failure, they come with the hope that we can offer them a cure! That is impossible. We do NOT promise any cure. We only promise to do our best to help.

There is also another disappointing group of patients. They come seeking our help on their own terms and some even at their own time. They want to do things their way. They only want capsules and don’t want to drink the bitter teas — too much work having to brew them! What if I go for a holiday? They want to eat anything they like. For such patients, I generally send them home without any herbs. It is better for such patients to find someone else to help them.

Our core belief is that YOUR health is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. We teach you how to get well but it is you who need to take charge of your own healing.

One of the things I often look for when talking to patients is their attitude and commitment. Do they believe in what we are doing — taking herbs and changing of diet, etc.?  If you do not trust us or believe in what we do there is no reason why you should come to CA Care in the first place.

When PK was first diagnosed with oesophagus cancer he put his total trust in the doctors.

He underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy and along the way spent RM200,000. Did he ever thought or believe in an alternative healing method? No. Did he know about alternative healing? I believe it is a big YES.

PK came to CA Care with his sister who is our patient. His sister had breast cancer. She underwent an operation to remove her breast and was treated with chemotherapy. After one shot of chemo, she suffered badly — difficulty breathing and the colour of her skin turned dark. She gave up chemo and started to take our herbs. That was in June 2005. Now, it is October 2018 — thirteen years — and she is doing well and has no problems all these years despite forgoing her schedule to do six cycles of chemo.

From my conversation with PK and his family, I sensed that he has zero knowledge about cancer. To him doctors know best. And he is wealthy enough to be able to pay the medical bills.

Whatever it is, after seven months of medical treatments, we know the reality of what modern medicine has done for him. There is no need to find a scapegoat. What is done is done. For those who wish to learn, take note of what had happened to PK. Since the past two decades I got to learn new things everyday! So I am sharing with you both the good and bad news so that we can all learn from these experiences.

I prescribed PK some herbs and told him to take care of his diet. I hope to see him again in the next two or four weeks, that is if he ever comes back again for more herbs! (Update: Yes, he did come back after two/four weeks, but I told him: If you find the herbs difficult to take or if they don’t help you, please stop taking them. Find other person to help you).

About this same time, I also have another case of oesophagus cancer. Let’s call him Alex, a 58-year-old man from Melaka. Like PK, Alex too had problems swallowing food. Alex was subsequently diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus. Unfortunately the cancer had spread to the stomach and bones. Alex refused surgery or chemotherapy and came to seek our help instead.

How did Alex know us? Through a friend in Melaka who had stomach cancer. This friend underwent surgery but refused chemo. Through the recommendation of the surgeon who removed his stomach, this patient came to seek our help. It has been three years now, and this friend is doing well. Perhaps because of this friend’s experience that Alex came to us with high hope that we could help him.

After studying his medical reports, I suggested to Alex to go for surgery — at least to have the tumour removed so that he can swallow his food. No, Alex would not want to go for surgery. I impressed on Alex that

surgery is probably a good option to solve his swallowing problem. He was adamant — he would not go for any surgery.

I have to respect his decision. I also know that surgery would not cure him because the cancer had already spread to the stomach, many lymph nodes and bones.

I struck a compromise with Alex. Okay, take the herbs for about a month and see what happens. If there is no improvement, he should go for the operation. If the herbs do not help and he still refuses surgery then he should go and find someone else who can help him. I cannot help him anymore.

Alex came back after two months! He has no more problem with his swallowing. He seems to be able to carry on with his life like any normal person, except of the pains in the backbone because of the cancer. Is he cured? Definitely not.

So what is next? I really don’t know. But for now we can see that his outcome is better than PK. There is no drama and no suffering. On top of it, there no need to spend RM200K in seven months!

 

 

 

Magic Show at CA Care? No, it’s God’s blessing!

Cancer of the esophagus – cured by radiation. But 5 months later cancer recurred at the same site

On 16 July 2017, I received an e-mail from James (not real name).

Hello there,

I am writing to you regarding Esophagus cancer treatment for my mother.

She was diagnosed with esophagus cancer in October 2016 and underwent radiation therapy for 32 days.

In February endoscopy and biopsy confirmed that there were no cancer cells,

However she recently developed problem in eating and when we did the endoscopy and biopsy cancer cells were present. Dr saying its 3rd stage and my mother is 78 years old and they can’t do surgery, chemotherapy and radiation now.

I am writing to you in hope that you can help me.

I am from India but mother cannot travel therefore I am planning to come to your centre with all the reports.

For Malaysian Visa I need sponsorship letter. Could you please provide me the documentation so I can apply for my visa asap.

I currently live in UK, I intend to go to India first get Malaysia visa and come to your centre.

Many, many thanks in advance

Reply: I am sorry I cannot help patients from faraway places. Just impossible.

18 July 2017 

Dear Chris,

I will visit you with all the medical reports and history of my mother, as soon as I get Malaysia visa

Unfortunately my mother cannot travel as she is very weak.

Thanks very much.

Reply: If you want to come, you can come. See me at about 11 am. By afternoon you can go home. Monday to Friday. But let me know first to be sure that I am in Penang.

James came and presented his mother’s case.

  1. Problem started in October 2016. She had difficulty swallowing. Endoscopy indicated cancer of the esophagus. Surgery was not indicated due to old age (78 years old).
  2. Patient had 30 sessions of radiotherapy. Treatment completed 31 December 2016.
  3. After the treatment she regained her strength and was well. Endoscopy showed the cancer was gone!
  4. Barely 5 months later (May 2017) patient felt weak and lost her appetite.
  5. Endoscopy showed recurrence at the same site. Nothing further can be done.
  6. On homeopathic treatment, to stablize the situation only, not cure. When this did not work, she tried Ayurvedic treatment. This was also not effective.
  7. Family made plan to go for Integrative cancer treatment in Thailand. Total cost of such treatment is USD37,238, made up of USD33,878 for a 6-week in-clinic treatment and 1-month of home care pack and USD1,286 for a 5-star hotel stay.
  8. Found CA Care through a friend. Decided to follow the CA Care Therapy instead of going to Bangkok.
  9. Patient was very weak and had pulling pain in the back on and off throughout the day. She needed sleeping pill to help her sleep. She had no appetite. Her legs swell on and off. Bowel movements, 2 to 3 days once. A stent was inserted in her esophagus, this made her cough. Her gallbladder was removed some years ago.

She was prescribed herbs for her cancer.

This is the e-mail James wrote on 4 October 2017.

Dear Chris,

Hello and thank you for the medicines and your talk regarding creating right atmosphere around the patient.

Please allow me to quickly summarise the current situation.

  1. No pain at all, your medicine are like magic. My mother has no pain at all anywhere in body. Even the pain that was in the back due to spondylitis is also gone.
  1. There has been no further narrowing of Esophageal tube. My mother can still eat and drink the way she was eating earlier.
  1. She is still very weak.
  1. She has developed coughing and there is some change in her voice (heaviness).

5.Last but most importantly due to you and your wife’s advice we were able to change our attitude and create a positive environment. Now my mother looks happy. 🙂

Thanks a lot to you and your wife. Best regards.

Comments 

When James took some herbs for his mother, this case was out of my radar. When I got his email about his mother’s progress, I had a very vague idea about this case. What I could remember clearly is that James flew all the way from London to come and seek our help. He is a project leader in IBM and his wife is a medical doctor.

When we first started CA Care two decades ago, the first impression was that herbal therapy for cancer is only meant for “uneducated” people. Some people even accused us of being quacks, trying to mislead those who are not educated. Over the years, we proved these skeptics wrong! No, the uneducated generally do not come and seek our help. These people believe in doctors and they go to the hospitals for treatment! It is the educated and the well read who comes and seek our help! They have read enough about the damage that the present-day cancer treatments can do to them. Of course, a majority of them come to us for help because medical treatments — the so call scientifically proven method — have failed them and they are left with nowhere to go. Perhaps CA Care is the last stop or the last gamble!

In such a situation, we often tell patients NOT to come and see us! After all if the so called proven medical method failed, what do you expect from CA Care — cure you?

In this case, it is a pleasant surprise to receive such a positive feedback from James about his mother. Well, James said the herbs worked like magic! No, to me it is God’s blessing. I have seen such results over and over again over the years since we started CA Care two decades ago! That much about unproven therapy or quackery!