Tag Archives: chemotherapy

Three operations and chemotherapy did not cure his colon cancer

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ST is a 62-year-old man from Perak. Two years ago (May 2018) he was diagnosed with cancer of the appendix and adjacent caecum.

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He underwent a right hemicolectomy in a private hospital in his hometown. It was a Stage 2 cancer. This operation cost him RM50,000.

A CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis did not show the cancer had spread to other parts of the body.

After surgery, ST  underwent six cycles of chemotherapy. He received treatment every three weeks. The chemo regimen used was Mayo Clinic Regimen – consisting of 5-FU on day 1 and day 5 and folinic acid on day 1 to day 5. Chemotherapy was completed on 1 January 2019.The total cost of treatment was about RM40,000.

ST was well for about a year. He continued to lead his “old lifestyle”. No, he was not told to take care of his diet – the doctor said You can eat anything you like! Indeed this is the advice most patients and their family members like to hear!

In March 2020, ST started to have abdominal pain and at times, he vomited. He went back to the same hospital where he had his surgery. A CT scan was done and revealed:

  • Acute small bowel obstruction with no evidence of tumour recurrence.
  • Liver lesions – cyst or metastasis ?
  • Bilateral small renal cyst.

On 25 April 2020, ST went back to the hospital again due to small bowel obstruction. He underwent a laparotomy on 29 April 2020.

Intraop finding: Jejunoileal junction tumour infiltrated by posterior abdominal wall.

Histopathology of small bowel, retroperitoneal nodule and omentum: Adenocarcinoma with lymphovascular invasion.

On 8 May 2020 ST suffered bile leak from the wound site. He had to undergo another operation – relaparotomy, jejunostomy done stoma created. This means ST had to wear a bag.

ST was discharged from the private hospital on15 May 2020. The total cost of these two operations came to about RM80,000.

RM190,00 gone – but ST’s problem was not yet solved. Four days later ST had to be admitted into a government hospital duet to:

  • electrolyte imbalance and
  • severe AKI (Acute kidney injury- sudden episode of kidney failure or kidney damage that happens within a few hours or a few days. AKI causes a build-up of waste products in your blood and makes it hard for your kidneys to keep the right balance of fluid in the  body).

ST recovered and was discharged and was given the following medication:

  1. Simvastatin
  2. Mecobatamin
  3. Lomotil
  4. Loperamide
  5. Pantoprazole
  6. Liquid morphine – he has to take morphine every four hours.

A CT scan done on 4 August 2020 showed:

  • Progression of disease evidenced by increased number and size of cystic liver lesions – likely metastasis.
  • No evidence of recurrence.
  • Prostatomegaly.

ST was told to undergo more chemotherapy! This time the treatment would be 12 cycles and drugs to be used are:

  1. Folinic acid
  2. 5-FU
  3. Oxaliplatin

ST decided to give up chemotherapy and came to seek our help.

Chris: Who asked you to come and see us?

Daughter:  The owner of a bookshop in our hometown!

C: Why don’t you want to go for chemotherapy?

D: My uncle (my father’s elder brother) had chemotherapy for his lung cancer. He was 58 years old then. Just after two shot of chemo he died.

Watch this video:

Lessons We Can Learn From This Story

  1. Surgery did not cure him. ST underwent three operations and has spent about RM130,000 (RM 50K + RM80K) for the procedures. The procedures helped him for about a year. Then the cancer came back. It had spread to his liver.
  2. Chemotherapy did not cure him either. After surgery, ST underwent chemotherapy using a Mayo Clinic regimen – using 5-FU plus folinic acid. Unfortunately, the treatment failed.

ST was told to undergo more chemo – this time using a “better” combination of drugs – 5-FU + folinic acid + oxliplatin. Study the names carefully, it is about more of the same – you agree?

Chris: Did you ask the doctor in the government hospital if the chemo that he is giving your father is going to cure?

Daughter: No, cannot cure. It is only to prolong life.

Well, think for yourself too – do you think it is worth it – enduring all the sufferings? Prolong life for how long?

Let me share with you what we wrote in this book (Pages: 210-211):

When we first started CA Care, we encountered many cases of colorectal cancer. The first to come to mind was Yeoh, a man of great wealth. He had colon cancer and went to the top oncologist in Singapore for treatment. He was fitted with a pump in which the toxic chemodrug,5-FU was delivered at regular intervals. He even went to Sydney to consult another famous oncologist. One day, he suffered complications from the treatment and died.

Then there was Leong who was the owner of a construction company. He too had colon cancer and died while undergoing chemo with 5-FU. At that time the gold standard for treatment of colon cancer was 5-FU. One day before he died he called his daughter and told her. If Dr. Teo needs help with renovating his house or the cancer centre, please help him. I still remember this episode up to this day.

Then one day, I received a call asking me to meet a VVVIP ( I am sorry, with due respect, it would not be proper for me to identify this person). I prescribed herbs for this person who had cancer of the colon or rectum. The person got better but one day the person’s personal doctor called me to complain about me giving herbs to the “boss”. Later, this VVVIP went to Singapore for chemotherapy and died.

During those early days. What we “saw” and knew happened appeared acceptable. We just accepted it as the way it is. We learned that chemo can kill. As we get to see more patients over the years, we learn of many more reasons why patients don’t want to go for chemo.

Julie’s husband died within minutes after completion of his sixth cycle of chemo.

Julie, a lady from Indonesia came to seek our help after being diagnosed with lung cancer. She was asked to go for chemotherapy which she refused to do. Why? Julie had a bitter experience to share.

About five years earlier, Julie’s husband was diagnosed with colon cancer. He underwent an operation – performed by one of the best colorectal surgeons in Singapore. He was then sent to a well known Singapore private hospital for chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was started in June and by December Julie’s husband was dead. Julie: After receiving three cycles of chemo, he had difficulty walking.

Chris: And he still continued with the chemo?

In spite of the early warning that something had gone wrong, the oncologist still wanted the patient to finish the scheduled six cycles. Julie’s husband eventually completed the six cycles of chemo. Within a few minutes of completing the last cycle – after the “needle” was removed from his arm – he died.

C: Did you ask the oncologist why your husband died?

J: The oncologist said his heart could not stand the toxic drug.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Chemotherapy Spreads Cancer

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Chemotherapy spreads cancer!  You get the message? Is it a joke of some kind? And in this present age, is it fake news? Many people would argue — if chemo is that bad as implied by the title of this article, why then governments all over the world endorse such treatment? Chemotherapy for cancer is supposed to be proven and scientific, right? Why do doctors give chemo to their patients if it is that bad? Do I need to answer such questions?

Here are some facts presented by scientists.

On 30 December 2018, a group of medical researchers from the School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland; Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA and Department of  Developmental and Molecular Biology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA, wrote an article in the Nature Cell Biology journal: Chemotherapy elicits pro-metastatic extracellular vesicles in breast cancer models https://www.nature.com/articles/s41556-018-0256-3.

Below is the abstract of this research report:

  • Primary tumours release extracellular vesicles (EVs), that can facilitate the seeding and growth of metastatic cancer cells in distant organs.
  • Two classes of cytotoxic drugs broadly employed in pre-operative (neoadjuvant) breast cancer therapy, taxanes and anthracyclines, elicit tumour-derived EVs with enhanced pro-metastatic capacity.
  • Chemotherapy-elicited EVs are enriched in annexin A6 (ANXA6), a Ca2+-dependent protein that promotes NF-κB-dependent endothelial cell activation, Ccl2induction and Ly6C+CCR2+ monocyte expansion in the pulmonary pre-metastatic niche to facilitate the establishment of lung metastasis.

Don’t blame yourself if you don’t understand what these researchers are talking about. You and me are just laymen — how are we to understand such scientific language? Moreover, some of us don’t read English!  How to understand if you only learn your native language in school? Such is our world today.

Let me try to explain what these researchers are trying to tell us by reproducing what others wrote about this particular research results. Perhaps it is easier to understand if it is written in layman’s language.

On 1 January 2019, the Science Daily posted this article, Tumors backfire on chemotherapy.  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190101094531.htm.  There is another article in the Daily Mail, UK –   Chemotherapy may cause breast cancer to SPREAD: Two commonly used drugs encourage the disease to develop in the lungs. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6542277/Chemotherapy-cause-breast-cancer-SPREAD.html

If you have breast cancer, chemotherapy is often given before surgery. This is called neoadjuvant therapy. The idea in this case is  to shrink the tumour and make  it easier to remove. Or the chemotherapy is given to “weaken” the cancer. After chemo, the patient’s remaining tumor is removed by surgery.

Unfortunately, the treatment does not always shrink the tumour. If the growth resists neoadjuvant therapy, the cancer is more likely to spread to other parts of the body.

Basically these are what can happen when patients undergo chemotherapy:

  • The commonly prescribed chemo drugs: paclitaxel (or Taxol) and doxorubicin (or Adriamycin) cause breast tumours to release small fluid-filled sacs called exosomes.
  • Chemo-treated tumours makes exosomes that contain a protein called annexin-A6. Annexin-A6 is not found in sacs released from untreated tumours.
  • Once released from tumours, exosomes circulate in the blood until they reach the lungs.
  • They then give out annexin-A6, which stimulates lung cells to release another protein called CCL2.
  • CCL2 then attracts immune cells called monocytes, which fight certain infections and help other cells remove dead or damaged tissue.
  • This immune reaction can be dangerous, because those monocytes can facilitate the survival and growth of cancerous cells in the lung, which is one of the initial steps in metastasis.

Is this the only research showing the chemotherapy spreads cancer? NO – there are many more researchers in the US who have also reported the same message — chemotherapy spreads cancer!

On 6 August 2012, researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, USA, published their research results in Nature Medicine. https://www.nature.com/articles/nm.2890. These are what they said:

  • Cancer cells inside the body live in a very complex environment or neighborhood. Where the tumorcell resides and who its neighbors are influence its response and resistance to chemotherapy.
  • In the laboratory, you can “cure” almost any cancer — you just give a huge dose of toxic chemo-drug to the cancer cells in the petri dish and the cancer cells are destroyed. But you can’t do that to patients, because the high dose would not only kill cancer cells but also healthy cells. The dose you would need to give the patient to wipe out the cancer would also kill the patient. So in real life, if you want to kill all cancer cells, you can also kill the patient at the same time!
  • So chemo treatment of common solid tumors has to be given as smaller doses paced out in cycles, to give healthy cells time to recover in the intervals. But the drawback is that this approach may not kill all the cancer cells. Those cancer cells that survive can become resistant to subsequent cycles of the chemotherapy.
  • Normal, non-cancerous cell, the fibroblast, that lives near cancer tumors are important for healing wounds and producing When their DNA is damaged, by chemotherapy, fibroblasts can release a broad range of compounds that stimulate cell growth. So you see, in the process of trying to kill cancer cells, chemotherapy may also spur healthy cells in the neighbourhood to release a compound that stimulates cancer growth, eventually leading to treatment resistance.
  • The researchers examined cancer cells from prostate, breast andovarian cancer patients who had been treated with chemotherapy. They found that when the DNA of fibroblasts near the tumor is damaged by chemotherapy, they start producing a protein called WNT16B in the microenvironment of the tumor.
  • When the protein reaches a high enough level, sometimes increased by thirty-fold. This protein, WNT16B, when secreted, would interact with nearby tumour cells and cause them to grow, invade, and importantly, resist subsequent chemotherapy.

Read these articles:

  1. Can chemotherapy before surgery fuel breast cancer metastasis? https://www.facingourrisk.org/XRAYS/neoadjuvant-chemotherapy-and-metastasis

2. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy induces breast cancer metastasis through a TMEM-mediated mechanism. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28679654

3. Chemotherapy could cause cancer to SPREAD and grow back even more aggressive, new study claims

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4669152/Chemotherapy-cause-cancer-SPREAD-new-study-says.html

  1. Can chemotherapy before surgery fuel breast cancer metastasis?

https://www.facingourrisk.org/XRAYS/neoadjuvant-chemotherapy-and-metastasis

Scientists at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine, US,  have found evidence that chemotherapy is only a short-term solution  and can be dangerous. In their study they investigated chemotherapy-induced cancer cell dissemination in breast cancer.

  • While chemotherapy may shrink the tumors, chemotherapy could causecancer to spread and become more deadly.
  • And once cancer spreads to other organs it becomes almost impossible to treat and is often fatal.
  • Three standard chemo-drugs used in neoadjuvant treatment for breast cancer are: paclitaxel (Taxol), doxorubicin (Andriamycin) and cyclophosphamide. They are shown to increase the number of microscopic structures in breast tumors called tumor microenvironment of metastasis (TMEM), as well as the number of tumor cells circulating in the blood.

How chemo spreads cancer: Scientists believe that in order for metastasis to occur, three types of cells must come in close contact with each other on a blood vessel wall:

  1. tumor cells, that produce high levels of a specific protein.
  2. immune cells called macrophage, and
  3. endothelial cells (cells which line organs such as blood vessels).

These spots, called “tumor microenvironments of metastasis” or “TMEMs” are found on blood vessels within tumors.

To enable the cancer cells to spread, the macrophages in a TMEM loosen the normally tight connection that exists between endothelial cells, creating a temporary opening in the wall of a blood vessel for the tumor cell to squeeze through and enter the bloodstream, facilitating its spread to other parts of the body.

Watch this video. Hopefully it can  help you better understand the complicated process. https://www.youtube.com/embed/IvyJKrx5Xmw?feature=plcp&rel=0&showinfo=0&autoplay=1

This article, Is an anticancer drug helping cancer to spread? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318846#1

reported the work of  another group of scientists at the Ohio State University (OSU) led by Tsonwin Hai, a professor of biological chemistry and pharmacology at OSU. They studied the effects of the commonly used chemo-drug paclitaxel (Taxol) on the spread of  breast cancer cells to the lungs. Taxol is also commonly used as a frontline medication in treating ovarian and lung cancer (besides breast cancer).

How a chemo drug can help cancer spread from the breast to the lungs? You can get the answers by reading these two articles: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-08/osu-hac080417.php, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318846.php#1

  • Paclitaxel may activate Atf3 (Activating Transcription Factor 3) gene: In those who had received chemotherapy, the gene Atf3is overexpressed, compared with patients who were not administered chemotherapy. ATF3 is overexpressed in a large fraction of various cancers including solid tumors in the breast, lungs, pancreas, and colon. ATF3 is hyperactivated in most cells in Hodgkin’s disease. Overexpression of ATF3 in cancer cells have been proposed to promote proliferation and inhibit cell death.
  • According to the OSU researches, the findings suggest that paclitaxel may have a carcinogenic effect by activating this gene. This gene seems to do two things at once:
  1. essentially help distribute the ‘seeds’ (cancer cells)- increasing “the abundance of the tumormicroenvironment of metastasis, and 
  2. fertilize the ‘soil’ (the lung – by improving “the tissue microenvironment (the ‘soil’) for cancer cells (the ‘seeds’) to thrive” at the level of the metastatic lung. 

These changes, include increased inflammatory monocytes and reduced cytotoxicity.

Prof. Hai says: What is surprising to us is the multitude of pro-cancer effects that paclitaxel has! It not only enhances the escape of cancer cells from the primary tumor but also facilitates the preparation of distant sites (lung in our case) in such ways that when the cancer cells arrive, they can set up shop and grow.

Chemotherapy is ‘a double-edged sword: Paclitaxel seems to set off a molecular chain reaction, the end result of which is the creation of a cancer cell-friendly environment in the lungs. Prof. Hai ventures a possible explanation for the study’s findings. She says, I think it’s an active process – a biological change in which the cancer cells are beckoned to escape into the blood – rather than a passive process in which the cancer cells get into the bloodstream because of leaky vessels.

Summary

  • Researchers found that the use of chemotherapy — extremely toxic class of drugs — can trigger the onset of new tumors in other parts of the body.
  • Chemotherapy drugs in breast cancer results in production of specific proteins. These circulate in the blood and, upon reaching the lungs, cause the release of further proteins and immune cells that can facilitate the development of metastatic cancer cells.
  • It is like, chemo makes the cancer tumor produce more seeds. These seeds are then carried away to other parts of the body. The chemo also makes the soil so fertile and conducive for the seeds to grow!

Why condone and still “selling” such therapy?

  • Through its continued sale and promotion of toxic chemotherapy drugs for cancer, the pharmaceutical industry is thus ensuring that, far from eradicating the disease, it continues to exist.
  • Small wonder, therefore, that the size of the global oncology market is expected to reach an eye-watering $200 billion annually by the year 2022.
  • The World Health Organization estimates that cancer is now responsible for 9.6 million deaths per year. Breast cancer and lung cancer are the most common forms of the disease, with each seeing over 2 million cases per year.
  • The total annual economic cost of cancer is equally startling, amounting to more than $1 trillion each year. Not only is there no sign of this decreasing, but with the price of some new so-called monoclonal antibodies or biosimilar molecules for cancer now reaching $700,000 per patient per year.

Cancer Drugs Are The Most Profitable For Big Pharma

https://www.dr-rath-foundation.org/2020/02/cancer-drugs-are-the-most-profitable-for-big-pharma/

Drugs for cancer have been the largest business sector of the global pharmaceutical industry for several years now. This is the real reason why cancer still exists.

With annual revenues from the disease exceeding $123 billion a year, drug companies have no interest in preventing the disease. Instead, they prefer to profit from it by selling patented chemical treatments that don’t address its primary cause.

For more information you can read our previous articles

Chemotherapy Spreads Cancer and Makes It More Aggressive: Articles From the Internet

Compiled by Yeong Sek Yee & Khadijah Shaari  

https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2013/05/14/chemotherapy-spreads-cancer-and-make-it-more-aggressive-articles-from-the-internet/

Chemotherapy SPREADS and MAKES cancer more AGGRESSIVE

https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2013/03/09/chemotherapy-spreads-and-makes-cancer-more-aggressive/

 

 

 

 

Colon Cancer: Surgery and chemo did not cure them – ended up in a more dire situation.

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One morning in November 2019.

Two Indonesians came to seek our help. One of them is from Medan and  the other from Jakarta. Both of them had colon cancer. They had surgery followed by chemotherapy. The treatments did not cure them. Let us examine each case in detail. And let us hope we can learn something from their experiences.

Case 1: SPW is 53 years old. He is from Jakarta. About eight months ago, SPW passed out blood-stained stools.

A colonoscopy indicated tumour in his colon.

A CT scan done on 20 March 2019 showed gallstones, in addition to a tumour in the colon.  SPW underwent surgery to remove the mass in his colon and the gallbladder stones.

Pathology report confirmed cancer,  adenocarcinoma, pT3NxMx.

After the surgery, SPW was sent home without further treatment.

About two months later (Jun 2019), a PET scan was done. The result showed the cancer had recurred at the previous operation site. There was NO spread to the liver, lung, lymph nodes or bone.

PW underwent 6 cycles of chemotherapy, at a private hospital in Jakarta. The chemo was given every two weeks. The regimen used was FOLFOX-4, consisting of  Eloxatin (or oxaliplatin) + 5-FU + Leucovorin (folinic acid).

About five months later, in November 2019, another PET was done. The results were disappointing.

  1. The doctor suspected the cancer had spread to the liver.
  2. Metabolic activity of the recurrent mass in the colon was less intense but the cancer did not go away.
  3. PET scan showed reactive lymph node.

The oncologist asked SPW to undergo more chemotherapy but he refused further treatment. Why?

SPW said he suffered severe side effects during the chemo.

  • He lost 15 kg of body weight within that few months of treatment.
  • He was depressed.
  • He suffered severe fatigue.
  • He lost his appetite.
  • He could not sleep at night, and had to take sleeping pills.
  • His fingers were numb.
  • He had difficulty walking.

Current condition: He has to urinate four times during the night.

Case 2: Wongso is a 67 year-old from Medan. In March 2018 he passed out stools with blood. A colonoscopy was done in a hospital in Medan. There was a mass in his colon.

Wongson underwent an operation to remove the tumour in his colon in April 2018. The pathology report confirmed cancer – adenocarcinoma, pT4N1Mx. One of the two lymph nodes was affected. A CT scan on 9 May 2018, showed the cancer had spread to his liver.

Wongso underwent chemotherapy at the government cancer hospital in Jakarta. He received 6 cycles of chemotherapy. The regimen used was FOLFOX-4,  consisting of oxaliplatin, folinic acid and 5-FU.

A CT scan on 5 September 2018 showed that the tumour in his liver had shrunk from 2.49 cm to 2.06 cm. But it did not go away.

Wongso was prescribed an oral drug – Xeloda. He took the pill for two weeks followed by a week of rest. This constitutes a cycle. Wongso took a total of 12 cycles of Xeloda. His CEA was initially at 2.6 but this increased to 79.8 in November 2019.

CT scan on 29 October 2019 showed:

  • Mild ascites around the liver.
  • Multiple cyst in both lobes of liver.
  • Fractured compression at L4 vertebrae.

In spite of this failure, the oncologist still insisted that Wongso continues to take the Xeloda. Wongso was still on Xeloda when he came to seek our help. His complaints were: stomach pain, probably due to “wind”. He moved his bowels 3 to 4 times a day. He had to urinate 3 to 4 times each night.

Comments

The standard treatment recipe for colon cancer is: surgery, chemotherapy and oral drug such as Xeloda. Sometimes patient is also asked to go for radiotherapy before surgery. This is the cases where the tumour is too large.

If you have cancer, you have to go through these treatments no matter where you are – in the most famous  and expensive hospital or in just any ordinary cancer hospital. Yes, you need to undergo this so called proven method of treatment. But, the question you need to ask is: does this proven and scientific method of treatment works for you? I cannot answer that question! But if you come to see after being diagnosed with colon cancer, my only advice is to go for surgery to remove the tumour, that is if the cancer has not spread extensively elsewhere. If there is a widespread metastasis, the value of surgery is questionable. So, that is as far as I would go. In fact, after I met with the two patients above, the next day, there was another Indonesian who also had colon cancer. He has not undergone any treatment yet. My advice to him was: Go and have the tumour removed. Go to this surgeon X in Hospital Y in Kuala Lumpur. He is a good doctor. I think he would be able to help you.

Looking back over the past twenty plus years helping colon cancer patients, I could recollect many sad experiences. In the early years, I have a few patients who underwent chemotherapy with 5-FU after surgery. At that time the only drug deemed effective was 5-FU. One patient went all the way to Sydney for his 5-FU treatment.  He died while undergoing the treatment. Then there was this building contractor. He too had colon cancer and underwent chemotherapy after his surgery. He did not make it. Before he died he told his daughter to not forget CA Care and she should try to help us whenever we need to do any renovation work. Over the years, I lost many good friends.

Now, the chemo regimen for colon cancer has been “updated.” In the case of SPW and Wongso, the oncologists treated their colon cancer using FOLFOX-4 regimen, which consists of a combination of  fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin.

In fact, besides FOLFOX, there are other variations such as:

  • FOLFIRI – consisting of folinic, 5-FU and irinotecan.
  • CAPOX – consisting of capecitabine or Xeloda and oxaliplatin.
  • XELOX – consisting of Xeloda (trade name) and oxaliplatin.

If you study the above carefully, these are merely different combinations of the same five drugs below:

  • 5-FU.
  • Folinic acid or
  • Oxaliplatin
  • Irinotecan
  • Capecitabine or Xeloda.

One important question which most patients want to ask is: Can chemotherapy cure colon cancer? Or What is the success rate of chemotherapy for colon cancer. I tried to search the answers from the internet and these are what I got.

  • Chemotherapy is used after surgery in many colon cancers which are stage 2, 3, and 4. It has been shown that it increases the survival rates. This is not the case in stage I cancers, and therefore chemotherapy is rarely used in this setting. The vast majority of stage I cancers are cured with surgery alone.
  • Although clinical trials have demonstrated that adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival for stage-III colon cancer, the benefits remain controversial for stage-2 lesions. Stage-2 colon cancer patients receive adjuvant chemotherapy despite its uncertain benefits.
  •  Surgery is the primary curative modality in 70–80% of colon cancer patients who present with a non-metastatic disease. However, recurrence is common and is seen in nearly 30% of stage 3 cases after 5 years.
  • Nearly a quarter of all colon cancer cases are stage 3 at diagnosis.
  • Chemotherapy does not cure metastatic colorectal cancer, but it can improve symptoms and prolong life. 
  •  Upon diagnosis, 20% of newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients present with metastatic disease (Stage 4) with no curative treatment options currently available. 
  • The overall five-year relative survival of colorectal cancer patients in the US is 64% and in England it is 50.7%.
  • Below is the survival rate in England, based on the stage of disease at diagnosis.
Stage at diagnosis Number of cases 5-year relative survival (%)
Dukes A / Stage 1 26,727 93.2
Dukes B / Stage 2 74,784 77.0
Dukes C / Stage 3 72,806 47.7
Dukes D / Stage 4 28,377 6.6

 

  • The above data are obtained with patients in the US and England. We need to take note that survival rate does NOT mean cure. Unfortunately many patients are told that if they can live five years and more you are considered “CURED”. Unfortunately this is a wrong advice.
  • Take note also that the above result need not apply to you. You may respond differently from these people. The above result should be treated as just an indicator of what can happen to you.
  • In summary, if you are diagnosed with advanced or Stage 4 cancer, you chance of survival is probably 10 to 15%, no matter what you do. On the other hand, if you have a Stage 1 cancer, you don’t need chemotherapy at all after surgery. Even for Stage 2 cancer, chemotherapy is of doubtful benefit.
  • Overall, that data tells that for colon cancer, you have a 50:50 chance with chemotherapy if your cancer is at Stage 3.

Most patients believe that surgery and chemotherapy can cure their cancer. Unfortunately this is often not the case. In the case of SPW and Wongso, were they ever told the truth about their chances? Unfortunately, they had to learn the hard way.

 

 

 

 

Pancreatic Cancer: Can Chemo Cure You? or Can the Treatment Kill You or Bankrupt You?

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SH is a 62-year-old Singaporean. Many years ago, his father had lung cancer. He underwent chemotherapy and according to SH’s wife, “it was very fast, within a year he died. He had chemo.”

Fast forward to early 2018.  SH had difficulty moving his bowels which led to pains in the abdomen and loss of appetite. The problem persisted for some six months.

Sometime in June 2018, SH went to a government hospital and did a colonoscopy. There were some polyps. USG showed “air bubbles” in the intestine. Nothing was done and SH was asked to go home. Not satisfied, SH went to a “well known” private hospital (in Singapore). A CT scan was done, followed by a biopsy.

SH was told he had pancreatic cancer, Stage 3. The cancer might have spread to the small intestine.

On 1 July 2018, SH sent me an email:

Dear Dr. Chris,

I am SH from Singapore I want to check with you how can I come and consult you in Penang?

I have done a CT scan and  found to have “abdomen/pelvis: mass in neck of pancreas, encroaching the portal vein causing portal obstruction with cavermosum formation. Also abutting hepatic artery and SMA”.

May I know how to make an appointment to see you? I look forward to your reply.

My reply: Go and see the doctors first and find out what they can do for you.

Dear Dr. CHRIS,

Thank you for your advice. I will discuss with my doctor first. I understand that he recommends chemo followed by surgery. I will come back to you once I have gone through the treatments and assess my health condition.

From 11 July 2018 to 9 July 2019, SH underwent chemotherapy. This was done at the clinic of a “famous Singapore oncologist”.

In total, SH received 11 cycles of chemotherapy using the drugs, Gemcitabine + Abraxane. This is the standard recipe used to treat advanced pancreatic cancer.

This treatment was stopped after 11 cycles because, according to SH, the treatment was not effective. For this treatment alone, SH spent about SGD100,000.

In November 2018, SH underwent treatment with HIFU – high frequency focused ultrasound.

Then from end of July 2019 to end of August 2019, SH received 28 cycles of radiotherapy. This treatment cost him SGD20,000.

On Jan 19, 2019, I received this email from SH.

Dear Dr. Chris Teo,

I am SH from Singapore. I contacted you in July 2018. You asked me to see my oncologist first. I did that. I would like to visit you to seek alternative herbal treatment. I have completed 13 chemo sessions for treatment of my pancreatic cancer. Please advise how to make appointment to see you?

On Nov 4, 2019 SH again wrote:

Dear Chris Teo,

Can I come to see you in November (date to be confirmed)? My chemo treatment is not working for me. I will not hold you responsible. I am desperate to seek alternative treatment. Can you agree to see me? Thanks.

When SH came to seek our help in November 2019, he said he had learned from his father’s bitter experience about chemotherapy. From the beginning he was not happy to undergo chemotherapy but he had no choice. In the end, he decided to give up chemotherapy because of the severe side effects.

Did chemo and radiation treatments cure his cancer?

Take a look at the CA19.9 values during the course of his treatments:

SH was scheduled for a third cycle of chemo in mid-November 2019 but he decided to give up further medical treatment.

In fact SH was told that if he was to continue with chemotherapy, the drugs to be used would be changed to: 5-FU +irinotecan or 5-FU + irinotecan + oxaliplatin.

Alternatively, SH could opt for targeted therapy using Olaprarib.

If you check the internet, Olaprarib is a drug used to treat ovarian and breast cancer!!!!!!!

How much does Olaparib cost? In the US, the cost of Olaparib (internet information) is estimated to be USD3,000 per month!

SH’s blood test results on 5 November 2019 is a follows:

RBC 3.14  low
HGB 9.3    low
Platelet 86     low
eGFR More than 60 high
Alk phos 55
AST 32
ALT 24
GGT 50

Below are the results of the PET scan done on 1 October 2019 (top row) compared to the one done on 15 July 2019 (bottom row). It is obvious that his cancer did not go away in spite of the treatments given.

My Comments

One question I asked SH (and his wife). Before you undergo the chemotherapy, did you ever ask the oncologist if the treatment is going to cure you? Yes, they asked that question. And the answer was, “No, cannot cure. It is just to prolong life or to promote quality of life.”

Is that what patients want — no cure but prolong life? Ask these questions — prolong life for how long? And at what cost in terms of suffering or money?

What about chemo promoting quality of life? Someone must be joking! SH said, “spend money is okay” but it is the suffering that he could not endure.

At the end of it all, ask yourself, Is it worth it? I can’t answer that question – only the patient who suffered the consequences would know better.

I always tell patients, understand that the decrease of tumor markers (in this case CA19.9) is meaningless! But many patients don’t want to understand this. To them if the tumor marker comes down, it means the treatment is effective! So patients like to go for blood test or do a CT scan soon after each or a few shots of treatment. Some even do the most crazy thing — doing a PET scan every month!

Let us look at SH’s case.

  1. On 5 July 2018 before chemo, SH’s CA19.9 was at 5,248. That was high! Okay, after a shot of chemo, his CA19.9 went down to 1,658. Hooray, the chemo worked! That was what SH thought and it was probably what his oncologist also thought and wanted SH to believe — the chemo was very effective!

So go for more and more chemo — good, isn’t it?

  1. By 28 February 2019, SH’s CA19.9 went down to its lowest level, at 206. Wonderful achievement.

But was that really wonderful? Don’t be fooled. If you have enough experience or if you are observant enough, know that this decrease of tumour marker may not last. It could be just an illusion; a temporary relief and a good start to make patients excited and spend their money. But it may not last. I have seen enough cases like this happen.

  1. See, from the lowest CA19.9 level of 206 in February 2019, SH’s CA19.9 started to increase again. By July 2019 it went up to 500 – 600. That was just within five months.

It was at this point that the doctor told SH that the Gemcitabine + Abraxane concoction did not work anymore!

SH needed to be given another “magic” concoction of Oxaliplatin + 5-FU (or + irinotecan).

  1. By October and November 2019, even with the new concoction, SH’s CA19.9 shot up to 4,329.

Remember before SH was started on chemo in July 2018, his CA19.9 was at 5,2438. After spending more than SGD120K for the treatment, he was back to square one — that was just 15 months later.

  1. SH suffered severe side effects. In spite of not seeing meaning benefit, the oncologist would not want to give up yet. If SH had already developed a phobia for the needle, he can go for a “high sounding name treatment called Targeted Therapy”. This is to take an oral drug called Olaprarib. This is the first time I have heard of this drug. So I goggled to find out more about this. I learned that this drug costs a bomb — USD3,000 per month in the US?!? I have no idea how much this cost here.

But what is most bewildering about this drug is that it is meant for ovarian or breast cancer!!!!  Has someone forgotten that SH has pancreatic cancer? That being the case, how good can this new drug be for SH?

So let’s go back to the title of this post — Can chemo cure you? Can the treatment kill you? or Can the treatment bankrupt you? I would not be able to answer that question. Patients, you answer that question!

 

 

 

 

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

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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!

 

 

 

From TB to Nose Cancer. After chemotherapy and radiotherapy, extensive bony metastases. What has gone wrong?

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FR is a 40-yer-old male, private school teacher from Indonesia. In November 2017, he had a swelling in the left side of his neck. A biopsy was done by a doctor in his hometown. FR was told he had tuberculosis (TB). He was prescribed Rifastar — a TB drug. FR took Rifastar for about two months. Another lump appeared on his neck.

FR went to see another doctor. He was again told he had TB. This time he was prescribed more drugs: Rofamtibi, Lovesco (antibiotic) and Lesichol (for liver).  After one month on these drugs the swelling in his neck became smaller. But after the second month, the drugs were not effective anymore.

FR went to a hospital in Melaka for further management.

A trucut biopsy of left cervical lymph node on 28 March 2018, suggested a metastatic undifferentiated or poorly differentiated carcinoma, highly suggestive of undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC – nose cancer).

CT scan report stated: Tiny right middle lobe lung nodule and aorto-pulmonary lymphadenopathy (1.1 cm). Infection or metastasis ? No suspicious bony lesion.

MRI showed multiple enlarged left jugular nodes as large as 4 cm. There is no obvious tumour in the postnasal space.

FR was referred to the oncologist in the same Melaka hospital. He was told to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy immediately because this was a Stage 4B cancer.

FR came to Penang and consulted us. He was prescribed some herbs for his NPC, lung, lymph nodes and liver. However, FR’s father asked FR to undergo medical treatments instead of just relying on our herbs.

So FR went to a private hospital in Kuala Lumpur and had six cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin — one cycle every week. He also received 33 sessions of radiotherapy.

In all, the cost of the treatments was about IDR 200 million (approximately RM58,000).

PET scan results below showed amazing results after the medical treatments. The swelling were all gone!

But there is no time to celebrate yet.

Unfortunately, the PET scan also showed (below) that the cancer had spread extensively to the bones — the skull (white arrow), T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9, T10, T11, T12, L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, and sacral vertebrae, head of humerus, left scapula, sternum, right 3rd and left 6th rib, pelvic and femoral bones.

FR was told to undergo more chemotherapy, this time using carboplatin + Gemcitabine. Six cycles of this treatment is going to cost RM42,000.

FR refused further medical treatment and came back to seek our help for the second time!

Comments

This is indeed a sad morning for me to see how “lost and fearful” FR and his wife were. Why the extensive spread to the bones? And this happened so fast. Barely five months ago — the PET scan in May 2018, before chemotherapy and radiotherapy — showed no traces of bony metastasis. What has gone wrong?

Most patients, after being diagnosed with cancer, generally opt for the so called “scientific, proven” medical treatment. Yes, they believe medical treatments can cure their cancer. I have no problem with that. By all means, go and see your doctors and do whatever they want you to do. I also tell patients that if or when these treatments fail, they can come to us. No hard feelings. We do NOT promise we can cure you. But we shall try our best to help the way we know how.

Dr. Laura Nasi, an integrative oncologist, in her book, Cancer as a wake-up call explained clearly what medical treatments for cancer can offer patients. Let me quote what she wrote:

page114: Fifty percent of those who receive a cancer diagnosis — and up to 90 percent with some kinds of cancer — are cured with conventional medicine. 

page 115: Eastern medicine, e.g. Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, are excellent for preserving health, but they are not always fast enough when cancer is already established in the body. When the situation is urgent, Western medicine’s surgery, radiation and chemo take effect immediately. 

page 117: When cancer is detected during its early stages, conventional medicine considers that there is a cure … the treatment is usually aggressive. In these cases, it’s considered more acceptable to tolerate serious adverse effects, since a cure is the intended outcome.

page 117: When cancer is more advanced or has spread to other organs, conventional medicine generally doesn’t have the tools to cure it. A long-term treatment can help control the cancer, reduce pain, relieve symptoms, avoid complications and sometimes extend a person’s life. 

I am sure many oncologists everywhere in the world would say the same thing as Dr. Nasi. I guess most patients are also on the same page and believe their oncologists fully.

Perhaps that could be the reason why FR’s father told his son to go for medical treatments instead of just relying on our herbs!

But look at what happened to FR. Barely five months later, FR ended up with more metastases than anyone could ever imagine. Why? Is this the first time such a thing ever happen? My answer is NO. I have seen similar cases.

I have been helping thousands of cancer patients over the past two decades. Most of them who came to us had already undergone medical treatments. These treatments failed. These patients came to us as a last resort. So it is hard for me to fully agree with what Dr. Nasi wrote above.

For one, I have come to believe from my long years of observation that there is no such thing as a cure for cancer! Remission yes, but not cure. I have seen cancer patients suffered recurrence even after six, 12, 14 or even 20 years! I am skeptical when doctors tell patients about cure!

The idea of “whacking” the cancer real hard with toxic drugs or radiation trying to get rid of the cancer quickly seems a sensible proposition. Good logic but take note also that such aggressive treatment can not only weaken the immune system but also kill the patient!

Many patients who came to seek our help refused to undergo chemotherapy as suggested by their oncologists. Why? Because they have seen how their loved ones or friends suffered or died during or after the treatment. I wonder why people don’t realize that! If this doesn’t happen to you, it does not mean it is not true! Read more to know what others have gone through.

I also find it odd that people can sell the idea that chemo or radiation treatments can “control the cancer, reduce pain, relieve symptoms, avoid complications and sometimes extend a person’s life.” What about the short-term and long-term side effects?

Some of our patients have outlived their doctors prognosis many times over. Because they live long enough, we started to see the long-term side effects from their previous medical treatments. Of course if they die soon after their treatments, no one will know what these long-term side effects are!

I am not being anti-doctor by telling you all these. I am just sharing the reality from my perspective. And I am not alone on this. Many doctors and oncologists themselves shared similar experiences.

Read what they said.

Dr. Nasi wrote: Fifty percent of those who receive a cancer diagnosis — and up to 90 percent with some kinds of cancer — are cured with conventional medicine. How do you reconcile such way off claim when some oncologists said the contribution of chemotherapy to 5-year-survival is only 2.3 or 2.1 percent!

 

 

 

Same lymphoma, Same chemo, Same oncologist, Same time but Different outcome. Where is the science?

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Nick (not real name) is a 37-year-old Indonesian. In late December 2017, he had coughs, became breathless and found a swelling under his left arm pit. In January 2018, he went to Singapore and did a PET scan followed by a biopsy. There was a large mass occupying the entire left lung. The left lung had collapsed, hence the breathlessness. The many surrounding lymph nodes were also swollen.

Histology confirmed Nick had a diffuse aggressive peripheral B-cell lymphoma with extensive supra- and infra-diaphramatic adenopathy involving mediastinal, hilar, left axillary/subpectoral and peri-celiac regions.

As expected, Nick underwent six cycles of chemotherapy with CHOP-R regimen. The total cost for this treatment came to about SGD80,000 (i.e. RM 240,000).

Chemotherapy was completed in May 2018. After a rest of about one and a half months, Nick did a follow-up PET scan on 2 July 2018. The results were as follows:

  • The previous mass, about 18 cm in the lung had shrunk significantly! Nick felt better after the chemo.
  • There is a residual non FDG avid soft tissue mass at the left hilum, measuring 3.0 x 2.8 cm.
  • A new focus of intense FDG uptake at the left aspect of the manubrium, suspicious of disease involvement.
  • A few foci of mild increased FDG uptake in the left upper pulmonary lobe associated with peripheral ground glass changes — probably due to inflammatory changes.
  • Diffuse mild increased FDG uptake in the bone marrow may be reactive in nature.

In view of the above, Nick was told to do another biopsy to determine what is in his breastbone. But before doing the biopsy, Nick decided to come and seek our help. He wanted to take herbs.

Nick shared the story of his friend who also had the “same” lymphoma at the same time as him. While Nick’s lymphoma mass was on the left lung, the friend’s lymphoma mass was in the middle of the chest.

Nick’s friend went to the same hospital, was treated by the same oncologist and received the same six-cycle of chemo — CHOP-R. Unfortunately, the treatment did not work for Nick’s friend. In this case, Nick was a bit more lucky.

Nick’s friend was asked to go for more chemo, using a new regimen called R-ICE. After one treatment his white blood cell count went down to almost zero.

(Note: The previous treatment regimen was Rituximab (R) and CHOP. CHOP stands for cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone. The suggested new regimen is Rituximab and ICE. ICE stands for Ifos­famide + Carbo­platin + Etopo­side).

Listen to our conversation that morning.

 

 

Comments

What can you learn from this story? Yes, you can go to the same doctor, receive the same chemo-drugs for the same type of cancer but you cannot guarantee that you get the same result. This story shows that healing of cancer takes more than just “text book science” that you learned in school. Over the years helping cancer patients, there is one thing that I learned — the outcome of each treatment is very much dependent on the “nature” of the patient himself/herself.

Dr. Glenn Sabin is a medical doctor. He was diagnosed with cancer but cured himself through the non-chemo way. He wrote a book, N of 1.  He said, You may be wondering why I titled my book ‘n of 1’. In scientific circles, an N-of-1 trial is a clinical trial in which a single patient represents the entire investigation: a single case study. 

Shortly after I was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1991, my N-of-1 experiment began. No two cancers are exactly alike; neither are two patients. Our individual needs—physical, psychological and emotional—and cancer treatment regimens can vary widely; just like our responses to treatment and our unique journeys into survivorship.”

Dr. Sabin’s experience is an inspiring story about challenging medical dogma. He discussed how to activate the body’s innate capacity to heal. To heal, patients, their caregivers and their loved ones need to seek knowledge and self-empowerment.

In my book, Getting it right, I wrote a chapter with this title, Is Modern Medicine the Only Proven and Scientific Therapy?.

This is what I wrote: Medical treatments are said to be scientific and proven but what is the use, if patients still die after undergoing all these high-tech, state-of-the art treatments? Are the deaths and recurrences of cancer in patients not proof enough that scientific medicine has failed in one way or another? 

Taking of herbs or other CAM therapies brought benefits to patients. These therapies have not gone through “scientific baptism” to make them scientific. But this does not mean that the therapies are ineffective or unscientific. The results speak for themselves. The requirement that truth can only be found through current “gold standard method” of medicine is in itself unscientific. 

In the third chapter of the book, I went on to ask, Is Traditional and Complementary/ Alternative Medicine (CAM) a Quackery? 

Traditional and Complementary / Alternative Therapies (CAM) are often regarded as unproven by those in the medical profession. This negative perception is disappearing as the general public had overwhelmingly confirmed that CAM therapies are indeed beneficial for them. 

The next time you go to your oncologist to start your chemo, know that he/she is conducting an N=1 experiment on you. He/she may quote impressive success statistics but know that those statistics need not necessarily apply to you. If your oncologist says you have a 80 percent chance of cure, ask if he/she is sure that you belong to that 80 percent success group. Or what is the chance that you belong to the 20 percent failed group? If you ask such questions expect some unexpected response from your doctor! He/she may chase you out of the office! Or you will get a shelling. One doctor told a patient: How do I know, I am not god! Another doctor answered: It is your fate, your luck. 

So is going to the oncologist is just like going to a casino? Read this book, The Big Casino: America’s best cancer doctors share their most powerful stories.

To me, you need more than just “science” to cure your cancer — yes, you may need more luck or more karma. But one thing I know for sure … you need God’s mercy and blessing. Unfortunately, many people are still not responding to this change of reality.

Back to the case of Nick. He had six rounds of chemo and spent about RM240,000 for the treatment. Did the chemo helped him? Yes, definitely. His collapsed left lung was “restored” and he can now breathe normally. But did the chemo cure him? No, not yet. I am not sure if Nick can ever be cured. He was asked to do another biopsy to know what is left behind. Then what comes after the biopsy? What can the doctor offer other than more of the same thing … more chemo like his friend. What say you to more chemo?

Nick knew the pitfall. He decided to come and seek our help. But I was frank with him that morning. I said, I may be able to help but I cannot cure you.

Over the more than two decades of helping patients, I have come across many lymphoma cases and I know that our CA Care Therapy did help some of them.

My first encounter was with Dewi (not real name). She is a lawyer who had a recurrence a year after completion of her medical treatment. She did not want any more chemo and was started on our herbs and diet. Up to this day, Dewi is still doing fine. You can read more here: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2011/07/05/the-story-of-devi-a-lady-lawyer-about-40-years-old-afflicted-by-non-hodgkin%E2%80%99s-lymphoma/

Then there is another interesting case of a 65-year-old man who was diagnosed with B-cell type gastric non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. After just one shot of chemo with modified CHOP –  cyclophosphamide + vincristine + Epirubicin and Prednisolone, he suffered a stroke (left thalamus infarction). The doctor gave up chemo and suggested radiotherapy instead. His daughter came to seek our help instead. Read here: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2012/02/05/non-hodgkins-lymphoma-of-the-stomach-one-cycle-of-chemo-made-him-really-sick-he-took-herbs-and-life-was-restored/

In March 2014, Mat had a lump on his chest. A biopsy confirmed it was a lymphoma.  Had underwent 25 cycles of radiotherapy, but he refused chemotherapy. The lump went away but in 2016, fluid accumulated in his lung and Mat had  it tapped out. Later the cancer spread to his neck. In February 2018, Mat wrote us to ask for help but I was reluctant to take up this case. I asked Mat to go and see the doctor instead. But he was adamant he did not any chemo. I had no choice but to help him. Yes, our therapy helped him too! For more read: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/2018/06/16/lymphoma-swollen-neck-refused-surgery-or-chemotherapy-opted-for-ca-care-therapy/

As I am finishing this story, a 40-plus-year-old man came to seek our help. He was initially diagnosed with TB, but later the diagnosis was changed to lymphoma. He underwent six cycles of chemo.  The treatment failed. He was asked to go for another 12 cycles of chemo. After three cycles of this additional treatment he decided to give up and came to seek our help. After two weeks on the herbs, it looks like he is getting better. I cannot say what lies ahead for this unfortunate man.

 

 

No chemo for me. My husband died within minutes after completion of his 6th cycle of chemo

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Julie (not real name) is a 54-year-old Indonesia. She was initially diagnosed with TB (tuberculosis) and has been taking TB medication for the past seven months. No, her problems did not go away.

Blood tests showed her CEA was at 39.7 (high) and a CT scan showed a mass in her lung.

The doctor wanted her to do a biopsy and if it is cancerous, Julie would have to undergo chemotherapy. Julie do not want chemotherapy. My question to her, “Why don’t you want to go for chemo?”

Julie had a bitter experience to share.

About 5 years ago (in around February 2013) Julie’s husband was diagnosed with colon cancer. He underwent an operation — performed by one of the best colorectal surgeons in Singapore. He was then sent to a well known Singapore private hospital for chemotherapy. Chemotherapy was started in June and by December Julie’s husband was dead.

After receiving 3 cycles of chemo, he had difficulty walking.

Chris: “Did you still continue with the chemo?”

In spite of the early warning that something had gone wrong, the oncologist still wanted the patient to finish the scheduled six cycles. Julie’s husband eventually completed the six cycles of chemo. Within a few minutes of completing this last cycle — after the “needle” was removed from his arm — he died.

C: “Did you ask the oncologist why your husband died?”

The oncologist said his heart could not stand the toxic drug.

C: Before you started the chemo, did you ever ask the oncologist if chemo can kill?”

The oncologist said the chemo is going to cure him!

C: “In total, how much money did you spend for his treatment?”

About one milyar (one billion) rupiah.

Comments

This is a story of two tragedies. One, Julie had been taking TB drug for the past 7 months because the doctor thought she had TB. She was not getting better.

Julie said every day, throughout the day, she has pain and numbness on the right side of her chest. Once a while blood oozed out from her right ear. She could not sleep at night because of her cough. She had no appetite and felt tired all day long. She became breathless when climbing the stairs.

The doctor was monitoring her progress through X-rays. It was not until May 2018 that a CT scan was done. After seeing the scan, it was not about TB anymore. Could it be lung cancer? Or to be more precise, could it be a metastatic lung cancer?

Why did I say metastatic lung cancer?

Julie told us that in 2011, she had a hysterectomy. Then in 2013, she again had an operation to remove her ovary. I asked Julie if the doctors at the time ever indicated that she had some sort of cancer? Julie did not know. It was indeed unfortunate that such medical history was not taken into account (perhaps they did not even want to know?) when the doctors came to the conclusion that she had TB.

Tragedy number two. Julie was told that she would have to undergo chemotherapy if the biopsy turns out to be positive. No chemo for me — that is Julie’s position. Her husband was killed by that kind of treatment.

Julie specially flew to Penang to seek our help. Yes, we understand her predicament.  I have heard many such stories before. If you have colon cancer you don’t have to die within 6 months even if you don’t do any chemo. We have patients living ten years and more, after surgery but without any chemo. So the story of Julie’s husband  is  pathetic.

I spent almost an hour trying to help her in any way I can. I have also reminded Julie that I cannot cure her — to help yes, but to cure, NO. In a situation like this we can only do our best to heal ourselves. But first and foremost she must be willing to help herself. Are you prepared to take that responsibility?

You don’t have to wait until your partner dies before you believe what these doctors said:

 

 

 

 

Pleomorphic Sarcoma: Tumour shrunk after 3 months on herbs!

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On the last day of 2017, I received an email from a Malaysian lady in Germany. Let’s call her May. This is what she wrote:

Dear Mr. Chris Teo,

…. I would like to tell you a bit about my case. All our reports are in German. We will translate them and bring them back to you.

  • December 2016: I was diagnosed with undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma at blood vessels, which was near to my heart.  The tumor grew from my right upper pulmonary vein through the mitral valve into my left ventricle of my heart. Via complete sternotomy, the tumor was excised.(Sternotomy — surgery where sternum or breastbone in centre of chest was divided or cracked).

Sternotomy was done one more time to stop internal bleeding and to remove a hematoma.

  • January – June 2017: Cytostatic chemotherapy was done with Doxorubicin and Ifosamid for 6 cycles.
  • October 2017: From standard checkup (CT scan and MRI), it was confirmed that a tumor, 2.4 x 2.2 cm is growing close to the right upper pulmonary vein and it presses onto the vein.

This result highly indicates a local  recurrence. Sample of the tumor was taken via Endobronchial Ultrasound to pathology and it was confirmed it is the same high graded sarcoma.

  • November – December 2017: Chemotherapy (Gemcitabin and Docetaxel) for 2 cycles were done. Along with the chemotherapy, I took part in a double blind clinical study for Antibodytherapy Olaratumab).

During chemotherapy and antibody therapy  the tumor had shrunk to 1cm (result from a CT scan).

  • 27 December.2017:A CT scan of the whole body was done and metastasis was found in my brain. It was located above my left eye.
  • 2 January 2018: It is planned now to remove the tumor, as the tumor has caused brain edema which can cause stroke or bleeding anytime.

If the recovery process and the operation turns out successful and I still can fly, we will come back to find you to try your method to control the primary tumor near my heart.

Regards.

This was my reply to May.

Thank you for your email. Actually I was wondering who you are and why you want to come and see me. You are from Germany and I am in Malaysia, half a world away. 

Since Netherlands is so near you, why don’t you see Dr YY below. You can get her contact from the internet. I have read her 2 books but I have never met her personally. But that is the way to start … see her and ask for her advice. 

I also know Germany is very famous for alternative cancer therapy — why don’t you  scout around to go to these clinics — if you need help to find where and what, let me know. I may be able to help.  

Sarcoma is a very difficult problem … see, even chemo and chemo … did not work. You asked to see me in Penang — you are welcome to see me. Are you from Penang? 

Dear Mr Chris Teo,

I am from Kedah. If I am fit and the operation goes smoothly, I will come and meet you. Thank you and Happy new year.

In early February 2018, May, her husband and her mother came to our center.

https://youtu.be/k9D0BGSH5DI

May was prescribed a variety of herbal teas for her brain and sarcoma. Once in a while, I received updates of May’s progress.

Hello Uncle Chris,

8 Feb: I started soft tissue tea. My thigh has less pain. A bit pain at my left chest.

9 Feb:  I feel some short pain at my left chest. When I first swallow food or water, my tracea is pain.

10 Feb:  Same like 9.2

11 Feb:  My thigh is less pain. But still pain when I swallow food or water.

12 Feb:   My thigh still has a bit pain. Still pain when I swallow food and water.

13 Feb:   still pain when I swallow food and water.

14 Feb:   My cheek and neck is itchy and red. My thigh has no more pain.

15 & and 16 Feb:  My cheek and neck still itchy and red. Still a bit pain when I swallow food.

17 Feb:   No more pain when swallow food or drink water. My cheek and fore head are still itchy and red.

18 Feb:  Still itchy at fore head and cheek.

19 Feb:  Light pain at my left chest. A bit hard to explain.

On 28 March 2018 May, her husband and mother dropped by the centre before returning to Germany. And while in Germany May did write once a while to update us.

On10 May 2018, this is what she wrote:

Hello Dr.Teo,
I have check up and it shows that the tumour has reduced its size to half and no metatasis. A very big thanks to you from me and my whole family. My oncologist here in Germany is so curious about my therapy and would like to know more. So I gave him your website.  They haven’t see such improvement before with chemo and radiation especially with my rare sarcoma. Thank you once again.

Reply: You wrote: I have check up and it shows that the tumour has reduced its size to half and no metatasis.

Can you tell me what does this mean? Before the herbs you have tumour ? Where? What is the size?

Now, what did the doctor do? CT or MRI … then what is the size?

10 May 2018:

Dear Dr.Teo,

I had recurrence before I came to see you.  The primary tumour is located in the lymph node near my heart. The cancer metatasized to my brain. When I first met you in January. The doctor had removed the tumour in the brain but not the primary one.

The primary tumour in December was 5.5 x 3.2cm. Now it has become 3.2 x 1.9 cm. 

Comments

  1. When I received May’s email, my first reaction was to ask her to see other alternative healers — Germany is so famous for alternative medicine — why come to CA Care? But since she insisted of following our therapy, I could not turn her down. Perhaps she missed “home” too. Good to be back in your own “kampong” and be among your loved ones when you are ill — right?
  1. Below are pictures of the mass around her heart (top) and a tumour in her brain (below). After seeing this I shook my head in despair. As I told May, in my twenty plus years helping cancer patients, this is my first time seeing such a cancer. I really don’t know what I can offer May. But as you can see from this report, the herbs gave very encouraging results.

Sarcoma in blood vessel around heart

Sarcoma spread to brain.

Note:  Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS), is a type of soft tissue cancer. The word “undifferentiated” means that the cells don’t resemble the body tissues in which they develop. The cancer is called pleomorphic because the cells grow in multiple shapes and sizes.

While sarcomas are rare tumors, they do represent one of the most common soft tissue malignancies in adults. Soft tissue sarcomas can develop in blood vessels and in deep skin, fat, muscle, fibrous or nerve tissues. The cancer typically becomes quite large over a period of weeks or months, sometimes growing quite rapidly. The cancer can spread to other locations in the body, most often the lungs.

  1. May told her German doctor that she wanted to come home to undergo our therapy. The doctor did not object to her taking herbs! After all the doctors in Germany had done their best — even surgery and chemotherapy failed — what else could they offer her except more of the same treatments.

From the start, I make it clear to May that I would not be able to cure her — to help her, probably yes. I know sarcoma is a very difficult cancer to handle. But, right in my head, I know that I had some wonderful successes with sarcoma. Read these stories if you want to know more: https://cancercaremalaysia.com/category/sarcoma/

  1. Now that the tumour has shrunk rather significantly, just after three months of herbs, I pray that things become better and better with time. But May will have to help herself. She should keep on doing what she has been doing after seeing us. Don’t ever think that she can do and eat anything she likes!
  1. This statement that May wrote, My oncologist here in Germany is so curious about my therapy and would like to know more, tickled me a bit! Most doctors/ oncologists generally don’t want to know! If you don’t want to know you are like “a frog under the coconut shell”, right?
  1. I must say frankly, I would not know what is May’s future but for what it is we need to lift up our eyes to Heaven and praise the Almighty God for this healing. God bless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colon cancer: After three surgeries and two cycles of chemo, he wanted to give up

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Sam (not real name) is a 43-year-old Malaysian from a town in central Malaysia. He came with his family to seek our help. Unfortunately, he came empty-handed — no medical reports.

Generally in a case like this, we would ask the patient to go home and bring his medical reports before we prescribe the herbs.

But in this case, I could not send Sam home empty-handed since he had travelled so far to come and see us. I made clear to Sam that I am “blind” and I would take what he tells on faith, as the real truth. The next time, if he ever returns, I asked him to try and get all his medical records.

Sam said since he received treatments in a government hospital, it is not likely that they would release this records. I know this is not necessarily true!

This is  Sam’s story.

  1. His problem started with abdominal pains and difficulty in moving his bowels. This happened a year ago, April 2017.
  1. Sam went to a private clinic. But the GP asked him to go the government hospital for help.
  1. In May 2017, a colonoscopy and biopsy were done. He was diagnosed with cancer of the colon.
  1. Sam underwent an operation in July 2017. He stayed in the hospital for 3 weeks. After his discharge, just a few days at home, Sam suffered abdominal pains again. He was again admitted to the hospital. On examination, Sam was told that there was an internal leakage.
  1. Sam had to undergo a second operation. A colostomy bag was installed. This time, he spent 2 weeks in the hospital. About 3 weeks at home, he had problems again. This time pus started to ooze out through the wound.
  1. Sam was readmitted to the hospital for the third time. This time the doctor drained out 8 liters or 2 gallons of pus from his abdomen.
  1. While in the hospital he was in coma for 3 days. After two weeks of hospitalization, Sam was again discharged.
  1. Sam was told to undergo 12 cycles of chemotherapy.
  1. In February 2018, Sam received his first shot of chemo, followed by another shot 2 weeks later.
  1. The chemo made him sick — he had fevers on and off for 2 weeks and his back ached. It was at this time that Sam felt he could not finish the scheduled 12 cycles, and decided to come and seek our advice.

Listen to our conversation that morning.

 

Comments 

Can we learn some lessons from this tragic story? Yes, absolutely.

Lesson one: not all doctors have the same expertise and capabilities. Not all hospitals can offer equally effective treatment for cancer.

When patients with colon cancer come to us for advice, this is what I would say: Go and have the tumour removed. If you want a “good” colorectal cancer doctor, go and see Dr. X in Hospital Y in Kuala Lumpur. I have sent many patients to him and he did a very good job! According to my patients, he is also a compassionate doctor.

Let me be up front. By sending patients to Dr. X, I do not get any “referral fee”. Get that right. I am sticking my neck out for him because I want you to get the best treatment possible! I know Dr. X professionally through my patients and I am not sure if he even knows who I am either!

Not long ago, a man whom I knew years ago, came to see me because of his wife’s leukemia. She was seen by a doctor in a government hospital. Apparently she was not  given any “chemo-drug” and was sent home. To me, it looked like it was a “gone” case. I suggested to his man, Why don’t you bring your wife to see Dr. N. (in P hospital). He is good with leukemia. At least go and listen to what he has got to offer.

This is what the man answered me, What is it that the Dr. N can offer that cannot be found in the government hospital? After all the medicines are all the same. And the doctors are just as qualified. 

Yes, I know this man always acted “smart” since I knew him. There is no use for me to argue with him.

Not long after that, his wife died. It looked like he believed he had given his wife the best! Or, was it because treatment in a government is free of charge (being a retired government servant) whereas going to a private hospital cost money? Your guess.

Lesson two: Before you undergo any treatment, ask the doctor there basic questions! Can your treatment (surgery, chemo or radiotherapy) cure me? What are the side effects of the treatment? How much is the treatment going to cost? (in case your bank account cannot stand the “drainage”). 

In Sam’s case, can the three surgeries cure his cancer? Not likely. In fact, these could even make the cancer spread more aggressively.

Sam did ask the doctor about the side effects of chemo. The doctor explained there was no other option that he knows of. Yes, chemo causes many severe side effects. But without chemo, the cancer would spread. So it is a choice between the devil or the deep blue sea. Unfortunately, doctors are not taught more than this! If you have been reading my case reports in this website, you will learn that many colon cancer patients do not need  chemotherapy after their surgery. Yet they live!

Lesson three: Be knowledgeable. Read as much as you can about your problem. One point that sticks out like a sore thumb is the question about diet. Patients are often told to go home and eat anything they like. Take eggs, eat meat to become strong so that you can go through your chemo easily.

At CA Care we tell you to take care of your diet. You cannot take all these! What you eat will determine the direction of your healing.

Dr. Vincent deVita is one of the outstanding, “blue-blooded” oncologists in the United States. He was once the director of the National Cancer Institute. Read what he wrote (in Foreword, The Cancer Recovery Eating Plan):

  • We know that the cause of more that 70% of malignancies may be due in some ways to what we eat — what we eat has a tremendous influence on whether we will develop cancer.
  • Why has it taken the medical community so long to appreciate the connection between diet and cancer?
  • Most doctors are regrettably uneducated about the connection between what we eat and our health.
  • Most medical students receive little or no training in nutrition.

Read what Dr. Russell Blaylock wrote:

 

 

Stage 2 colon cancer spread to liver, bones and lymph nodes less than two years after surgery, chemo and radiation. What had gone wrong?

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When I first came to Penang some forty plus years ago, I met a lawyer — let’s call him Mark. Since then we became friends.

About a year or so ago, Mark suddenly dropped by the centre — it had been many years since we last met. Mark was diagnosed with colon cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy at a hospital which is supposed to be the “best” in the country (one doctor told me this!).

After relating his story, Mark left. No, I did not give him any herbs. Neither did I give him any advice. This is because from our conversation, I sensed that Mark seemed to know what he was doing. And during our conversation Mark did not ask for any advice or help either. So I just left it at that.

One of our principles that we uphold at CA Care is this: If you are still on chemo or radiotherapy (or are planning to do chemo or radiotherapy) or are taking other treatments elsewhere, please go ahead and continue with these treatments first. Do not take our herbs yet. We do not wish to intervene. 

If you have done everything and have nowhere else to go and need help, when you come to us, we shall try our best to  help you.

In early March 2018, as  I walked into our centre, someone greeted me but I could not recognise him, not until my wife told me that it was Mark who said hello. No, I was not being “arrogant” but Mark had “changed” a lot. He looked “much older”.  Perhaps I should not say that. My faulth, because I did not put on my glasses that morning (but generally, I don’t need to do that!).

Briefly, this was what happened to Mark.

  1. In 2016, Mark was diagnosed with cancer of the rectum. Surgery was not done. Mark was fitted with a colostomy bag.
  1. In September / October 2016, Marked received 25 sessions of radiotherapy and 2 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with FOLFOX.
  1. In early January 2017, Mark underwent a surgery. The tumour was removed. It was a moderately differentiated colo-rectal cancer, Stage B2.
  1. On 3 August 2017, Mark had his stoma reversed and the colon rejoined. A colonoscopy was done a day before the reversal procedure. There was NO sign of malignancy.
  1. Everything seemed okay.
  1. Disaster — 30 January 2018. A follow up CT scan showed:
  • Tumour recurrence at the anataomosis site and 6.5 cm anal verge. Biopsy of anal verge done on 8 January 2018 showed NO malignancy.
  • Multiple ill-defined lesions at both lobes of liver – confirming the cancer has spread to his liver.
  • Extensive intraabdominal and pelvic lymphadenopathy.
  • Bone metastasis — both iliac bones, both sacral alae, right and left femoral heads were invaded by the cancer.

The cancer is now TxN2bM1b — call it Stage 4 if you like.

Comments

In an earlier posting, I wrote about AB who had Stage 3 cancer. She declined chemotherapy and opted for the CA Care Therapy. It has been three years and she is still doing great. Mark had Stage 2 cancer — appeared to be less “dangerous” than AB’s cancer — but problems appeared within less than two years of treatment.

Do you ever ask why? Medical treatments for cancer are supposed to be proven and scientific — but why the metastasis so soon and so seriously?

Herbs and alternative therapies are supposed to be unscientific and unproven — yet patients like AB did so well.

Take time to understand the implications of the following quotations:

Dr. Richard Horton is the  Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet, a very prestigious medical journal. In 2015 he wrote this:

  • A lot of what is published is incorrect ….The case against science is straightforward: much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue.
  • Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analyses, and flagrant conflicts of interest, together with an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance, science has taken a turn towards darkness.

Marcia Angell is the former Editor-in-Chief of The New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world’s most prestigious medical journal. In her article, Drug Companies & Doctors: A Story of Corruption she wrote:

  • … conflicts of interest and biases exist in virtually every field of medicine, particularly those that rely heavily on drugs or devices. It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. 
  • I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine. 
  • One result of the pervasive bias is that physicians learn to practice a very drug-intensive style of medicine. Even when changes in lifestyle would be more effective, doctors and their patients often believe that for every ailment and discontent there is a drug.

 

Breast Cancer: Surgery, Chemo and Radiation Failed — Stage 2 turned Stage 4

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2 Jun 2017

Dear Dr. Teo,

My name is Carl (name changed) and I come from Singapore. I am requesting for an appointment for my Mother, who has stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.

My Mother is a Chinese national, and she was initially diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer in February 2016. She underwent numerous rounds of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and even a surgery to cut off her breast. However, the metastatic breast cancer eventually spread to both her lungs and liver this year. In fact, her condition is getting worse despite undergoing chemotherapy.

On her end, she exercises (walk, jog, stretching exercises) everyday for at least 45 minutes each day. Moreover, she watches her diet. No sweet sugary food, significantly more green and fruits. No meat and only fish as a animal based protein source. She also juices and drink daily a blend of Green apple, Beetroot and Carrots. Furthermore, she also blends asparagus and eat them very frequently. Recently, she has also began drinking Turmeric tea.

Dr Teo, would you please help my mother in her quest of overcoming cancer? I assure you that she still has a lot of will and determination to live. Please mail to me an appropriate date and time that you would be open for consultation.

Thank you so much for your time reading this mail! I hope to receive a reply soon. Have a great day ahead!

Reply: We are open Monday to Friday at about 11 am …. but let me know first your proposed date before to buy your tickets … to make sure I am in Penang.

Dear Dr. Teo,

Thank you for the information! May I know roughly how much the herbs would cost? Because, we have spent quite a bit on chemo, surgery and other things. Therefore, it would be good to know the approximate cost of the herbs so that we can better plan our finances and budgets. Thank you for your assistance! Really appreciate it a lot.

Reply: Read this …https://cacare.org/  — everything explained about the herbs, etc. Consultation is free … unlike in Singapore where patients may have to pay thousands of dollars for their herbs.

Dear Dr. Teo,

I have contacted you a few months back regarding my mother, a stage 4 breast cancer patient. Would it be possible if we fly over to consult you next week? Between 4th to 11th December. My mother is a Chinese national suffering from stage 4 cancer with both metastasize in the lungs and liver.

Thank you so much. Warmest regards.

One morning in December 2017

At long last, I got to meet Carl after 6 months! There are 4 in his family, mom and dad, daughter and son and Carl is the elder of the 2 siblings. He is 20 years old. This morning, he came alone without his mother. The medical reports are not complete and there are no CT or PET scan.

This is a the story of his mother… a Stage 2 breast cancer turned Stage 4 after extensive chemo treatments for a year. What has gone wrong?

  • More than a year ago, February 2019, PY was diagnosed with breast cancer. At that time there were already some small dots in her lung. The doctor did nothing about this lung metastasis (?).
  • From March – September 2016, PY underwent chemotherapy.

a) Initially, the drugs used were: Gemcitabine and Herceptin.

b) In June the combination changed to: Pertuzumab (Perjeta), Gemcitabine and Herceptin.

c) In September the oncologist tried Trastuzumab (Kadcyla) and Herceptin.

  • September 2016, PY had a right mastectomy.

CT scan report, 28 July 2017 indicated:

a) No evidence of local recurrence.

b) Extensive bilateral lung metastasis.

c) Ill-defined hypodensity in segment 7, measuring 1.0 cm. Other subcentimetre hypodensities in segment 2 and 8 are too small to characterise.

CT scan report, 2 October 2017 indicated: 

a) There is interval enlargement of multiple lung metastases.

b) Interval enlargement of fluid collection inferior to the right mastectomy site.

c) Interval enlargement of a right lower paratracheal lymph node.

d) Hepatic hypodensities are stable in size.

e) Overall, findings are consistent with disease progression.

CT scan report, 28 November 2017 indicated:

  • Bilateral lung metastases have increased in size and extent compared to 2 Oct. 2017.

Based on the above reports, PY’s treatment was said to be ineffective and she was scheduled to meet her oncologist again next week. It was that this point in time that Carl came to seek our advice on behalf of his mother. Actually he was just on a “shopping” trip — wanting to know what we can do to help his mother.

After spending one and half hours explaining, I sent Carl home without any herbs.

Go back and discuss with your mom first. Go ahead and see your oncologists next week and continue with what he wants you to do. Come back to see me again if you think I can help you. And this time, it is best that you bring your mom along plus her full medical reports and scans.

Conversation with 20-year-old Carl: 1. Change doctor? Change direction?

 Following are some of points we discussed that morning.

  1. I told Carl that if I have my way, I would not want to take up this case. 

Let the doctors take care of the mother till the end. In this way, when his mother dies, Carl or anyone else would not have a scapegoat to put their blame on.

I shared the burden of knowing that his 44-year-old mother is going to suffer a lot more before she dies. I imagine it is hard for anyone to face such a situation. I felt real sorry for this young man. 

  1. The questions Carl posed, admittedly are irritating at times and indeed a waste of time.

On this gloomy morning, God helped me to keep cool and let me see the humane need of this patient. I tried to be as nice as I could in my explanation. At the end, both of us struck a “bond.” And I also hoped his trip to Penang was not a waste of money!

I have learnt some lessons from Carl and I do hope Carl did learn some lessons about how to heal his mother.

  1. The cancer may attack the bone and finally the brain. As it is now, the cancer had already spread to the lungs and liver in spite of all the chemos. Know that this is not the end of the spread yet. The final stop is the brain, if she is unlucky. 

What can we do about it? You go on treating and treating —- chemo and more chemo and radiation. Amy Cohen put it rightly before she died after the cancer spread to her brain.

  1. Our therapy cannot cure her cancer. I make is completely clear that coming to see us would not change the outcome. We may be able to help, but we cannot cure her.

Furthermore, undergoing our therapy is not like going on a honeymoon. It requires a lot of commitment on the part of the patient. We show you the path, but you have to help yourself. Most patients would agree to do their best when they are dying, but the moment they get better, they start to “misbehave” — wanting to eat this and wanting to eat that. Then, they don’t want to take the herbs anymore if they can — giving all kinds of excuses or complaints.

  1. I suggested that Carl may want to change doctors/hospital.

Go to SGH. Or why not go back to China for medical or alternative treatments? Carl wanted to know by undergoing all these changes, what would be the benefits? I don’t know. But According to Einstein, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is insanity.

6.Carl want to know if it is possible for his mom to stop chemotherapy and then take our herbs for two or three months.

Then we will see if the herbs help her. My response: That is just absurd. If months of chemo did not cure and make her worse, don’t expect the herbs to show results within a month or two. Herbs are not magic potion!

  1. How much will our herbs cost?

Many patients spent thousands of dollars on their failed treatments and when they come to us, they are concerned about cost. Our consultation is free — yes, one a half hours talking to me is foc.

In general the Indonesians are much poorer but they never ask such questions

Just read these two emails.

Hi Dr. Chris,

Greeting!

I am from Singapore.

I was referred to you by my relative whose mother in law were treated by you while undergoing cancer treatment. My relative shared that she suffer almost no pain during the last stage of her life.

My dad has just been diagnosed with pancreas cancer and has just had his first Chemo treatment.

… I will appreciate if you can advise me on below:

……..

4)      How much is the consultation fee? (range if there is no fixed rate)

5)      Medicine cost?

Thanks and I look forward to hear more from you.

This is an email from Indonesia.

Hello Dr. Chris, I am T from …. Indonesia. I am female, 19 years old. Last month, I was diagnosed with Acute Myleoid Leukemia-M2 (AML-M2) by my BMP result. Right now, I am feeling good. I have no fatigue, fever, bleeding and bruise.

I don’t want to do chemotherapy treatments because all of the side effects. I wanna use natural way. So, I totally changed my diet and consider your herbs to help me. Can we meet on this Thursday (14 Dec)? Thank you.

(Note: T — a second year engineering student, is in need of help. She came with her mom and Auntie. Her father died when she was 2 years old. Her mother said she has no money to send her for medical treatment which could run to thousands of dollars. I felt real sad. If T comes back to see us again and is really committed to follow our therapy — my wife and I would like to “adopt” her as our daughter!)

Carl countered, You need to understand that there are many Singaporeans who have financial difficulties.

Yes, this is one lesson I learned from Carl this morning. I need to fully understand that!

But I told Carl frankly, unfortunately, the kiasu attitude may also have a part to play in this. I told Carl, Singapore dollar is three times Malaysian ringgit. That makes our herbs cost peanuts!

Conversation with 20-year-old Carl 2: What is the cost of your herbs?

  1. One last point. I told Carl, If you need my help, you should bring you mother here. And also bring all the CT / PET scans.

Carl suggested that it would easier if I just send the herbs by post if his mom would like to follow our therapy. My reply was, No, we cannot do that. 

Early in life, my mother taught me that good things never come easy. Noting is served on a silver plate for ordinary folks like us. We have to work hard to succeed. If you are not prepared to help yourself or want an easy way out, nobody can help you.

Conversation with 20-year-old Carl: 3. More questions

 

By asking me all these questions, you have revealed your attitude and personality!

I told my patients this: By talking to you for 5 minutes, I know if I can help you or not. Seventy percent of patients fail the test! Certain people just cannot be helped.

Comment

Earlier, I posted an article, Metastatic Breast Cancer: My mom wants to live. Her commitment made her well. In this article RR’s son came to seek our help on behalf of his mother who has Stage 4 breast cancer, just like Carl.

My morning talking with RR’s son is far different from talking with Carl. One comes genuinely wanting to find help for his mother, another comes to “window shop” for his mother.

 

 

Breast Cancer: Mom: Operated and no chemo, okay. Mom’s friend: Operated and chemo, died

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Ati (not real name) is an Indonesian lady. Sometime in January 2016, she felt a big, mobile lump above her left breast. She consulted a doctor in Pekan Baru hospital. She was asked to undergo a biopsy. She refused. She did nothing after that.

In August 2016, she ended up in the hospital again. This time she submitted to a biopsy. It was breast cancer. In early September 2016, she underwent a mastectomy. Histology confirmed a Stage 2B breast cancer, ER and PR negative and HER-2 positive tumour.

Due to her diabetes, she was hospitalised for one month before she was considered fit for discharge. After two weeks at home, she had to be hospitalised again and this time it was due to fluid accumulation in her chest. About 2.5 liters were extracted. She was discharged after 33 days.

Ati was then asked to undergo 6 cycles of chemotherapy. She promptly refused. A friend, who was our patient, told her about CA Care.

It is worthy to note that Ati’s son works in the hospital. From her son’s observation, many patients had chemo for their cancer. There seems to be no cure and many died.

Ati and her family members came to seek our help in early December 2016. I was mindful that Ati had a double negative cancer and that she was obese. I stressed to Ati that she has to lose half of her body weight if she wants to get well.

Listen to our conversation that morning.

Video 1: After surgery, no chemo for me!

About a year later, Ati’s two daughter came to our centre again. The daughter reported the following:

  • Ati is doing fine — leading a normal, healthy life without any problem.
  • Before our therapy, Ati had been taking Deer Placenta but had since stopped, after starting with our herbs.
  • Bloating of her stomach was gone.
  • She is energetic — a condition far better than before our therapy.
  • No more constipation.
  • No more back pain.

Then one of her daughters related the story of her friend’s mother. She too had breast cancer. She underwent surgery after Ati. This was followed by chemotherapy and she died about two months ago.

She did not know about CA Care? The daughter said, We brought her medical reports to you and shared our mother’s experience with her. But she did not want to come here. She went ahead with chemotherapy in Pekan Baru. 

Listen to our conversation that morning.

Video 2: Mom is okay without chemo. A friend died after chemotherapy.

Comments

We are indeed happy to learn that Ati is doing well. She should continue to do what she is doing that makes her well. I issued one warning to her daughters. Go home and tell your mom. She should take care of her diet. Eat “bad” food, you die! Everybody laughed!

To live or to die is your choice! Decide wisely. Herbs are considered by some people as unproven and unscientific, bordering to quackery. But Ati is still fine and healthy. So, what other proof do you need?

Her friend followed the so-called proven way and she died far too soon.

You may want to hear another similar stories.

  1. Breast Cancer: She died after three shots of chemo

     2. Breast Cancer: Declined chemo and radiation – alive and healthy. Relatives who had chemo, died.

  1. The Biggest Mistake I Have Ever Made

In his book: Cancer Recovery Guide, pg. 28, Jonathan Chamberlain wrote:

When my wife Bernadette learned that despite all the surgery, radiation and chemotherapy her tumour had returned, she was informed that she had three months to live. She was told this on 17 January. She died on 16 April. Three months  exactly.

In our conversation that evening, Jonathan said:

  • From my own experience with my wife, we were in awe of the doctors …. We were in awe of our ignorance. We assumed that the doctors were best … I realized that was the biggest mistake I have ever made – to do what the doctors advise. You learn the hard way. 
  • She (wife) suffered from chemotherapy and it killed her. She died not just from cancer. She died from cancer plus chemotherapy. She died within one year because she did everything that doctor advised her.

If you believe, believe. It you don’t believe, it is okay! It’s your life.

 

 

 

Extensive spread to liver after seven shots of chemo

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PR is a 33-year-old Indonesia. This is an email (translated and edited from Bahasa Indonesia) I received from him on 10 October 2017.

Part A: Medical history

A year ago, I often had stomach pains on the left side. I consulted doctors in Indonesia and Malaysia and did USG, CT Scan and colonoscopy. There was a tumor inside the colon. After a biopsy, I had surgery.

After operation the result was malignant tumor and I was required to undergo chemo for 8 times (infusion) and take medication (Xeloda) for 2 weeks and rest of 1 week.

After 4 cycles of chemo I did a CT scan again. The cancer had spread to the liver. I have to chemotherapy until 7 times. Then I did a CT scan again. The result was still the same, I decided to stop chemo and I chose my own herbal consumption (garlic mixed with honey).

Part B: Are you currently taking herbs?

No. I consumed herbs 1 month ago, some kind of  root, but it was not effective. I now feel pain and uncomfortable in the upper right abdomen and waist and shoulder.  For more than 2 weeks I stopped taking the herbs again. I am now taking painkillers from the doctors (Ultraset and Acorxia).

Part C: Current health condition

The more detailed information you provide, the better we can understand your problems.

  1. Do you feel pain? Where, how often and how serious? I often experience pain at the bottom of the right rib, pain when exhaling and also often uncomfortable at the waist, shoulders, and abdomen.
  1. Can you sleep? I have trouble sleeping. While sleeping only briefly and often woke up again.
  1. Do you feel tired? Sometimes.
  1. How often have you had a bowel movement? Is it difficult, with blood? Defecate sometimes 1 to 2 times a day, no bleeding and no pain.
  1. How is your appetite? Normal appetite, but I eat less because of stomach feeling full.
  1. Any bleeding? Where? No bleeding.
  1. Do you have a problem: digestion? diabetes? high blood pressure? No diabetes or high blood. Only when defecate feeling less satisfied (stools only a little bit sometimes).
  1. How often do you urinate? With blood? Normal, and no blood.
  1. Do you cough? With phlegm, what color (white / yellow)? Throat itchy? No cough, just throat often feel thirsty. 
  1. Breathing difficulties? Yes, sometimes with pain in the upper abdomen right under the ribs.
  1. Any other complaints: The stomach, shoulders and waist feel uncomfortable. The portion of the pit of the stomach is rather hard. Body often feels hot but cannot stand the cold weather.

PR came seek our help after this email.

Listen to our conversation that morning.

Gist of our conversation.

His problem started about 2 years ago when he lost his appetite and had difficulty moving his bowels. After a medical checkup he was told there was a mass in his colon. He went to a private hospital in Melaka for a colonoscopy. It was colon cancer and he underwent an operation in July 2016. The operation cost RM 30,000.

Chris: Did you ask the doctor if the operation can cure you?

PR: Bisa sembuh (yes, can cure!). But after the operation the doctor said the cancer was aggressive. I have to undergo chemotherapy.

C: So you have chemo?

P: Yes, after the fourth chemo, CT scan showed the cancer had spread to the liver. Then, I have more chemo and stopped after the 7th chemo.

C: Did the cancer go away?

P: No, the liver got worse. 

CT scan: 6 October 2017 

  • Liver metastasis in both lobes, predominantly right lobe. The conglomerate of nodules in right lobe measures 11.4 x 15.1 x 18.1 cm. Mild ascites seen.
  • Multiple para-aortic adenopathies, largest 1.8 x 2.2 cm.

Chest X-ray: Left lower zone nodules seen. Lung metastasis.

Blood test: 6 Oct. 2017

ESR 42 H
Platelet count 245
ALT (SGPT) 63 H
AST (SGOT) 150 H
ALP 256 H
GGT 211 H

C: How much did you spend in all for the treatments?

P: The operation cost about RM 30,000 and the 7 cycles of chemo (including Xeloda) cost RM5,000 / cycle.

C: Let me ask you this — before the operation did the scan show any cancer in your liver?

P: No, there was no liver metastasis.

C: Before the chemo — was there any cancer in your liver?

P: No cancer in the liver.

C: But after 4 shots of chemo, CT scan showed the cancer had gone to the liver?

P: Yes.

C: So, what did the doctor say?

P: Continue with the chemo!

C: What is the whole idea of doing more chemo when you got worse? What do you think made the cancer spread to the liver?

Comments

To answer the last question, perhaps you may want to reflect to the following reports.

Shock study: Chemotherapy can backfire, make cancer worse by triggering tumor growth

The extremely aggressive therapy, which kills both cancerous and healthy cells indiscriminately, can cause healthy cells to secrete a protein that sustains tumor growth and resistance to further treatment.

The scientists found that healthy cells damaged by chemotherapy secreted more of a protein called WNT16B which

“WNT16B, when secreted, would interact with nearby tumor cells and cause them to grow, invade, and importantly, resist subsequent therapy,” said Nelson.

In cancer treatment, tumors often respond well initially, followed by rapid re-growth and then resistance to further chemotherapy.

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/shock-study-chemotherapy-backfire-cancer-worse-triggering-tumor-growth-article-1.1129897

Chemotherapy could spread cancer cells and lead to more advanced tumours, says study

Chemotherapy is used to kill cancer cells and stop tumours from growing – but a new study suggests it could in fact help the disease spread, leading to more aggressive forms of cancer.

While the treatment was found to shrink tumours in the short term, chemotherapy drugs increase the chance that cancer cells will migrate to elsewhere in the body and may trigger a ‘repair’ system which allows them to grow back stronger, according to a team of US researchers.

Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/chemotherapy-cancer-spread-cells-tumours-more-advanced-treatment-study-breast-metastatic-albert-a7826461.html

Treatment Can Make Cancer Stronger

Doctors use radiation and chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells. About half of patients are cured — that is, all of their tumor cells die.

The other half of the time, some tumor cells survive treatment. These cancer cells are more aggressive than they were before treatment, says Mark W. Dewhirst, DVM, PhD, professor of radiation oncology at Duke University.

“When you give a tumor treatment, whatever cells survive are going to be more resistant to that treatment,” Dewhirst tells WebMD. “Those not killed are healthier cancer cells.”

Source: https://www.webmd.com/cancer/news/20080610/treatment-can-make-cancer-stronger#1

Why do chemotherapy drugs cause liver damage?

Chemotherapy drugs may cause liver damage because they are toxins and they place added stress on the liver’s filtering function. The liver removes toxins and chemicals from the blood stream and changes them into products that can be readily removed through the bile or urine. If toxins accumulate in the body faster than the liver can process them, then liver damage will result.

Source: http://cancer.unm.edu/cancer/cancer-info/cancer-treatment/side-effects-of-cancer-treatment/less-common-side-effects/organ-problems/liver-damage-hepatotoxicity/

Read our two articles:

Chemotherapy SPREADS and MAKES cancer more AGGRESSIVE

Chemotherapy Spreads Cancer and Makes It More Aggressive: Articles From the Internet

 

Cancer of Rectum-Liver, Part 2: After one chemo I told the doctor, I would rather die!

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Jas was diagnosed with rectal cancer that had spread to the liver. She underwent surgery and was told to undergo chemotherapy (and radiotherapy). After that she would be cured!

With full confidence she went for her first shot of chemo. She suffered badly. She had difficulty sleeping, had sores in her mouth, felt nauseous and vomited. She felt very tired and very uncomfortable.

Jas told the surgeon that she did want anymore chemo and would rather die than continuing with the remaining 7 cycles of chemo!

Desperate, the family looked for another direction. Incidentally, a relative who lives behind her home is a patient of ours. Jas’s daughter and son-in-law came to seek our help. Jas was prescribed herbs. Three months later, Jas, her husband and another daughter turned up at our centre.

 

Gist of our conversation that day.

Chris: You don’t want to do any more chemo?

Jas: No, I don’t want anymore. I can’t stand those side effects.

C: You spent RM3,500 and you suffered?

J: It is better that I die than going through those chemo again. I told the surgeon I don’t want to continue with the chemo.

C: Did the doctor get angry?

J: No. He asked if I went for the first cycle of chemo. I said yes, but I am not going for anymore chemo after that. Whatever it is I just don’t want to continue with the chemo. After the chemo, I could not sit, vomited, could not eat — from morning to night. Could not sleep. Mouth with sores.

C: Good that you did not die!

J: Ya.

C: Who ask you to come here.

J: A friend. Actually a relative who is living behind our house (also colon cancer and was on your therapy for the past 2 years and doing well).

C: Do you believe in what we do?

J: Ya. If I don’t believe I would not have come here.

C: (Knowing that this is a fussy and difficult patient). The herbs are difficult to take — bad taste, lousy smell and you need to take care of your diet — cannot eat anything you like. Can follow?

J: Yes, you have already told me that.

C: Know that your health and your healing is your responsibility. So Ibu (mama) you have to take care of yourself. We can teach you what to do but eventually it is all about your responsibility.

If you continue with another 3 cycles of chemo, would you “fly away”?

Husband and daughter (laughing): Yes, fly away. Gone. One shot already so bad.

C: You have been on the herbs for 3 months already and you did not have any problem. So let us hope that you keep it that way. Take care of yourself.

Daughter: Yesterday the doctor did a scan and said the mass in the liver had shrunk. Before it was big, now it has gone smaller.

C: Did the doctor know that you have given up chemotherapy?

J: Yes, we told him. After hearing that he just kept quiet.

C: I have given you herbs for your liver. Keep taking it. Don’t get angry if it does not taste good. Thank God for it and ask for His blessing. Be happy and I hope you will be okay.

Beside that (the liver mass being smaller) did you feel better after taking the herbs?

J: Yes, I felt better. I can sleep now (before difficult). I have appetite (before none).

Husband: Her diabetes had improved.

C; Your bowel movements were not good before. Now?

D: No problem now.

Comment

Jas was told that after surgery and 8 cycles of chemo she would be cured. A great promise indeed. But after one shot of chemo, Jas gave up — could not stand the side effects.

But after taking the herbs for 3 months, Jas is still doing fine. What could have happened if she were to continue with another 3 months of chemo? Your guess is as good as mine!