Hui is a 9-year old girl. At birth she had many birth marks/moles ( medically referred to as naevus or naevi). Over the years, these marks became itchy. Other than that Hui had no problem until September 2014, when she was 8 years old. Hui started to vomit, had headaches and seizure. MRI done on 11 September 2014 indicated “a solid mass lesion in the right thalamus measuring 40 x 42 x 43 mm.”
Where is the Thalamus?
The thalamus is a small structure within the brain located just above the brain stem between the cerebral cortex and the midbrain and has extensive nerve connections to both. The main function of the thalamus is to relay motor and sensory signals to the cerebral cortex. It also regulates sleep, alertness and wakefulness. http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-the-Thalamus.aspx
A biopsy was done and the result showed “features are more in favour of malignant melanoma… in view of the presence of pigmented skin lesions.”
Hui underwent an operation (crionotomy and EVD insertion) on 2 October 2014. “An attempt to debulk the tumour was abandoned as the tumour was very vascularised.” However, tumour debulking was finally done on 3 October 2014. Histopathology report confirmed malignant melanoma.
A follow up MRI on 11 November 2014 showed “no evidence of residual tumour or tumour recurrence.”
Barely 3 months later, MRI on 30 December 2014, showed tumour recurrence, “it measures approximately 3.1 x 2.3 x 3.7 cm. It appeared to be progressively increasing in size.”
At this point, the parents refused to have further medical treatment as they wanted to try alternative treatment.
On 1 February 2015, Hui had headaches again and started to vomit. She was rushed to the emergency. An urgent CT scan of the brain showed “a dense tumour measuring 5.3 x 3.5 x 5.9 cm with evidence of intratumoural hemorrhage” (internal bleeding). A left front EVD was inserted to drain the hemorrhage. (EVD: external ventricular drain extraventricular drain; or ventriculostomy. A plastic tube is placed by neurosurgeon to drain fluid from the brain).
A skin biopsy was done over the right giant naevus (birthmark). The result showed “benign intra-dermal naevus”.
Hui underwent another operation – “right re-crionotomy and tumour debulking” on 12 February 2015. The father said the tumour was cut out but unfortunately the tumour expanded and the skull could not be put back. Hui was discharged and went home with her head without the “sawn off” skull. However, she was alright and was able to move around.
Unfortunately Hui developed persistent vomiting. A repeat CT scan on 27 February 2015 showed increasing hydrocephalus (fluid) and 2 VP shuntswere inserted. “A revision of the shunt was performed on 3 March 2015 as it was not properly placed.
Her doctor wrote, ” She was quite well since then, and was discharge on 6 March 2015. We are greatly sorry for not being able to do MRI brain for her as our machine was broken down and her unstable conditioin.”
Hui was referred to KLGH for radiation. The parents were undecided whether to undergo radiotherapy or not and came to seek our advice. According to her parents, Hui was very weak.
Comments
It is indeed a hard case for us to handle. Should Hui undergo radiotherapy? We cannot provide that answer. The parents will have to make that decision.
We have seen many “disastrous” results after a brain operation.
Dr. Jeffrey Tobia and Kay Eaton (in Living with Cancer) wrote: As far as cure is concerned, there is no use pretending that brain tumours are truly curable.
Update:
This is a message we received on 18 August 2015, from the monk who brought Hui to see us.
On a sad note, the young girl with the brain melanoma passed away on Thursday morning after lapsing into unconsciousness for a week. After we saw you, she underwent the Gamma knife therapy in KL the following week and a couple more VP shunts. The tumours re-grew in about a week in different areas of the brain.
What to do now? Do we have to give up? Here is a sweet story that crossed our path – a melanoma case that had spread to the lungs.
Melanoma is a malignancy of melanocytes, which are pigment-producing cells derived from the neural crest. This condition constitutes 3% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States; it is the most lethal form of skin cancer and the third most common malignancy that causes central nervous system (CNS) metastases, after lung and breast cancer. The primary tumor may occur at any location on the skin or, less commonly, on the mucus membranes or other locations. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1158059-overview
Malignant melanoma (MM) is often reported as the third most common cause of intracranial metastasis after carcinoma of the breast and lung. Most patients with advanced MM will have widespread extracranial disease, but the majority will die from intracerebral spread. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7834426
7% of patients diagnosed with melanoma subsequently developed intracranial metastasis. The prognosis of cerebral metastatic melanoma is dismal. Without treatment, the average survival time from the beginning of neurologic symptoms was 65 days in one study . Even with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the survival time has only been extended to a range of 4 months to approximately 2 years. http://radiopaedia.org/articles/intracranial-metastatic-melanoma-2
Disseminated metastatic disease, including brain metastases, is commonly encountered in malignant melanoma. The classical treatment approach for melanoma brain metastases has been neurosurgical resection followed by whole brain radiotherapy. Traditionally, if lesions were either too numerous or surgical intervention would cause substantial neurologic deficits, patients were either treated with whole brain radiotherapy or referred to hospice and supportive care. Chemotherapy has not proven effective in treating brain metastases.
Prognosis
Metastatic melanoma patients overall have a median survival of only 6–10 months and a 5-year survival of less than 10% .There has been virtually no improvement in survival of those patients in the past several decades. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jsc/2011/845863/
Within the first three weeks of March 2015, six patients came to seek our help. Each had his/her own tragic story to tell. By documenting this story it is our hope that you or your loved ones can learn something more than just “going to the doctor or healer” to seek treatment.
John (not real name) is 28 years old. His problem started sometime in August 2013. He felt dizzy while cycling and wondered what went wrong. He had another episode in May 2014 after he exerted himself. Otherwise, John was a very active person who did a lot of running and cycling.
A chest CT angiogram on 25 May 2014 showed clotting and extensive blockage of the arteries in his lung. The next day John underwent an operation. Unfortunately “the tissue appeared to be organised and adherent to the vessel wall, that was difficult to remove the “clot” in the right pulmonary artery. Histopathology report showed thromboembolus, without evidence of neoplasia.”
(Note: Pulmonary embolism is a blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs. In most cases, pulmonary embolism is caused by blood clots that travel to the lungs from the legs or, rarely, other parts of the body. This is then referred to as deep vein thrombosis).
John went home, after his hospitalization, with nine types of drugs: Warfarin, Lasix, Hydrochlorothiazide, Digoxin, Sildenafit, Pantoprazole, Enoxaparin and Xarelto. Everything went well for a while.
Some months later, problems cropped up again. Could it be a heart problem? In December 2014, on the recommendation of a close relative who is a medical specialist, John went to a renowned hospital in the US for further treatment.
On 2 January 2015, John underwent surgery again. A large amount of proximal tumor was resected but some residual gelatinous material could not be removed. Intraoperative pathology was consistent with a sarcoma.
Two days after the operation, John developed fevers and remained critically ill in the ICU with right heart failure, acute kidney failure, liver failure and DIC (Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation … characterized by systemic activation of blood coagulation … leading to microvascular thrombi in various organs).
Fortunately, with aggressive supportive care John recovered and by the 13th day he was out of the ICU.
John was referred to an oncologist who suggested adjuvant chemotherapy with AIM (dexorubicin, ifosfamide and mesna).
The total cost of John’s US medical treatment was about USD 100,000.
John returned to Malaysia and went to a cancer hospital. He was similarly told that he would need chemotherapy, initially 3 cycles to see how he would respond to the treatment.
Somehow, John and his parents end up at CA Care Centre in early March 2015.
Our Advice
Sarcoma is a rarely seen case at CA Care and it is difficult to handle. And sarcoma of the pulmonary (lung) artery is something we have not seen before. So, as far as CA Care is concerned, this is the first case.
Make no mistake, we cannot cure any cancer. We may be able to help patients find their own healing. So we told John that if he is here and expect us to cure his cancer then this is not a right place to come.
During our conversation, we were told that John’s close relative is a medical specialist. He was the one who made all the necessary arrangements for John’s medical treatment in Penang and the US. John himself is working in a medical-related profession.
We posed one question: Since your close relative is a medical doctor, does he agree that you come here to seek our therapy? The answer was: No, he did not believe in alternative medicine!
Our final advice: Please go home and discuss with all your family members what you want to do. We cannot cure your cancer. If you come here believing that we can offer you a cure then it is a mistake. But if you think that we can help you in any way, then you can come back again. Take time to think. There is no need to rush to make your decision.
Comment
This is indeed a hard case to handle. If you believe in medical treatment, then we would think the logical thing to do is go for chemotherapy — irrespective of whether you like it or not, or whether chemo would cure you or not!
It is “dangerous” for us to tell patients to take our herbs and follow our diet therapy if patients and their family members come to us wanting to find the “magic bullet.” We don’t have any magic bullet.
Let us pose one question here: What … after following our therapy, the cancer does not go way?” Are we going to be blamed — held responsible and made a scapegoat? After all, to most people, alternative medicine is unproven, unscientific and just quackery!
Our core belief in handling cancer is that: We cannot cure you. You cure yourself. We guide and provide you with the tools for your healing journey. But ultimately you are responsibility for your own healing. We know this is something not all patients who come to us understand or are looking for. They want us to cure them!
We tell John up front that this is the first time we hear of lung artery sarcoma. Such confession would be enough to make most patients run away! It is better to be crystal clear from the start that we are here to help you, not to mislead you.
However, let us share with you one success story — another equally rare sarcoma case which we had seen for the first time.
We are indeed surprised that we could help this lady. It has been almost 3 years now and she is still doing fine. During the last visit, she came to our centre with three medical doctors. One of them is her sister! I asked the patient in front of her sister: When you first came to see us, you refused chemotherapy and opted for herbs. Did you sister ever objected to you following our therapy? Her answer: Yes, she strongly objected.
Seeing and experiencing it is to believe. Now, her sister and two other medical doctors came to seek our help because they believed in what they saw!
Why are we able to help this patient? When the patient first came to seek our help, she was helpless. Deep in my heart I felt hopeless but I kept that to myself. I told the patient, I cannot cure your cancer. I can only do my best to help you. Did she run away upon hearing this? Most patients would but not this patient. She knew what she did not want to do — I don’t want chemo! She wanted to follow our therapy. No two ways about that. She did not doubt what she wanted. She was determined and committed to find healing for herself. She did not come to seek the non-existent magic bullet. Let us celebrate and praise God for this wonderful blessing. She had found her healing.
Three ladies, one after another, came to seek our help in early March 2015. All of them had breast cancer. They had undergone medical treatments. And now they needed help because modern medicine did not cure them. By writing their stories, perhaps others may learn some lessons?
Patient No: 1. Mary (not real name) is 52 years old. She is a medical doctor. Her hair was thick, straight black. Actually it was a wig.
In September 2011 (47 years old then) Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer — an invasive ductal carcinoma. The tumour was 3.5 cm in size. She underwent a mastectomy. Eight of 12 lymph nodes were involved. It was a triple negative (negative for estrogen, progesterone and Her2) cancer, Stage 3A (pT2N2Mo).
Mary had 8 cycles of chemotherapy using Doxorubicin and Paxus (Paclitaxel). In addition, she received 25 sessions of radiotherapy. May was well.
Two years later, December 2013, the cancer recurred. There were many nodules, 0.3 to 8 cm in diameter, in the previously cancerous breast. There was a 1.5 cm node at the arm pit.
Mary again had 6 cycles of chemotherapy using Taxol and Gamzar. Unfortunately this second chemo treatment did not cure her! The cancer came back again.
Mary received another 6 cycles of chemotherapy using cisplatin. The treatment was completed sometime in February 2015.
In March, came to see us with one of our patients (who had refused chemotherapy for her cancer and now doing well).
Patient No: 2. The next day, Sally, a 59-year-old lady, came to seek our help. She had left breast cancer 6 years ago and had a mastectomy. She declined chemotherapy and radiotherapy. She took Tamoxifen for 5 years. Actually, Sally came to see us earlier and was started on the herbs for a while and then “disappeared”.
Sally said she saw her doctor every six months for routine checkup. Everything was okay, until 11 March 2015 when a CT scan showed the cancer had recurred.
There was an enhancing left axillary lymphadenopathy seen measuring 10.8 x 18.9 x 13.4 cm.
There were several ill-defined hypodense lesions seen in the left lobe of the liver measuring about 10 mm.
Blood test on 10 March 2015 indicated CEA = 14.8 (H) and CA 15.3 = 173.6 (H).
The doctor asked Sally to go for chemotherapy to be followed by removal of the tumour in her liver by surgery.
Sally declined further medical treatment and came to ask for herbs.
Patient No:3. The next day, 44-year-old Amy (not real name) came to our centre. She did not look good at all.
Sometime in March 2011, Amy had a small lump in her left breast. A mastectomy was done. It was a Stage 2 breast cancer. This was followed by 6 cycles of chemotherapy and 30 sessions of radiotherapy. Amy took Tamoxifen for 2 years.
Barely two years later, December 2012, the cancer spread to her liver. Amy had 6 cycles of chemotherapy again. In addition, she received 15 radiation treatments to her liver.
Amy took 10 cycles of oral Xeloda (one cycle means 2 weeks of Xeloda with one week rest). Her CA 15.3 which was 4,000 plus started to decline to 900. But the cancer did not go away.
A CT scan in May 2014 showed more nodules in her liver (pictures below). The cancer had also spread to her bone. Amy received bonefos injection for her bone metastasis.
In January 2015, Amy developed ascites (fluid in the abdomen). She went for tapping twice to remove the fluid – once in January and once in March. On 28 February 2015, her CA 15.3 was at 958.8. The day before we met Amy, we received this e-mail.
Good afternoon Dr Chris,
Saya dari Jakarta. Adik saya didiagnosa sakit kanker hati sekunder. Perutnya membesar setiap hari,isinya cairan. Dan dia merasakan sangat nyeri di dada. Malam ini kami terbang ke Penang. Apakah masih ada kesempatan untuk konsultasi dengan anda hari Jumat? We are really need your help.
(I am from Jakarta. My sister was diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer. Everyday her stomach swelled and is filled with fluid. She had pains in her chest. Tonight we are flying to Penang. Do I have a chance to consult with you on Friday (tomorrow)? We really need your help.)
Comments
If the 3 stories above are not good enough, let me share with you 3 more stories to make it half a dozen!
Patient No 4. About the same time I was writing this article, I received this e-mail below.
Hello Dr Chris,
…. I would like to update you and seek and advise from you with regards to my mum’s health report recently.
My mum’s cancer marker has apparently gone up quite a bit recently and the doc said that there are tumours growing quite rapidly in her body. That explains why the cancer marker is high.
The doc asked if my mum has been taking any other medication that is causing interference with his. And he immediately changed my mum’s medication from tamoxifen to Exemestane Aromasin 25mg per tab and he is trying to see if the new medication can help control her tumour growth.
How is this new medication different from tamoxifen? The nurse warned my mum about all the side effects. My sis advised my mum to stop taking your herbs and see if there is any improvement with the western medication alone cos she also believes that there could be that possibility of your herbs clashing with the oncologist’s prescription.
I personally is against the idea of my mum stopping your herbs temporarily.
Doc mentioned since last year that cancer has spread to her bones and there are tumours found around her chest outside her lungs and other parts of her body too. He said it was a good thing that it didn’t spread to her organs.
I’m a little worried that my mum will eventually feel the adverse side effects of her new medication if she continues with it and not take your herbs. I’m really concerned.
Anyways, no matter what the doctor said and her deteriorating condition, my mum is still in high spirits and her appetite is well and she still goes to church and play mahjong with her friends regularly like a healthy person. Her strong belief in God keeps her in good spirits too. Do you think it’s time to bring her to come see you soon and it’s time to re-evaluate her herbs? God bless.
(Note: This patient had breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In addition she took Tamoxifen. To play safe, she also took our herbs. Both medical treatments and herbs did not physically cure her … her cancer spread. However, “emotionally” she seemed alright and could live a normal life).
Patient No 5. Earlier we have posted this story in our website, Breast Cancer: Do this chemo – 100 percent cure! You believe that? June (not real name), a 32-year-old, was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy. She was asked to go for chemotherapy: 4 cycles of andriamycin + cyclophosphamide, 12 cycles of Taxol, one year of Herception plus taking oral Tamoxifen for 10 years!
The total costs of the above treatment (excluding Tamoxifen) is approximately SGD 120,000, which is about RM 300,000.
The oncologist told June that if she did not do this recommended treatment, her cancer will recur within the next 2 to 3 years. The cancer will be all over the body and she will die! But if June were to undergo chemotherapy as suggested by the oncologist she will achieve a 100 percent cure!
We asked June if she believed what her oncologist told her. June replied, “No, because I have done my homework. I know that cancer cannot be cured.”
We leave it to you to draw your own conclusion about “professional experts”. Are they after your money or your cancer? Do they tell you the whole truth or do they behave like what Dr. Mendelsohn had warned us:
Patient No 6. This story is also posted in our website, Breast Cancer: When a so-called “cure” was not a cure In this case, due to a thumb-sized lump, MT had a mastectomy followed by 6 cycles of chemotherapy and 30 radiation treatments. She took Tamoxifen for 5 years.
MT was told by her doctor that her breast cancer was at an early stage and that she had a 90 percent chance of complete cure with the treatments that she had undergone. MT believed her doctor and did exactly as what was told. Each year she came back to her doctor for routine checkup. At every visit she was told that she was fine.
After 5 years, MT was told to stop Tamoxifen because she was already cured.
But barely a year later, in April 2011, MT started to have pains in her tail bone and shoulder blade. Then her legs started to hurt as well. She became breathless and was unable to walk far. MT returned to her doctor and was told that her cancer had recurred in her bone and lung.
MT asked her doctor why the cancer recurred. The doctor’s answer, “ I do not know why. But don’t blame yourself. It is your fate. Also the recurrence has nothing to do with what you eat. It is just your fate.”
The recurrence was just due to her luck? It is like saying “Up-There Someone” was running a casino. The destiny of mankind down-here was determined by the rolling of a dice. It seems more acceptable for the educated to promote this theory than admitting that “scientific medicine” had failed her.
But here are some rare, honest but blunt opinions which you may wish to ponder on:
Let us end by reflecting on what one of the world’s greatest minds has got to say:
Siti is a 59-year-old lady from Indonesia. Sometime in 2014, she had problems with her speech. A doctor in Medan said there was a tumour in her brain. Siti was prescribed some medications and was told to undergo surgery. There was no other option except surgery. Siti refused because of the risks associated with the procedure. The surgery in Medan would cost her IDR 60 million.
Not satisfied, Siti came to Penang for a second opinion. Again she was told that surgery was her only option. This would cost RM 25,000. Again Siti refused the treatment.
MRI 7 January 2015 – tumour size 6.2 x 4.5 x 6 cm
Siti returned to Indonesia and did nothing. She did not have much problems.
In February 2015, she came to seek our opinion. She presented with weakness in both legs, headaches on and off and her right leg felt heavy.
You may be able to learn something from our brief conversation below:
Chris: Can the operation cure your cancer?
Siti’s sister: The doctor said if she did not go for the surgery, she would be blind, may have seizures and probably may not be able to move. If she were to undergo an operation, she would have an 80 percent chance of cure. However, the procedure has risks. There could be severe bleeding. She might have a stroke or end up in a coma.
C: Do you believe that the operation can give you an 80 percent chance of cure?
SS: No.
C: Why not?
SS: I don’t believe because I have many friends who are doctors in Indonesia. They all told me that at best she would have only a 50:50 percent chance.
Pak X, an Indonesian from Medan came to seek our help. His wife had a big,cancerous lump in her breast. She refused surgery. I told them: “If you don’t go for surgery, I would not be able to help you.” Reluctantly the patient agreed to a mastectomy. However, she refused chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
One day, I asked Bapa X why he was so adamant about not wanting to go for chemotherapy. Listen to what he said:
Gist of what Pak X said:
I don’t want chemo. This is based on my son’s bad experience. I now know chemo is not effective. My son was 16 years old when he had a painful, reddish rash on his shin. This was later diagnosed as soft tissue sarcoma.
I brought my son to Guangzhou, China for treatment. They amputated his leg up to the thigh. Then they gave him chemo – 5 or 6 times (I am not sure now). We stayed in Guangzhou for about 6 months. The treatments were not effective.
I then brought my son to Beijing for further treatment using herbs. This was done in a hospital. We stayed in Beijing for about one and a half years. The treatment failed, the doctors surrendered.
I brought my son home to Medan. He died after 4 months. The cancer had spread to his lungs.
At least I was grateful that my son survived for one a half years with the herbs.
Chris: When you were in Guangzhou – they cut off his leg and gave him chemo – did you ever ask if the treatments were going to cure him?
Bapa: Yes, the doctor said the treatments can cure him.
C: When the treatments failed, did you ever ask the doctor again why he was not able to cure your son?
B: I did not ask that question. I just packed off and went to Beijing instead. We did not return to Guangzhou again.
C: In Beijing, did you ask the doctor if the herbal treatment was going to cure your son?
B: “Diusaha” (we’ll try our best).
C: How much did it cost you to undergo all those treatments?
B: I cannot remember now, but I have to sell a house to pay for the medical expenses.
(Bapa broke down in tears after this. This was not the first time Pak cried. Earlier, while taking a ride in our car to his apartment, he broke down and cried when relating his son’s story. Now, it is his wife who has breast cancer and they refused chemotherapy or radiotherapy).
C: I am very sorry to bring this matter up. It stressed you a lot. Please don’t regret for what you have done. Don’t blame yourself. You have done your best. Also know that things like this happen to many people – having to sell their house or land to pay for medical expenses.
B: You asked me earlier why I did not want my wife to go for chemo. No, she is not going to do that. No chemo – anywhere! Property gone, life also gone after chemo, besides having to suffer. No. No to chemo. If we take herbs, life may go but at least there is no suffering!
Part 1: Two Billion Rupiah, Chemo And Surgery Failed:. Oncologist said, “More chemo, you just have to trust me!”
Chris: After 12 cycles of chemo had failed the oncologist said you have to keep on trusting him and you were asked to go for more chemo, and you spent 1.5 billion rupiah. What happened after that?
Son: My father nearly died. He could not eat. His body weight was down to 55 kg from 75 kg.
C: Before the chemo, how was his condition?
He was normal but now everything is not right with him. And these are his problems.
1. Both hands and legs – pins and needles / tingling. Very severe and is the main concern.
2. Legs – weak, no strength.
3. Can’t walk far – becomes breathless.
4. Sudden hot and cold – fevers.
5. Headaches.
6. Gastric problems and bloated stomach.
7. Feels heaty inside.
8. No appetite.
C: After the 12 cycles of chemo, did you go for more chemo (as advised by the oncologist)?
No, no more chemo.
C: Did you go and see another doctor?
No. My father said, “I’ll die not because of my cancer. It’s because of the chemo.”
Part 2: Two Billion Rupiah, Chemo And Surgery Failed: Patient said, ” I’ll die not because of my cancer. It is because of the chemo.”
This is an e-mail I received from Alex.
Selamat malam Dr Chris: Saya Alex dari Jakarta. Saya mau minta tolong Dr Chris untuk mengobati papa saya yang kena kanker paru dan setelah kemo dan operasi, kanker tersebut malah tumbuh di liver dan limpa. Saya rencana besok hari minggu, 20 April 2014 berangkat dari Jakarta ke Penang untuk konsultasi dengan Dr Chris … Saya mohon Dr Chris mengobati papa saya. Terima kasih banyak Dr Chris. Salam.
(Good evening Dr. Chris. I’m Alex from Jakarta. I wish to ask Dr. Chris to help treat my father who had lung cancer. After chemo and operation, the cancer spread to his liver and lymph. I plan to fly from Jakarta to Penang for consultation on 20 April 2014. I request Dr. Chris treat my father. Thank you.)
The next day, Alex came to our centre in Penang and related the tragic story of his father’s cancer treatment in Singapore.
Before that, I asked him, “Who asked you to come here?” Apparently after 2 years of treatment and spending about 2 billion rupiah (RM 600,000?) Alex’s father ended up with more cancer and suffered badly form the side effects of the treatment. Desperate and lost,someone in Sydney told Alex about a Chris Teo in Penang. He immediately googled “Cris Teo Penang” and found CA Care. He then bought a plane ticket and flew here the next day!
Indeed it is dramatic but this showed us his concern for his father’s health. Alex came with almost a bagful (his luggage) of medical reports and PET scans. This is his story (all in italic).
I come for my father, he is 62 years old. Yes, I bring all the medical reports and PET scans.
The problem started in March 2012. He went for a routine check up for his heart in Singapore. The CT scan showed a mass in his lung. PET scan was done followed by a biopsy. It was cancer. The tumour was about 3 cm and it had already spread to the lymph nodes.
CT scan report dated 21 March 2012: Presence of a 3.9 cm spiculated soft tissue density mass in the right lower lobe. A 0.9 cm right hilar lymph node is noted. The liver is normal with no focal nodules.
PET scan report dated: 18 April 1012: Bronchogenic malignancy, 3.5 x 2.6 cm. FDG avid right infra-hilar adenopathy.
The doctor suggested surgery but my father declined. However, he agreed to undergo chemotherapy. This was started in May 2012. He received a total of 12 cycles. Each cycle consisted of 2 injections. Each cycle started with an injection on day 1 and day 7. Rest for 14 days and then started with the next cycle.
Chris: Did you know what drugs they used on him?
??? Not sure! (later, the son found out that his father was given: Chemo drugs: Gemzar and Cisplain. Others: Zometa for the bone, Eprex (epoetin A) and Gran – blood boosters).
C: Why did you want to do chemo? Don’t you know that chemo is not good?
We didn’t know that. The only thing I know was that the effects were bad. But the oncologist told us: “If you were a member of my family, I would also ask you to do chemo.”
C: Did you fully believe what he told you?
Yes. But with time I learned from the internet chemo does not cure!
C: Did you ever ask the doctor if chemo is going to cure?
Yes, I did ask him. The oncologist said, ” We need to try first. There would be 30 percent chance of cure, the remaining 70 percent cannot be cured!
C: Which means that you only have a 30 percent chance of success and he asked you to try? Is that reasonable?
After 3 cycles of chemo, the oncologist said my father belonged to the 30 percent success group – can be cured!
Study the above. The initial reaction to chemotherapy was significant shrinkage of tumour (but if you know enough this is just an illusion. It may not last – meaningless)
PET scan report on 13 February 2013: Reduction in uptake and size of the mass in the lower lobe of the right lung. Prior size 2.3 x 1.6 cm to 3.8 x 2.6 cm.
C: So you continued with the chemo?
Yes, until 12 cycles. But there was no cure.
C: Did you ask the doctor why earlier on he said you belonged to the 30 percent can-cure group but now he had failed to cure your father? What was his reaction to that?
He said, “You just need to trust me.”
So he asked you to trust him – what does that mean and what could this lead to?
He said, “Do more chemo.”
By then, did you still trust him?
(Shaking his hands negatively).
C: Only after 12 cycles of chemo – only then you realised that you could not trust him anymore? And did you continue with more chemo?
Study the above and you will note that more chemo does not make any difference now!
PET scan report on 8 October 2013: The previously noted hypermetabolic right lower lobe pulmonary mass appears to be larger. Current size 6.5x 4.2 cm versus prior size of 5.2 x 3.6 cm. There is interval development of a subcentimeter mildly FDG avid lymph node posterior and inferior to the right main bronchus.
From April 2013 (i.e. one year after diagnosis) until October 2013, my father did not receive any treatment. On 9 October 2013, he underwent an operation to remove the tumour in his lung. After the surgery he was not on any medication. On 14 April 2014, my father did a PET scan and there was no recurrence in his lung, but PET scan showed the cancer had spread to his liver and lymph nodes.
PET scan report 14 April 2014: Multiple FDG avid lesions in the liver – segments 7 and 8 (size of 6.5 x 3.6 cm); segment 2 (3.0 x 2.4 cm) and segment 5/6 (2.5 x 4.3 cm). No suspicious hypermetabolic pulmonay nodules are detected. Multiple FDG avid lymph nodes in the abdomen – peri-portal regions (size of 2.2 x 2.8 cm); retrocaval (1.8cm) and aorto-caval regioin (1.8 cm).
The doctor asked my father to undergo chemotherapy again or take oral chemo drug. My father refused to do both.
Total Cost of Treatment
The chemo treatment came to about 1.5 billion rupiah (approximately RM 0.5 million). The surgery cost an additional 0.4 plus billion rupiah. So the total cost of 2 years of treatment in Singapore came to about 2 billion rupiah.
Comments
Is this story unique? Not at all. It happened most of the time with lung cancer patients. Story 5 in our book, Lung Cancer – What Now? tells of a lung cancer patient who underwent similar treatment by the same doctor! The family spent 8 billion rupiah (approximately SGD 1 million). The result: The same, disastrous ending. He died soon after coming to see us.
Over the years dealing with patients, I began to see a very clear pattern emerging in the medical treatment for lung cancer. If you wish to know more, just read the following and learn to become an empowered patient. Perhaps you don’t have to die suffering and at the same time leave a “big hole” in your bank account.
DK (S-542) is a 63-year old lady from Sumatera Selatan. She found a lump in her right breast. She ignored it for about 3 to 4 years since it did not give her any problem. In July 2008, she started to have pain and the lump grew bigger.
Two years later, in November 2010, DK went to a hospital in Melaka (Malaysia). She was asked to undergo an operation. She was afraid and went home instead. Then she sought alternative treatment. She went to Central Java and sought the help of a herbalist who gave her herbs to apply and also “massaged” her. The treatment expelled pus and blood from her breast. For the first 6 months, the treatment seemed to help DK.
Since she felt well, DK went to China for a holiday. While in China, she suffered severe pain and her condition deteriorated. On her return to Indonesia she was admitted to a hospital in Jambi. CT and biopsy were performed. DK subsequently underwent 7 cycles of chemotherapy, followed by a mastectomy. After surgery, DK was put on Tamoxifen and Xeloda. She was on these two drugs for about 7 to 8 months. After 2 months on the drug, her right arm became swollen and a big blister developed (Picture A). She had difficulty bending her fingers (Picture B).
DK stopped taking Tamoxifen and Xeloda. She went back to see her doctor again in February 2014. The doctor prescribed painkiller. By this time there was also a swelling in her neck (Picture C). The doctor told her there was nothing he could do to help her. Desperate, DK’s son found us in the internet. On 7 March 2014, DK, her husband and son came to seek our help.
DK was prescribed Capsule A, C and D. In addition she was asked to drink herbal teas: Breast M, Lympho 1, Upper Edema and Pain Tea.
One Month On The Herbs
DK’s son came to report his mother’s progress on 9 April 2014.
1. DK did not seem to have any reaction after taking the herbs for the first 3 days.
2. On day 4 after taking the herbs, DK had severe pain in her right arm. The pain lasted untill 1 or 2 a.m. Her right leg felt sore and numb.
3. She passed out black stools with a lot of mucus. After that she passed out stools with oily discharge.
4. One week on the herbs, the pains in her right arm became less, soreness in her right leg also lessened.
5. Before the herbs, DK was on morphine, 2 tablets per day. After a week on the herbs, she did not need morphine anymore.
6. Two weeks on the Upper Edema tea, the swelling of her right arm improved. It became smaller and soft (previously hard). But after stopping the Upper Edema tea, the swelling came back.
7. DK was able to sleep well throughout the night. Previously she could sleep for only about 2 hours each night.
8. Her appetite had improved and she could eat rice.
9. She had more energy.
Comments: There are many lessons we can learn from DK’s bitter experience.
1. Ladies, if you have a lump in your breast. it is prudent for you to go and get an ultrasound done and determine if the lump is benign or malignant. If it is malignant, it makes no sense to keep it in your breast. Don’t be fooled by those who want you to believe that their “treatment” can cure you. I have heard of the Kiss Therapy, Leech Therapy, etc. which did not work. There is no reason for you to delay removal of the cancerous breast. The longer you wait the more problems you are going to create for yourself later on. Like in DK’s case, she delayed and delayed but ended up having to remove her breast anyway. By that time it was too late.
2. If you go and see your doctors with a large lump in your breast, the first thing they would want to do is chemo you! DK had to endure 7 cycles of chemo before a mastectomy was performed. If she was to go and see the doctor earlier she would not need to do the chemo at all – proceed straight to lumpectomy or mastectomy.
3. After the mastectomy, DK was put on Tamoxifen and Xeloda and she was on these drugs for about 7 to 8 months. This is something that blew my mind off. Why Xeloda? Why Tamoxifen? Can someone not learn from simple observation? Learn from DK’s experience (and many others like her) that these drugs have never been shown to cure cancer! In DK’s case, things got worse, not better.
4. When DK went back to her doctor for more help, she was only given Morphine tablets, nothing else. The doctor told her son, “There is nothing else I can do to help your mother!” At least the doctor was being honest. Perhaps other doctors would suggest, “Do more chemo!” But the question to ask is: Can more chemo cure this metastatic cancer? Before Amy Cohen Soscia died, she left this remark for the world to learn, “There is no cure for metastatic breast cancer. It never goes away. You just move from treatment to treatment.”
5. As usually, at this “terminal stage” when there is nowhere else to go, patients come to seek our help. In spite of this dire situation, some expect us to cure them — see how absurd or illogical it is! But some patients come hoping that we can help them attain a better quality life with no pain. Yes, this is more realistic and as in DK’s case (and numerous other cases like hers) we are able to help. So even if your doctors give up on you (like DK), know that there is still another option for you to get well. So don’t give up. That is, if you are prepared to help yourself.
6. Unfortunately, not all patients who come to us want to help themselves. They expect healing to come easy! Or they want healing on their own terms. Many just want to sit in the comfort of their home and expect us to “deliver healing via e-mail.”
Let me point out to you what DK and her family had to go through to come to us. They live in a town that takes 7 hours to drive to Jambi. From Jambi they have to take a plane to Jakarta and from Jakarta they have to fly to Penang. In all, the one way journey from home to Penang takes 2 days!
We often have requests to have phone consultation because patients live “far away and cannot come.” When we ask from where? Ah, the answer is BM, Taiping or Ipoh (just one or two hours ride across the Penang bridge) or even Singapore (one hour and a half by plane). For those who what to find easy healing, our advice is to find someone near your home to help you. It is more convenient for you.
7. Following our healing path is not like going for a honeymoon trip. First, you must take full responsibility for your health. Change your lifestyle. Change your diet. You need to brew the teas and drink the bitter concoctions ( Some people ask, why not have them in capsules?). Probably for a week or two after taking the herbs, you have to go through a “healing crisis.” You may have more pain, more discomforts, etc. After this healing crisis you will probably feel better, as in the case of DK and many others like her. To learn more about healing crisis, click this link: http://www.cacare.com/healing-crisis
8. Most patients who come to us often claim that they are ignorant — “I don’t know.” “We panic, we are confused and don’t know what to do.” “They never tell me all these things.”
In order to educate patients, I have written another book on breast cancer (below):
This book provides you with all the essential information that you need to know and tell you exactly what to do if you have a lump in your breast, etc. etc. Pleading ignorance is no excuse. You have a choice. And your life is in your hands. Do what is right.
YB is a 52-year old lady. About three and a half years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy in Kuala Lumpur. It was a triple negative tumour. YB went to Singapore for follow up treatments. She received 6 cycles of chemo using FEC. Then she had 12 more cycles of chemo using Taxol and Carboplatin. No radiation was indicated.
When YB started chemo, she also took our herbs and took care of her diet. The side effects she suffered was much less compared to others. She was alright after the chemo treatment.
Unfortunately things did not turn out right. YB took a trip home to Kuala Lumpur (she was staying in Singapore) to visit relatives. She felt dizzy and started to vomit. Her condition deteriorated. Whenever she moved her head, she would feel dizzy or had severe headaches and would start to vomit. She had to lie down. As long as she did not move her head, she was okay.
YB did a CT scan and MRI. There were tumours in her brain.
YB’s daughter wrote: 11 January 2014.
Dear Dr Chris,
My mother has a relapse of her cancer to the brain. MRI shows 3 lesions in her brain. One of them is approximately 3 cm which caused swelling and subsequently dizziness, vomiting and headache. Meanwhile, she’s been given steroid to reduce the swelling. We are planning to see you right after the full report is out.
12 January 2014::
Dear Dr Chris,
CT scan result is out and it seems that the primary tumor is from the left lung. However, my mom has not suffered any symptoms or difficulties with breathing.
What would you do if she was your mother and given the following details?
1. The neurosurgeon suggested surgery to remove the big tumour in her brain. According to him, the two small tumours cannot be removed surgically and YB has to undergo radiotherapy. Surgery would cost SGD6,500 and radiation cost SGD 2,000 to 3,000 (foreigner’s rate. Singapore citizen pay much less).
2. Can surgery cure her brain cancer? The surgeon said, NO, the tumour will recur. Because of that YB has to go for radiation. Whatever it is the family was told that YB will eventually die.
3. Did the doctor indicate how long your mom could survive? The surgeon said this,
a. If patient does nothing and is only on steroid, she has 2 months to live.
b. If patient undergoes chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she has 6 to 7 months to live.
c. If patient undergoes surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, she has 6 to 7 months plus 3 months.
According to the surgeon these are based on statistics and also on the assumption the surgery goes not well without any complications.
What does the family want to do now? Everybody in the family decided to give up further medical treatment. They would rather go on herbs.
Did the doctor give you such information out front? No. We have to ask questions after questions and we get answers bit by bit. Nothing is laid out neatly like the above.
Comments:
Bravo to patient empowerment! For you to make a decision you need honest answers. You do not get honest answers if you dare not ask! So patients, learn how to ask questions. Don’t just be satisfied with just an answer! Ask and ask, dig and dig until you are satisfied. This is because it is your life and you have to bear the consequences of that intervention not your doctors.
After you get the answers, use your common sense to make your decision. Follow what your heart says.
It seems very clear. If doctors give honest answers … about surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy … the chances are high the patients will “run away”!
What would you do if you are told that chemotherapy spreads and makes cancer more aggressive?
What would you do if you are told the following about radiotherapy?
Radiation makes cancer more aggressive.
Radiation reprogrammed less malignant breast cancer cells into Induced Breast Cancer Stem Cells (iBCSCs). This explains radiotherapy actually enriches the tumor population with higher levels of treatment-resistant cells. Researchers UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center said radiation treatment killed half of the tumor cells treated. The surviving cells are resistant to treatment and become iBCSCs. They were up to 30 times more likely to form tumorsthan the non-irradiated breast cancer cells.
Radiation gives a the false appearance that the treatment is working, but actually increases the ratio of highly malignant to benign cells within that tumor, eventually leading to treatment-induced death of the patient.
HM (T-337) was 72 years old when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. A colonoscopy done on 21 December 2005 indicated that the lumen of the distal sigmoid colon (30 cm from the anal verge) was obstructed by circumferential tumour.
HM underwent an operation the next day. The pathology report indicated a well differentiated adenocarcinoma, Duke’s B, T4NoMx.
Perhaps due to her age, no further medical treatments were indicated. HM’s son came to seek our help on 8 January 2006. She was prescribed Capsule A, C-Tea, GI 1 and GI 2 teas.
Initially HM went back to her doctor for routine check up. Nothing was amiss. Her CA 19.9 was at 55.1 on 22 August 2006 and on 24 January 2007 it was down to 45.3. After this no more blood test was done. Also HM did not go back to see her doctor anymore.
The son was very consistent in taking care of his mother. It was not until 28 October 2011 – almost six years later, that I got to talk with his son (video below).
Son: She is my mother. She does not know that she had cancer. I did not tell her about it. That’s the reason why I did not bring her to see you.
She had cancer in December 2005, and she did not undergo chemotherapy?
Son: No, the doctor said no need to go for chemo.
Was she alright after the surgery? Can move her bowels?
Son: No problem at all.
Then you came to see us on 8 January 2006 – that means more than five years ago – almost six years now. During these five years plus, did she ever encounter any problem at all?
Son: No, her health was very good. Now she is asking me if she can stop taking the herbs.
Ha, ha, most people are like that. Hang on, let me ask you some more questions. She did not encounter any problem at all since after the operation?
Son: No, never had any problem.
Did you return to your doctor for checkup?
Son: Yes, initially during the first three years. After that we never go and see the doctor anymore.
What did the doctor say?
Son: Nothing much, but he started to give her “vitamin” injections. No, we don’t want to go and see him anymore – spending a few hundred of ringgit each time. My mother also did not want to go and see the doctor anymore.
Okay, most patients behave like your mother. After taking the herbs for some years, they want to stop taking the herbs. And how old is your mother now? Son: 79 years old.
And she is strong and healthy?
Son: Yes. In fact I am planning to bring her to Indonesia for a holiday.
Let me tell you this. We don’t know when the cancer is going to strike back again. There is this lady. She is as old as your mother. And she also had colon cancer and had been taking the herbs for more than three years already. One day she came in and asked to stop taking her herbs. Her cancer came back a few months later and she had to be hospitalized again. Now she is recovering and taking back the herbs. The situation was made worse because she started to take all the “bad foods” as well, besides stopping the herbs. I did warn her and her family about this but at the same time said that it is up to her to decide if she wanted to stop or continue with the herbs. So, know that the risk of recurrence is there.
Son: My mother actually likes to take the herbal teas. It is the capsule A that she does not want to take.
Capsule A is our “master” herb. What is so difficult about swallowing the capsule?
Son: That is the problem. She did not want to swallow it. But she likes the herbal teas.
Most patients came to us complaining about the herbal tea – they want us to give them only capsules. They don’t like the teas – too much trouble. Your mother is the other way round.
Okay, over these five years, did she ever complain about the herbal tea – bad taste, bad smell?
Son: No, the herbal tea makes her move her bowels better.Actually she has not stopped the herbs yet. I shall ask her to go on.
AS (S-357) is a 65-year-old Indonesian. He came to seek our help on 14 April 2013 after having undergone a failed liver surgery in Singapore.
His problem started in late December 2011 when AS felt gastric-like pain in the stomach. An ultrasound at a hospital in his hometown indicated a possibility of gallbladder infection.
Not satisfied, AS went to Jakarta and on 31 December 2011 underwent a cholecystectomy (surgery to remove gallbladder). During the operation, the surgeon also did a liver biopsy for suspicious liver lesions.
In February 2012, AS went to the National Cancer Centre in Singapore for a second opinion. The histology slides from the early surgery and liver biopsy were reviewed. The liver biopsy showed poorly differentiated tumour.
A whole body PET / CT on 2 February 2012 revealed left hepatic lobe mass, measuring 3.2 x 2.6 cm (picture below).
On 25 April 2012, AS had another CT scan. The report indicated interval increase in size of the dominant heterogenous hepatic mass from previous 2.9 x 2.6 cm to currently 0.3 x 3.5 cm. No other new focal hepatic lesion seen. (Note: this report stated a different tumour size compared to the earlier report. A mistake somewhere?).
On 3 May 2012, AS underwent a hemihepatectomy – i.e. a surgery to remove one-half or a lobe of the liver. The tumour was at the left lobe of his liver. AS was discharged on 9 May 2012. The procedure cost S$28,000.
Liver histology indicated a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC or liver cancer), 4 cm, Edmondson Grade 3 with 3 satellite nodules. Resection margins were clear. Vascular invasion was present. The 2 diaphragmatic nodules were metastatic HCC. Gallbladder shows chronic cholecystitis with no malignancy seen within.
About three months later, 16 August 2012, AS went back to Singapore for review. A repeat CT of abdomen and pelvis showed NO evidence of recurrent HCC or focal liver lesion.
Unfortunately this euphoria did not last long. Six months later (i.e. about 9 months after the surgery) another PET /CT scan on 11 March 2013, revealed a new recurrent hetergenous hypodense mass in the liver at the resected margin measuring 8.0 x 4.8 cm (picture below).
On 22 March 2013, AS underwent TACE (transarterial chemo embolization) for his recurrent liver tumour. Unfortunately this procedure failed. The interventional radiologist was unable to access the tumour feeding vessel. So TACE could not be completed and the chemo drug not delivered. In spite of the failure, AS had to pay S$5,000 for the procedure.
AS was discharged on 25 March 2013 and was referred to an oncologist for chemotherapy. AS decided to give up further medical treatment and came to seek our help on 14 April 2013.
While talking to AS, his wife and son I posed this question: Why don’t you want to go for chemotherapy? After all AS had willingly undergone surgery and TACE – why chicken out now?
The wife replied, We are scared!
AS replied: The doctor did not show any responsibility.
My reply: What do you expect from the surgeon? What more do you want him to do? His job is to cut you. And has cut you and there is nothing more that he can do. He has done his job. Now, he is passing you to the oncologist because he is a surgeon and not an oncologist!
From his reply I fully understand how AS felt – being let down by the surgeon. He was totally disappointed. He came to the surgeon in Singapore believing that he was in the safe hands of the expert. He was willing to pay S$28,000 for the surgery but he did not get what he had bargained for. Now, he was passed on to another doctor – where is the responsibility then?
Let me tell you – AS is not the only one who felt let down or cheated. There are many, many others who come to us with a similar story. I am reminded of one really pathetic case. A man from Pontianak was pushed into undergoing surgery for his liver cancer (see A great failure and let down ) He was told that his condition was serious and surgery must be done immediately. The wife said: The surgeon even hugged me and assured me – Don’t worry, he (my husband) would be well and alright. Oh, it was so sweet of him. Unfortunately after the surgery, the cancer recurred. The patient and his wife tried to seek clarification from the surgeon. They were snubbed. The surgeon did not even want to talk to them. The wife was full of tears when she related this story.
Yes, I fully understand how patients feel after a medical failure.
I told AS and his family that his is a big problem and I am not sure if I could help him. I can only do my best. AS was prescribed Capsule A, B, C and D. In addition he has to take LL-tea, Liver 1 and 2 teas. We sent him for a blood test. The results as of 15 April 2013 showed his alpha-fetoprotein = 1,064.0 and total bilirubin = 25.0. Other liver function enzymes were within normal range.
Question You Should Ask: Can surgery cure me?
I always pose this question whenever a patient comes to see me, Before you undergo surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, did you ever ask the doctor if the treatment he is giving you is going to cure you? You will be surprised most cancer patients don’t ask such question. They take it for granted that they will be cured!
AS told me. I did not ask that question. I only asked, What is the best way out for me! I told him, That’s the wrong question to ask! If you go to a barber, he will tell you the best option for your head is to cut your hair. If you ask a hammer what all of us look like in this world, the answer would invariably be, You all are nails meant to knocked down! You go to a surgeon he would most likely say, Operate. That’s his best option for you. Ask the oncologist, he would invariably say, Go for chemo! You have missed the point here. Isthe procedure suggested going to cure you? This ought to be the main concern.
By asking the wrong question, you get an answer that brings you elsewhere – perhaps where you don’t want to go. So, my advice to all patients, Ask this all important question – can your treatment cure me? Don’t be afraid, ask.
After you get the answer then use your commonsense to evaluate what the doctor tells you. Does it make sense? Do you believe in the statistics or percentage or whatever claim the doctor gave you? If this is not what you are looking for, go elsewhere. Look for another path.
Likewise, when you come to CA Care and tell me that you want me to cure you of your cancer I would tell you this, Go elsewhere – I don’t have the magic bullet and I cannot cure you! In my many years helping cancer patients I don’t really see any so-called cure for cancer. Cure means the disease goes away and never come back. Generally, the cancer recurs after some years. My auntie died of metastatic cervical cancer after an apparent cure, 13 years later! Where is the cure?
In the case of AS, surgery did not cure him! After 9 months, the tumour grew back and this time it grew more than twice its original size. Where is the cure?
The next question you probably need to ask is about your diet. This question will give you some idea about the kind of doctor you are dealing with! His answer shows his perception about health in general. And more important whether he is well read or not. Today the medical literature is replete with information about diet in spite of how important it is in helping cancer patients. If he says you can eat whatever you like – I am sorry, I am not sure if this is the kind of doctor you should go to! I am fully aware that diet in cancer is a big, sore point between medical doctors and alternative medicine practitioners. Suffice for me to quote what two doctors said about diet (below). Think hard about what your doctor tells you about diet and come to your own conclusion. If you are not convinced that he is right, how do you expect him to be able to solve the bigger problem of treating your cancer?
Over the past weeks, many patients wrote and came to CA Care asking for help with their breast cancer. Below is the kind of e-mail we get.
Excuse Me, Dr. Chris K.H. Teo,
My name is W. I am from Indonesia. My mother had a breast cancer on her right breast. She already did a biopsy, and was told that her cancer is grade 3 and the diameter is 3cm. But her body and psychology looks great. Her breast structure still looks good, only a little bit bigger than before. The doctor here recommended that my mother go for a surgery, chemotherapy, and so on. Question: What I want to ask is: Can my family come to your place (CA Care as I know) and get a better solution for my mother’s problem besides undergoing surgery and the chemotherapy stuff?
Let me present you the story of LL below. I hope those (like the writer above) who face similar problem can learn from her experience. May this story be your guide and make you think hard about what you can or need to do. Be an empowered patient – decide what you want and don’t be led by the nose.
1. Breast Lump – What to do next?
Fifty-one year old LL is a family friend. In mid-July 2012, she felt a lump in her breast. Without wasting much time she went to see a doctor in a private hospital. An ultrasound was done. The findings are:
There is a solid irregular hypoechoic lesion in 1 o’oclock left breat, which is palpable. It measures 1.2 x 1.4 cm in size. This is associated with enlarged left axillary node, measuring 1.2 x 2.2 cm in size.
There are multiple round well defined cysts in both breasts.
In the left breast, the cysts are at 1 o’clock (0.3 cm); 6 o’clock (0.6 cm) and 9 o’clock (0.7cm) and 11 o’clock (0.6 cm).
In the right breast, the cysts are at 12 o’clock (0.7 cm), subareolar region 12 o’clock (2.9 cm) 3 o’clock (04. cm), 4 o’clock (0.6 cm) 6 o’clock (2.1 cm) and 8 o’clock (0.5 cm).
LL was a bit concerned about the above findings and wanted our advice. She came to our house and we went through the report and images.
My Comment: I told LL she had taken the right first step. And I am saying this to all patients who find lumps in their breasts. Go and see a doctor and ask him to do an ultrasound. Find out exactly what the lump is. Don’t be like an ostrich trying to bury your head in the sand. Some patients would want to pretend that there is nothing wrong – a kind of denial! Let me say this: It is dangerous! Don’t play with your life!
Based on the images below, I told LL that the irregular shaped lump in her left breast was suspicious. It looks like a malignant lump. There is reason to be concern. The rest of the lumps or cysts in her breasts appear to be benign.
2. To do biopsy or not to do a biopsy?
LL was told by her doctor to do a biopsy. If the result confirms malignancy the next step is to undergo a surgery.
My Comment: As I have said earlier in this website, you need to remove the malignant lump. There is no two ways about it. Don’t ever hope that by taking juices, herbs or applying certain “magic” potion, the cancerous lump will go away. Over the past 16 years I have seen women who came to us with “rotten” breast – being misled, believing that some of these alternative treatments can make the tumour disappear. That is wishful thinking. Perhaps it some cases people claim that the lump may disappear after their “magic” treatment but that could possibly be a rare exception rather than a general outcome.
LL went to see a breast specialist. He was rather busy and LL did not get to talk to him much. LL was hurriedly told that after the biopsy she needed to proceed with surgery. Then after the surgery there are many other things more to do.
My Comment: I asked LL: Are you happy after meeting that doctor? LL replied: No. But what can I do. He is supposed to be the best in town. My advice to LL and all ladies: If you are not happy with your “potential” caregiver or doctor, go find someone else. Don’t be that helpless, because you have other doctors who can do the same job for you.
There is a lump in LL’s breast. This is most likely cancerous or it may turn out against all odds to be benign. Here are a few questions to ask:
If the biopsy result shows that the lump is not cancerous, do you still want to keep it inside your breast? Or you still want to remove it? Perhaps for the sake of “peace of mind” you want to get it out too?
What if the biopsy result is wrong? That is to say, the result says it is benign but sometime later it turns out to be cancerous? A negative result may not necessary be negative – or to put it differently, if something is not there, it does not mean that it is not there! It is just that you don’t see it or you don’t have a tool sensitive enough to see it. But whatever is there that can be seen, it is most probable that it is there! How else can it not be there (unless it is an artifact or “manufactured”)!
LL told me that it does not matter whether the lump is cancerous or not, she wants it out. If that is the case, LL needs to tell her doctor that there is no need for her to undergo surgical intervention twice. Why do a biopsy first. Wait for the result and the come back again to do another surgery.
Ask the surgeon to remove the lump with a clear margin and immediately send the tumour for testing. If it is cancerous, the surgeon should just go ahead and remove the lump or breast. This way LL suffers less stress and anxiety. So that is what LL decided to do.
4. Lumpectomy or mastectomy?
The lump in question is 1.2 x 1.4 cm in size. It looks like LL has a choice to either do a lumpectomy (i.e. remove the lump only) or do a mastectomy, i.e., remove the entire breast. LL decided to remove her whole breast.
My Comment: From my reading, for a small lump, a lumpectomy is equally effective as a mastectomy. While in theory, it is so – in practice it may not be so. I have often seen patients coming to us after a lumpectomy. Some cancerous tissue was still left behind in the breast! The most common problem is the margin was not clean. This goes to say that not all breast surgeons do a good job. So, LL understood the risk she has to take if she were to go for a lumpectomy.
However, I need to stress that patients need to decide for themselves – lumpectomy or mastectomy. However, if the tumour is large (above 3 cm) then a lumpectomy may not be indicated. You have no choice!
5. Find the right surgeon
Not all doctors are the same. Some are good, some are not good. In this, any empowered patient has a choice to who you want to go to. My advice to all patients: Go to someone who shows some concern and empathy towards you. If you don’t like the way he talks to you, or even if for some reason you don’t like “his/her face” – then go find someone else!
The reality of today’s medical treatment is all about money. With due respect, if you don’t have money to pay the bills, there is no use talking about choices. You have no choice but to go to the government hospital. There you pay a minimal amount for your cancer treatment, but if you elect to go to a private hospital, you can except to fork out RM 5,000 to RM 20,000 for your initial treatment. But, if you have the money to pay or are covered by medical insurance, then you have a choice. In this case, LL has an insurance cover to a limit of RM 50,000 per year for 10 years!
When I first wrote these articles I was shocked to learn that there is such a wide variation in the costs, from doctor to doctor, for doing the same job. An all-in surgery cost can be around RM 15,000 (it is common knowledge that fees and expenses are jacked up if you have insurance cover!). Since we are on this topic of money, I also learned that a 10-minute chat with an oncologist can cost S$700 (RM 1,500) in Singapore; RM 106 to RM 150 in Penang; and RM 250 in Kuala Lumpur. So you have a choice. Some patients are not concerned with the fees, because their insurance will pay for it anyway. But if you have to foot the bill from your own pocket, perhaps you would appreciate my point.
The lesson to learn is, no matter who you see, the probable “knowledge” you get from the oncologist is not far from this – You need to go for chemo. The chance of cancer coming back is X percent if you do chemo and radiotherapy and take the hormonal pill. If you don’t do as suggested your life will be at risk. The chance of cancer coming back is high. And if you have the financial resources to consult two or three more experts, the chances are you end up more confused because different experts give you different percentages, views and approaches.
Having made the above points to LL, I then suggested that she go and see more surgeons for her problem. She has already consulted with one and was not happy with him. I suggested a few more names. Let me say this right out front. I know of these names from our patients who say they are good. I have never met anyone of them before and I gain nothing for doing this. I do this because I believe I am doing the right thing – to ask you to go to the right doctor of your choice so that you will have more confidence going through this ordeal.
So LL went to see Surgeon No: 2. She came back to let me know that he was okay – although a bit too busy to make her feel comfortable. Since she is not entirely happy with this surgeon, then I told LL to go to Surgeon No: 3. He was not a busy man and was not in a rush to show her the door. Unfortunately, he has an uncompromising style. Bear in mind that LL goes to see her doctor with a well defined aim. She does not want to do a biopsy first and then a mastectomy later. This surgeon probably has not much experience dealing with an empowered patient. He got irritated and told her that it is the standard operating procedure and she must follow what he said. Well, he lost a patient that day (perhaps, future referral from me too!).
Not happy, LL went to Surgeon No: 4. LL felt good about him. He had the patience to explain what he wanted to do for her. After the lump was removed, LL would be “kept aside” for about 30 minutes while the lump was sent for analysis in the lab. If the result shows malignancy the surgeon would go ahead to remove her whole breast. LL was given a choice to go for the surgery the next day or wait for another “operation day” three days later.
I asked LL if she was happy with Surgeon No: 4. She said: Absolutely. Although I told LL not to rush into the surgery, she had decided that she wanted to go ahead with it the next day. After all she was mentally prepared to face the knife. So be it.
The total cost of LL’s mastectomy was RM 13,000 and post-surgery expenses came to another RM 5,000. For your information, I have two patients who underwent a mastectomy in a similar grade private hospital. One patient paid RM 3,500 only and other RM 6,000.
There were no complications and LL came out of it well, as expected and as planned. But the next battle is about to begin. The histopathology reported a tumour nodule measuring about 20 x 15 x 12 mm. It is an invasive ductal carcinoma, Grade 2. There is probable lympho-vascular involvement. Three out of a total of 18 axillary lymph nodes contained metastatic ductal carcinoma. The tumour is negative for Her-2 but positive for estrogen and progesterone receptors. LL was told this is a Stage 2 cancer.
6. Meeting with an oncologist
LL told her surgeon that she would not want to do chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The surgeon persuaded her not to abandon the standard medical treatment. He referred LL to an oncologist. I told LL to go ahead and consult the oncologist – after all, his consultation costs only RM 106. I told LL: Don’t close your door – go and listen to what the oncologist has got to offer you. In this way, you would not regret for missing out “something.” And this same message applies to all patients who come and see us.
Patients would be better off if they go to the oncologist well prepared with the following questions:
Can chemo, radiotherapy and the hormonal therapy that he is going to give you CURE your cancer? Remember, a cure means the cancer will go away and not recur at anytime in the future?
If there no “permanent” cure, then what is the objective of the treatment?
What is the success rate of the treatment? What would happen if you do not do the treatment that he suggested?
What are the short-term and long-term side effects? How serious would that be?
How much will the whole treatment cost? (That is, If money is a concern).
LL came back to report what happened. The consultation lasted about 10 minutes (that probably would not be enough time to answer all those questions?). How do you like the meeting with the oncologist? No, LL was not impressed or happy. Her husband said: The talk was about money first. This treatment will cost RM 30,000. In addition LL has to undergo 25 times of radiation treatment at a cost of RM 7,000. After that LL has to take hormonal drug (Fermara or Tamoxifen) for five years. This cost about RM 700 per month. Since LL has a health insurance, they will make sure that all the expenses will be paid by the Insurance Company. LL has to undergo six cycles of chemo with FEC (5-FU + Epirubicin + Cyclophosphamide) – the standard recipe for breast cancer.
The only time left for discussion is: What happen if I do all these treatments? With chemotherapy, the chance of cancer NOT coming back is 75 percent, according to the oncologist’s computer. What happen if I do not do all these treatments? The chance of cancer NOT coming back is 30 percent. This means that with all these treatments the oncologist claimed that LL has a benefit of 45 percent. According to LL, the oncologist obtained all these numbers from his computer. He looked at the medical report, keyed in some data and read out the prognosis. I asked: He did not look at you in your eyes and rattle out the numbers based on his very own experience – after treating so many patients? LL felt the same way – he just read out the numbers from the computer!
My Comment: I guess the oncologist was using the Adjuvant Online program. But I am a bit puzzled if LL has misunderstood what the oncologist said – benefit of 45 percent. A lady with breast from Singapore also had her prognosis read out from a computer. For a tumour of 2.1 to 3.0 cm in size (which is bigger than LL’s tumour) and ER positive (like LL) the benefit of combined chemo and hormonal therapy is only 17.4 percent!
LL told me. No I have already decided that I am NOT going to do all these treatments. I value my quality of life and I don’t want to go through all these and suffer. I want to live a normal life.
I fully understand the fear LL has. In this website, I have written many articles under the general heading: Dissecting Chemotherapy. Read them and you know what LL means. In one article, Experiencing the Harmful Side Effects and Collateral Damage, Terry Thompson, a retired US Air Force colonel wrote about his wife’s experience with chemo for her breast cancer. He wrote: Today, I can assure that its devastating effect was eclipsed only by Connie’s death. And, of course, my experience was nothing compared to what she had to deal with.
I want to make it very clear here that the decision to undergo and not to undergo chemotherapy MUST BE YOUR DECISION. I am not here to encourage or discourage you from undergoing any medical treatment. I can provide you with honest, alternative views for you to make up your mind. But you must make that vital decision yourself and don’t try to make us your scapegoat should anything go wrong later.
7. The burden shifts to CA Care
Before cancer patients come and see us, we require them to see the doctors first. We require their medical reports to understand what is going on. Almost all patients who come have undergone medical treatments and they could not find their cure. CA Care was their last resort. In spite of that, some patients still want to make CA Care their scapegoat.
In this case, LL had made her decision not to go for chemo. I respect her wishes. But to LL and all patients, let me remind you not to close all doors of opportunity. If indeed, in the future, you fail to achieve what you want, you should still go for your chemo. Of course, the mantra is that – It is too late! You should not have wasted your time with those unproven therapy. As explained earlier, the real fact is that, the so-called proven therapy is just as unproven! Most of the patients who come to see us are medically given up cases (unlike LL). Terry Thompson’s wife died after three years – that was after undergoing the proven medical therapy!
Patients are often told that with the proven therapy, the chance of cure is 89 percent (click link to read this story), and in LL’s case it is 75 percent. However, a study by oncologists in Australia said the benefit of chemotherapy is only 2.3 percent in Australia and 2.1 percent in the USA.
In my article: Please Tell Patients the Real Truth, I quoted Dr. Morton Walker: I was astounded at how distorted the physicians’ presentations were when they discussed the side effects of their treatments. The doctors appeared to become almost like used-car salesmen in a pitch for their surgery, radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. I know something about medical practices and oncology from my work as a medical researcher and as a former practicing podiatrist. In my opinion, the information the oncologists gave my fiancee was hardly an honest assessment of the relative benefits and risks associated with the recommended treatments.
If LL wants to travel this alternative road for her breast cancer, she must understand the following points.
1. Not all breast cancer are the same, and not all patients respond to the same treatments in the same way.
2. Statistics is about a group of people, and it does not necessarily apply to you.
3. There is NO right or wrong choice.
4. Patients should give full respect to their doctors. Listen to what they have to say or offer. Evaluate what they say and then make up your own mind. Patients should not be arrogant when expressing their requests or questions.
Remember, you are not “at war” with the doctors – you are “at war” with your cancer! However, patient-oriented care, also calls for doctors to give due respect to their patients. Caregivers should be sensitive to patients’ need, wishes and beliefs. In short, respect must work both ways.
5. This is your journey. It is only you and you alone who have to choose your path. Others can only empathize and help you. So with all the information you gather from different sources, make your decision wisely. Do what you think is right for you.
Sixty two weeks of chemo followed by radiotherapy and 5 years of aromatase inhibitors – will these make you sick?
Anne (not real name) is a 51-year-old Canadian. She had a lump under her nipple. A CT Scan on 14 February 2011 showed a 1.5 cm tumour in left breast, multiple enlarged lymph nodes but no spread to the surrounding tissues or organs.
Anne underwent a left breast mastectomy and removal of 13 axillary lymph nodes on 1 March 2011. It was a Stage 2 infiltrating ductal carcinoma. The margins were clear. Eleven of 13 lymph nodes were affected. The tumour was positive for Estrogen (4), Progesterone (3), P53 (80%) and HER2 (3+).
This was what Anne wrote:
My doctor has left all of the treatment options up to me. She is not pushing me in any one direction. She suggested I “shop around” and get lots of information and statistics. She gave me the names of three oncologists at three different hospitals.
Oncologist One said SIXTY-TWO WEEKS of chemo! Twelve weeks TAC (Taxotere + Andriamycin + Cyclophamide), 12 weeks TH (Taxotere and Herceptin) and radiotherapy. Herceptin for the remainder of a year, and 5 years of aromatase inhibitors!!! He did a blood test to confirm that I am menopausal. He told me if I did radiation alone it would give me 5%, with hormones up to 20%, with chemo and herceptin up to 50%. BUT the prognosis is only good for 2-3 years, as they haven’t done long term studies on Herceptin! Those numbers do NOT impress me!
A radiologist said almost the same thing as the oncologist.
I was VERY upset with the oncologist when he took one look at my report, and without asking questions, said that I HAD to do 62 weeks of chemo! When I told him I didn’t WANT to do chemo, he said, “Well, then it’s 100% chance of recurrence.” When I asked what my options were, he told me I didn’t have any! His attitude ALONE lost me as a patient, without even CONSIDERING anything else!
We all walk different paths, and have different experiences. But one thing I DO know. Most of the people who have seen, or been close to, someone who went through all the chemo and radiation, swear they would never do it themselves. Those who have actually DONE the chemo and/or radiation tell me they would NEVER do it again.
I have observed FAR too many people go through chemo and radiation, and die anyway, or have such bad after effects that their quality of life is non-existent. I choose quality over quantity!
I do not walk down this path blindly. I have looked in many directions. I have searched through the light and the dark. I have looked at both my insides and my outsides. I know that I am now on the correct path to help myself. Whether this leads me to a long life of health, or whether this gives me 2 or 3 years of health and happiness and then I die of cancer doesn’t matter. What matters is the here and now, and the fact that I BELIEVE that this is the path that I need to take.
I have NEVER been a great believer in conventional medicine, due to personal and family experiences. I have always sought out alternative or complementary medicine, through naturopaths and homeopaths.
Anne decided to forgo further medical treatments and was started on CA Care’s herbs. About seven months later, I had a chance to meet up with Anne again. From our conversation, I have learned something new – Anne pointed out that having breast cancer did not make her sick! She was a “healthy” person and it just happened that she had a cancerous lump in her breast! But surely, with chemo and radiation – these so called “cures” would make her sick! You get her message?
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Of course, from what the medical reports said, Anne’s cancer was indeed serious. But she decided against the “conventional wisdom” of undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy or taking Tamoxifen. And she was aware of the risk that she was taking but she preferred quality life rather than quantity but “miserable” life. That was her choice. Cancer patients – you too can make your own choice. Go where your heart tells you to go.
It has been more than a year now and I was told that Anne was doing fine and is still taking her herbs. She last saw her surgeon on 14 March 2012 and was told that everything was alright. Since after her breast cancer surgery Anne remained active – she flew to Canada to visit her family, attended her friend’s wedding in South Africa, and went to Kenya many times on her school project. Although she has cancer, her life still goes on. Imagine what could have happened if she went into a panic / fear mode and agreed to what the oncologist wanted her to do – undergo sixty two weeks of chemo followed by radiotherapy and 5 years of aromatase inhibitor? Would she be what and where she is today?
This learned professor reminded us that health is our responsibility. Do not mortgage this responsibility to our doctors and other specialists. Do you believe they know more about our health better than us? The medical establishment may want us to believe that this is the correct thing to do – to trust them all the way! This may not be the right thing to do when it comes to cancer. Many patients have found out this the hard way – much too late. Professor Zajicek said: doctors’ arguments are wrapped in hypocrisy and double talk.
Professor Zajicek painted the reaction of a woman after she discovers that she has a lump in her breast. Ponder what he said seriously. You may not want to be this woman!
Yesterday, a woman felt healthy. Today, she discovers a small lump in her breast. Suddenly she becomes ill, realizing that she carries an evil disease. The lump is her death sentence. In reality, she is healthy. The lump does not pose an immediate threat to her. Nevertheless she panicked. It is not cancer that causes her misery, but society and medicine that promote this fatalistic perception.
Now this woman is alarmed and rushes to her doctor the next day. She undergoes a mammography and biopsy and is told she has cancer. The doctor tells her that she is very ill. Her world turns upside down.
Before detecting the lump, this woman is otherwise a healthy person not until she is given the cancer mask to wear. Her doctor is now preoccupied with her cancer mask. Fear is generated. Everything needs to be done quickly and urgently to fight and save her life from this evil disease – the tumour! So this woman has to act, to conform to the roles of the mask that she wears. She now acquires a new disease called the mind-cancer. From then on she sinks into the abyss of misery, believing that she will die rather soon.
Ask these questions: Before the discovery of the lump, and before consulting her doctor – what was her life like? She was as fit as a fiddle, wasn’t she? Then suddenly a change of fortune befalls her just because she had discovered a lump in her breast. What is the real cause of her misery? The lump in her breast or the perception of evil being spun by society and the medical establishment?
Anne was an odd ball when it comes to her cancer. She wrote:
Nobody knows my body like I do, and trust me, it’s taken a lot of years, and a lot of fights with doctors, to get to that point! But I DO know my body, and I DO know what it will or will not tolerate. No doctor can tell me any different, because he or she HASN’T walked in my shoes, or lived in my body. When doctors begin to understand that ONE simple thing, the world will be a much better place!!!
I think many, if not MOST, people react out of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the future. Fear of failure. Fear of death (their own AND others). Just plain old FEAR, period. If they don’t understand it or can’t explain it, they don’t want to have anything to do with it. They don’t trust it, so they fear it. Many people are so afraid of dying that they will believe ANYTHING the doctors tell them, in hopes of NOT dying. Many people feel they “aren’t smart enough” or “don’t know enough” to make their own decisions. After all, these doctors have YEARS of training and experience.
Many people also have not had the “experience” with cancer that I have. I have watched far too many friends, both old and young, go through the devastation of chemo. And I told every one of them to PLEASE stop the chemo, because it is THAT that was killing them, making them too weak to fight for their lives.
I refuse to let this cancer rule my life. I have so much more life to live, and so much to be thankful for. Not ready to give up and let the cancer take me. So I live each day BELIEVING that I can beat this. I laugh about it, joke about it, and treat it like a “friend”, not an enemy. I’m living WITH it, not AGAINST it. If I keep my body, my immune system, healthy and strong, it will take care of the cancer. I don’t need to fight it, my body (my BRAIN, actually!) will take care of it for me!
Let me reproduce some of the e-mails that Anne wrote. I believe you will be able to understand who she is and what she stands for.
History of cancer – Mother’s side: Grandmother – 49 yrs old (lived to 86 yrs) had ovarian cancer and had radiotherapy. Uncle – 74 years old (still alive at 76), had prostate cancer, underwent surgery and no further treatment. Mother – 67 years old (still alive at 74), had breast cancer Stage 2, underwent a mastectomy and took Tamoxifen (but discontinued after 1 year due to side effects.
History of cancer – Father’s side: Grandfather – 82 years old (died at 84), had Stage 4 lung (smoked all his life). No treatment. Uncle – 60 years old (still alive at 76), had Stage 3 colon (sigmoid), underwent surgery and did 1 cycle of 5 day chemo treatment and stopped. Aunt – 58 years old (still alive at 68), had breast lump (DCIS), underwent a lumpectomy and had radiation (25 regular plus 5 boosts), took Tamoxifen (5 years) and later Arimidex (5 years)
Sibling: Brother – 51 years old (still alive at 54), had Stage 3 prostate cancer. He had surgery and no further treatment.
22 March 2011: Thanks Chris. It’s pretty much what I feel about the cancer – that medical science has no idea what they’re doing!!! Too many times I’ve seen the results of the “doctors” knowing best!!! I’ve watched too many friends go through chemo, be so sick they could barely breathe, and then die of the cancer anyway. I don’t plan on dying anytime soon, and I’m going to help my body wage this war against the disease. I’m NOT going to cause my body more stress and wreck the immune system that I desperately NEED to stay healthy!!!
22 March 2011: Hi Chris, Just had to tell you this because I found it very funny!!! I was looking at some stuff on Keladi Tikus the other day, and had actually contacted someone about it. From what I’d been reading, it sounded pretty promising. I was going to e-mail you and ask you if you’d heard of it, or if it was okay to take it with your CA Care herbs, as you’d said we should NOT be taking other herbs while under your care! I decided to look a little further, and do some more research before e-mailing you. Imagine my surprise (and DELIGHT!!!) when I saw YOUR NAME as the ‘discoverer” of Keladi Tikus. I am a great believer in that all things happen for a reason. It seems to me that all roads are leading back to you!!! Thanks for everything!
23 March 2011: My breast specialist … She’s been amazing! She has NOT pushed me to do chemo or radiation. She told me to “shop around” for oncologists, because she doesn’t like the fact that they “lie” to her patients, by telling them they WILL be or ARE cured! She doesn’t like the statistics they offer, either. They vary too much from oncologist to oncologist … So far she has been open and helpful every time I’ve met with her. Luckily for me, I seem to have found “a good one”, who is actually interested in her patients’ overall health, and CARES!!!
At the moment, even my sister, who WORKS in cancer research at the National Cancer Institute in USA, is looking into alternative therapies. Since I was diagnosed, we have both spent COUNTLESS hours on the internet, looking things up. The statistics for chemo and radiation get drearier and drearier. And in some cases (like Herceptin and brain tumours!!!) are downright SCARY! Seeing as my cancer is HER2 +3, we both initially thought that Herceptin would be a good drug to try. Now definitely NOT! Same with aromatase inhibitors! My ER and PR are both positive, but low, and most research indicates that with low numbers it’s not nearly as effective as with the higher numbers. Again, are the side effects worth it? Hmmmmm.
Problem is that all factors point to the fact that I have an aggressive type of cancer, yet all the “treatments” sound worse than the cancer itself! I’m hoping that with the Ozone treatment, and your herbs and diet recommendations, it will at least hold it at bay for awhile. Prognosis is not good.
I read your book, Breast Cancer: The Herbal Option today. I had to laugh at some of the comments. I have indeed taken all of this in stride, have not cried, have used lots of humour, and don’t intend on letting it kill me any time soon!!! I did not go into panic or shock when I was told the biopsies were positive. Like some of the women in your book, I think I already knew, before the verdict came down. Unlike most of the women in your book, I had given this LOTS of thought, LONG before I was diagnosed. I have watched FAR too many friends go through the roller coaster ride of chemo and radiation and recurrence and devastation and suffering!!!!
I spent a week on an Alaska Cruise with a friend who had terminal stomach and oesophageal cancer, last summer. She had always been so radiant and alive and fun-loving, even though she had severe fibromyalgia. The drug she was taking for her fibro probably CAUSED the cancer, because they DIDN’T TELL HER that methotrexate was carcinogenic! And they weren’t monitoring her for cancer! I cannot BELIEVE that they would do that! By the time the cancer was diagnosed, it was already Stage 4, and they basically told her she could do chemo and radiation to “prolong her life”. Prolong her AGONY would be more like it! She was on a stomach feeding pump, taking a ton of medication, and so weak and sick to her stomach all the time, that she was not LIVING, she was EXISTING! Still, I got to spend that whole week with her, just the two of us, and I got to make a lifelong wish come true for her – she saw ALASKA!! We had lots of chances to talk, and she told me about the hell of chemo and radiation, and how in the end, she was just too weak to take any more. She died the day before her 51st birthday. She was two weeks younger than me!
I don’t intend on following her path. I intend on doing everything I can, NOW, while I still HAVE my health, to make myself better. That does NOT include chemo and radiation! I know I need to make my immune system STRONGER, not WEAKER! I know I need to detoxify my body, and eat healthy foods. I know that I need to keep a positive frame of mine (not hard for me, as I’m a pretty optimistic person, and get great pleasure out of being happy and having fun!), and BELIEVE that I can continue to fight this!
24 March 2011: Hi Chris, Was down …. for the PET/CT scan today, so decided to give Khadijah a call. She was there. She says the MAIN change I need to make is SLOW DOWN!!! I knew that!! The diet should be no problem, because I’ve been pretty much vegetarian for 25 years already. I do eat chicken breast sometimes, but haven’t had red meat for EVER, and don’t like seafood. The herbs I will take even if they DO smell and taste disgusting. And I have a very positive attitude and a great sense of humour, so that part is okay. But the part that is going to be difficult for me is going to be learning to take it easy, not expect so much of myself, and learn to relax more. I definitely am, and always have been, a perfectionist and a workaholic!!! She said “the big C” is CHANGE, not cancer!!!
25 March 2011: Hi Chris, Got the results from my PET/CT scan today, and it’s all clear. YAY!!!! I saw Dr. Surgeon today, too, and mentioned CA Care and Khadijah, and you, of course. I was wondering what her reaction would be, and WOW! She said that when her sister had colon cancer, they came to CA Care! She was quite surprised (and I think quite RELIEVED, actually) that I found you. But she told me you’ve done some GREAT work with your group. She said that she was impressed with your attitude to cancer, and the way that you teach people to deal with it. She has great faith in what you do!!! She also told me, “If anybody can beat this, YOU can!”
26 March 2011: Hi Chris, I think THAT is probably the most important part that you want to do what is best for your patients. I think oncologists (and a lot of doctors, too), treat everyone like they’re just a number, or a formula. You have x,y,z – so we give you p,q,r. And on with the next patient! I was VERY upset with the oncologist when he took one look at my report, and without asking questions, said that I HAD to do 62 weeks of chemo! When I told him I didn’t WANT to do chemo, he said, “Well, then it’s 100% chance of recurrence.” When I asked what my options were, he told me I didn’t have any!!! His attitude ALONE lost me as a patient, without even CONSIDERING anything else!!!
I have never believed in one size fits all. As a Special Needs teacher, my job is ALL ABOUT meeting individual needs. About finding out what each of those kids needs, and then finding ways to provide it, or make things work for them. Medicine is no different. Matter of fact, it should be even MORE individualized, because it’s really life or death you’re talking about. Doctors need to get to know their patients, and understand how their bodies work, before they can make diagnoses or hand out drugs. But all too often, they don’t! It’s the part of the whole profession that has always bothered me, and why I have, for the most part, steered clear of them!!! I have gone with naturopathic or alternative medicine for most of my life!!!
And I have to say, that Dr. Surgeon basically “putting her stamp” on me going to you for treatment, just made me think again, that all roads lead back to you, and this is the path that I NEED to take!!! Thanks for taking so much of your time to send me articles, e-mails, and most of all, for caring enough to do so!!!
26 March 2011: Hi Chris, Like I said, I’ve been doing nothing BUT research since this all started. I have been working with computers since 1977, but I’m sure that all told, I’ve spent more time on the computer in this past month and a half, than I have in my whole lifetime! I have checked out hundreds of medical journals, research articles, alternative therapies, complimentary medicine, vitamin supplements, different diets, you name it, I’ve read it!!
Like you, I am a voracious reader and will read anything and everything I can get my hands on. Khadijah almost FLIPPED when I told her the other day that I’d printed out Breast Cancer – The Herbal Option and read the WHOLE THING in ONE AFTERNOON!!! But that’s the way I do things. I’ve always been an information hound, and luckily for me, I can read very quickly, and even better, I remember pretty much everything I read.
So, having said all that, I will repeat what I have already told you a few times – all roads keep leading to you!
I am firm in my belief that alternative medicine – naturopathy, homeopathy, Chinese Traditional Medicine, whatever you want to name it – is FAR superior to the modern medical practices. The traditional medicines have been around FAR longer and have proven their worth over the test of time. I’ve seen modern medicines do far too much harm to people, including myself, my own children, and my family.
Like I said, the diet and herbs I have no difficulty with at all. I have had to be very aware of what I eat for a very long time! My stomach does not tolerate, or process properly, a lot of different foods.
My system does not tolerate a lot of chemicals (hence the knowledge that chemo would DESTROY me!). I react to MSG, Aspartame, sulphates and sulphites, nitrates and nitrites, and who knows how many others!?! I try to stay away from artificial flavours and colours.
By the same token, I very rarely take any kind of medication or drugs. I have never taken aspirin or any of the “everyday” type medicines. Never needed them! If I have a kidney infection, I will take anti-biotics, because nothing else seems to knock it out, but other than that, I try to stay clear. I was given Tylenol 3 with codeine for my migraines, but haven’t taken them in years. If I take one, it knocks me out cold for about 12 hours. Yes, it also knocks the migraine out, BUT . . . I feel drugged, and like a zombie, for DAYS afterwards!
I was once given muscle relaxants for a pulled muscle in my back. I couldn’t even FUNCTION! My speech was slurred, my vision was blurred, I had NO co-ordination! Over the years I have taken anti-inflammatories because I have a lot of old sports injuries, etc. I take them sparingly, and ONLY when I am in so much pain I can barely walk, which, thankfully, has not happened often in the past 15 or so years.
Well, I’m not a strong Christian, or a strong follower of ANY faith actually, but I DO believe in a higher being, and I DO believe that all things happen for a reason. I would definitely tell people that this is “God’s way of giving me a wake up call!” I DO believe that the power to heal myself MUST come from inside, and that attitude is a HUGE part of that healing process. And I DO believe in the ability of my body to tell me what is right or wrong for it, if I listen to what it is telling me! I am a firm believer in looking at the bright side, and being thankful for the good things in life. I love nature and am always happiest outdoors, away from the noise and pollution, and to be honest, away from people as well. People fill your head with too many thoughts and you can’t just relax and be yourself!!!
I come from a very small town on the BC/Alaska border, in Canada. I grew up not watching television or playing computer games, but outside playing in the snow, hiking, biking, skiing, swimming, snowshoeing, camping, and loving the outdoors. I love animals, children, flowers, nature, the night sky, thunderstorms, and of course, sunshine!!! My holidays tend to be somewhere where I am NOT in a city, where I can “get away from it all”, or somewhere that I can go explore the mysteries of history and religion and culture.
Although my day to day life is hectic and fast paced, and demands a lot of me, my away from work time tends to be focused much more on myself and being able to have that personal time and space to just BE! I learned a long time ago that I get what I call “peopled out” very easily. In a job where I am working one on one with people all day, by the end of the day, I’m finished with people, finished with talking, and finished with the general NOISE of chatter! I spend my evenings doing crafts, or talking with friends and family on the computer (usually TYPING not TALKING), listening to music, reading, sewing, or just relaxing in the sun for awhile. I love to swim.
Right, I think I’ve babbled on long enough in explanation. I am not making any rash or rushed decisions. I have thought this out very carefully and been very thorough in my research. The fact that Dr. Surgeon basically put her “stamp of approval” on it yesterday, just makes me more comfortable and more determined to follow this path.
I am travelling to South Africa for a friend’s wedding in a couple of weeks, so would like to have at least started with some basic herbs to maybe codify and strengthen my system before then! Will talk to you again soon.
Hi Chris, I think many, if not MOST, people react out of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the future. Fear of failure. Fear of death (their own AND others). Just plain old FEAR, period. If they don’t understand it or can’t explain it, they don’t want to have anything to do with it. They don’t trust it, so they fear it. Many people are so afraid of dying that they will believe ANYTHING the doctors tell them, in hopes of NOT dying. Many people feel they “aren’t smart enough” or “don’t know enough” to make their own decisions. After all, these doctors have YEARS of training and experience.
Many people also have not had the “experience” with cancer that I have. I have watched far too many friends, both old and young, go through the devastation of chemo. And I told every one of them to PLEASE stop the chemo, because it is THAT that was killing them, making them too weak to fight for their lives.
I have one friend who did chemo and radiation twice, and chemo a third time. She has now had both breasts removed (FINALLY!) but has so many devastating residual effects from the chemo and radiation. She will be chronically ill the rest of her life, due to her “cure”!
I have another friend who had bowel cancer, did all the chemo, and now has serious issues with her kidneys and liver, as a result of the chemo. She, too, will be chronically ill, I fear.
I talked to a friend recently who has watched 4 family members die of cancer, after doing all the chemo and radiation that the doctors told them to. She herself, had a large brain tumour, but refused surgery OR chemo. She was part of a research project using a specific natural product (can’t remember the name of it, sorry!), and that was 24 years ago! She remains alive and healthy to this day!
I have another friend who has never known anybody that died of cancer. And SHE, of course, is VERY concerned that I’m NOT doing chemo. However, she has known me for many years, knows that I always do things my own way, not necessarily the “accepted” way, and she trusts my instincts, because she’s seen the truth of them too many times to deny it!!!
I have one friend who works with the terminally ill, and has seen sooooooo many people die of cancer. She VOWS that the cancer kills them!
We all walk different paths, and have different experiences. But one thing I DO know. Most of the people who have seen, or been close to, someone who went through all the chemo and radiation, swear they would never do it themselves. Those who have actually DONE the chemo and/or radiation tell me they would NEVER do it again.
Despite the fact that my brother-in-law is so worried about the outcome of my cancer, I can’t satisfy his request that I at least CONSIDER the chemo, and/or the Herceptin. I made my mind up a LONG time ago, that I would NEVER subject my body to that. And I have never strayed from that path. Nobody knows my body like I do, and trust me, it’s taken a lot of years, and a lot of fights with doctors, to get to that point! But I DO know my body, and I DO know what it will or will not tolerate. No doctor can tell me any different, because he or she HASN’T walked in my shoes, or lived in my body. When doctors begin to understand that ONE simple thing, the world will be a much better place!!!
And THAT, once again, brings me around to you! You don’t have a one size fits all attitude. You take each patient individually. You learn about them, about their past (and not just medical past), about their lifestyles, about their families, their fears, ALL of it! You treat each person as a PERSON, not just another case. That is the NUMBER ONE FACTOR in a good person. In ANY good person! You don’t have to be a Christian or a Buddhist or a Muslim to know that. You just need to understand that people who are good to others are good to themselves, and much happier and content with their lives. They have a clear conscience. They are happy to help others. They smile more. They LIVE more!!!
As a teacher, I have to do the same, in order to be effective. I need to be compassionate. I need to understand. I need to learn all about my students, in order to do good with them, and to teach them to do good for THEMSELVES, not because others expect of them. It is so rewarding for me, and brings such a huge smile to my face, when I walk into the classroom, and have all my students light up with pleasure at seeing me! I only teach two full classes, the rest I work with either one-on-one or in small groups. Both of my classes have made me beautiful GET WELL SOON posters, and they have all signed them. I keep them up in my office/craft room, where I spend most of my time. I also have a poster from the girls on my volleyball team last year, up on my wall. Seeing these things makes me know that I’m doing a good job and I’m making other people happy. And that they care enough to do these things for me!
I went into the class on Thursday – and these are 16 and 17 year olds, not little kids – and they all just ERUPTED in happiness. They tell me they love me, as I tell them I love them. They ask questions of me that I fear many adults, and certainly many teachers, would never allow them to ask. And certainly wouldn’t answer!!! One of the boys asked me on Thursday, what I’m sure ALL of them have been dying to know, but have been afraid to ask. He asked if I was going to have to do chemo and radiation. The absolute RELIEF and pure JOY on their faces – ALL of their faces – when I said no, was amazing to see. Humbling, really, to see that they all care so much, and are so worried about me!!!
When I said I was going to do Traditional Chinese Medicine instead, there was a mixed reaction, but they were curious and asked many questions. You see, they trust me to be honest with them, and to tell them the truth. They trust me to answer their questions, and if I CAN’T answer their questions, they know I will do my best to find an answer for them. And I have taught them all to QUESTION! NOT to take things at face value. To ASK if they don’t understand, to make sure that they GET ALL THE FACTS before they make decisions and to look at things not just from one point of view, but to consider many points of view, and all the different angles. And most of all, I teach TO DO WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU!!! I tell them all the time that I can show them MANY ways to do things, but I cannot tell them what will work for them. Only THEY can decide that.
So, you see, I am like you in many ways! I see your attitude towards CA Care and your patients in the same light as I see my relationship with my students. I don’t push them in any one direction, but I give them a helping hand, the information they need to make their own decisions, and the space to try those decisions out for themselves. It’s not a common philosophy in schools, unfortunately, but I hope that in the long run, it will make them all more capable, compassionate, and successful in making good lives for themselves.
I have always said that nobody can make me happy, until I am happy within myself. Nobody can like me if I don’t first like myself. Nobody can make me do things I don’t want to, if I trust in myself. But all of those things take time, time to get to know yourself, time to believe in yourself. Too many people don’t TAKE that time, and that is when they are easily led by the hand. In the end, it is only myself that I have to face in the mirror, and accept whether I am good or bad, and determine if I CAN look at myself in the mirror and accept MYSELF.
I do not walk down this path blindly. I have looked in many directions. I have searched through the light and the dark. I have looked at both my insides and my outsides. I know that I am now on the correct path to help myself. Whether this leads me to a long life of health, or whether this gives me 2 or 3 years of health and happiness and then I die of cancer doesn’t matter. What matters is the here and now, and the fact that I BELIEVE that this is the path that I need to take.
30 March 2011: Hi Chris. Me again. My sister, the one who works in cancer research, called this morning to tell me that she’d gone through your website, watched some of the videos and stuff, and she thinks that I’m doing the right thing!!! I was actually surprised, seeing as she WORKS in cancer research, but, like she said, she works in the Natural Products division, so this is right up her alley. She DID say again, to ask if she could get some samples of keladi tikus to test in her lab.
And just thought I’d tell you that I don’t think the tea tastes like “snake venom” or “ditchwater” !!! The C-Tea just tastes like normal tea, to me, and the Breast M tastes like, and has the same texture as, hot cocoa without any milk or sugar. Not the best thing I’ve ever had to drink, but certainly not as bad as I was expecting!
13 June 2011: I once had a doctor tell me that with all his medical knowledge and equipment, he couldn’t “cure” my friend, but I did, just by giving her unconditional love. Letting her know that someone really cared and treating her like she was LIVING, not dying!!!
The power of the mind is amazing. If you want to be happy, THINK happy. If you want to be healthy, THINK healthy. If you want to feel young, THINK young. If you want to be loved, love others. If you are feeling ill, believe that you will get better. Learn to live each day to the fullest – see the cup as half full, not half empty. Look for those silver linings. Look on the bright side. Be mesmerized by the moon and stars. Stop and smell the roses. Take pleasure in splashing in the puddles. Play with little children. Laugh. Dance. Smile. Give out free hugs. And most of all – LIVE!!!
I refuse to let this cancer rule my life. I have so much more life to live, and so much to be thankful for. Not ready to give up and let the cancer take me. So I live each day BELIEVING that I can beat this. I laugh about it, joke about it, and treat it like a “friend”, not an enemy. I’m living WITH it, not AGAINST it. If I keep my body, my immune system, healthy and strong, it will take care of the cancer. I don’t need to fight it, my body (my BRAIN, actually!) will take care of it for me!
I guess maybe this is why the doctors all keep telling me I’m “too healthy” to have cancer!!! All of the doctors have said the same thing – my cancer was probably caused by STRESS! There you go! The power of the brain and the immune system – I’m a believer!!!
RZ (S-143) is a 48 year-old Indonesian. He came to seek our help on 18 March 2012, immediately after being discharged from a private hospital. And he was in severe pain. How could this be? This is RZ’s story.
About one and a half months ago, RZ was told by the doctor in Aceh, Indonesia that he had kidney problem. In early March 2012, he came to a private hospital in Penang for further management. A CT scan was done and showed a 10 x 9 cm enhancing lesion in the left kidney with renal vein thrombosis. The right kidney was normal. There were multiple nodules noted in the left upper paraaortic area. Histopathology report confirmed a poorly differentiated renal cell carcinoma, sarcomatous type, Stage 3 – 4 (T2N2Mx). Four of 8 paraaortic lymph nodes had metastatic disease.
X-ray of his left shoulder showed a large lytic area with pathological fracture of the left scapula. Actually RZ came to Penang because of the severe pains in his swollen left shoulder (picture below).
RZ was admitted on 5 March 2012 and underwent surgical removal of his left kidney. Nothing was done for his swollen left shoulder which according to the surgeon was due to the cancer that had spread from his kidney. RZ told us that the pains became more intense after his kidney surgery. He was unable to sleep at night and had to endure pains throughout the day and night.
The kidney operation cost him RM 14,000. RZ was told that with this surgery he will be cured. If he did not undergo the surgery, but only take medication, he would be 30 percent cured. After being discharged from the hospital, the surgeon scribbled these words on his medical report: Targeted therapy + DXT to (L) shoulder. RZ confirmed that he was asked to see a radiologist for radiotherapy. However, he was not able to do this because he had run out of money and could not afford anymore treatment in Penang.
RZ was prescribed Tramadol for his pains. This medication helped relief pains for about two hours only and the pains recurred.
When we looked at RZ we really felt sorry for him. The reason he and his wife came to Penang was to find relief for his shoulder pain – but after spending RM 14,000 the pains became worse. And they had no more money for more treatment. He could not afford the radiation treatment in Penang. And to tell him to take the Target Therapy medication as suggested by the surgeon is unrealistic. If I could guess rightly, that would involve taking Sutent and this is going to cost about RM 18,000 to RM 20,000 per month. This medication does not cure cancer! How can RZ ever afford to pay for such a treatment? If you wish to know what Sutent can do click these links:
RZ and his wife said that they were about ready to go home to Aceh in the next three days. The question in my mind then was: What can I do to help this unfortunate man the next days while he is here in Penang ? I suggested that RZ come to our centre every morning and try the e-Therapy and at the same time take the herbs: Capsule A, C-tea + WF tea, Kidney Tea, Bone Tea and Pain Tea (six times per day). This is what happened:
18 March 2012: e-Therapy – detox program. The night after this treatment, he felt better. He could sleep about half of the night. The pains were less and he did not take the Tramadol prescribed by the doctor.
19 March 2012: e-Therapy – detox program + program for shoulder pain. He felt much better. The pains were less and he could sleep throughout the night. He woke up at about 5 a.m. due to coughs.
20 March 2012: repeat of the e-Therapy as yesterday and he was ready to return to Aceh.
The following is the gist of our conversation.
Part 1: Remove your kidney – 100 percent cure. But doc., the cancer had already spread to the bone!
Wife: His kidney problem surfaced about one and a half months ago.
RZ : There was no pain in the kidney.
Chris: You have removed your kidney?
RZ: Yes.
W: After the surgery, the doctor asked him to go for radiotherapy. We did not want to do that yet. We want to go back to Aceh first. We can do the radiation in Aceh.
C: What did the doctor say about the pain in your shoulder?
W: It is a cancer. But the doctor did not do anything about it. The whole night he was not able to sleep.
C: How much does it cost you to operate the kidney?
W: RM 14,000.
C: And now you are in pain?
RZ: Yes. It is a dull kind of pain – not pulling type. If I massage my shoulder, the pain goes away for a while and then comes back again. The pain becomes more intense when I move. At night, I am not able to sleep because of the pain.
C: Did you have this swelling on your shoulder even before your surgery?
RZ: Yes. But it was not as painful like now. The pain just came on and off. Even when I was in the hospital, the pain was not serious. I felt more pain after being discharged from the hospital.
C: So, even before the surgery, the doctor already knew about your shoulder – and he did not say anything?
RZ: No. I did ask him about this swelling in my shoulder. The doctor said: “Just wait first, we need to remove the diseased kidney first.”
C: Did you ask the doctor why there is this lump in your shoulder?
W: Yes, the doctor said this is due to the kidney cancer that has spread to the bone in his shoulder.
C: How long were you in the hospital? Did you derive any benefit gong into the hospital?
W: He was in the hospital for two weeks.
RZ: Before the operation, I was very weak. I became better after the operation. But the pain in my should became worse after coming out of the hospital.
C: Before you agreed to the surgery, did you ask the doctor if the surgery is going to cure you?
W: The doctor said the cancerous kidney has to be removed – it was an aggressive type. If he (the patient) only takes medication, there is only a 30 percent chance of cure. But if he goes for surgery, it will cure him a 100 percent.
C: Is this why you agreed to the surgery – to get a 100 percent cure? Do you really understand “cure” really means when the doctor said the operation can “cure” you? Do you really understand him?
RZ: If the kidney is not removed, the cancer will spread. If the kidney is removed, the cancer will all be gone. No more cancer.
C: Did he tell you how he can cure the bone cancer in your shoulder?
Part 2: After one session of e-Therapy: Pain was less and he slept through half of the night
C: Last night you took the herbs and did the e-Therapy. How do you feel now?
RZ: There is improvement. I could sleep on and off.
C: After the e-Therapy, did you have any difficulty?
RZ: No, no problem. And I felt better. The pain was much less.
C: Before you came and see me, how was your pain?
W: He was in pain throughout the night but now the pain is much less.
RZ: The pain came on and off only. I woke up three times last night and went back to sleep again. Before I came to see you, I was not able to sleep the whole night.
C: This pain now, is it the same type of pain? Is the intensity of the pain the same when you feel that pain?
RZ: Same type of pain and the intensity is also the same. But the pain did not last long. It came on and then went off.
Part 3: After two sessions of e-Therapy: Pain gone and he slept through the night.
C: Yesterday you did the e-Therapy one more time. How are you now? Do you have more or less pain?
W: Less pain. There was no pain the whole night. Early morning, at about 5 a.m. he had coughs and he felt “heaty”.
C: Okay, did he drink a lot of water? He should drink more water. And you said there was no pain throughout the night.
W: Yes, no pain. Only at about 5 a.m. when he woke up he felt the pain. Before we came to see you, he had pain throughout the night. We have done the e-Therapy twice. After the first therapy, the pain came on and off. It helped him nad he could sleep at least half of the night. After the second therapy, he did not feel any pain for the whole night. Only when we work up at about 5 a.m. that he felt the pain again.
C: Let me ask you again. Before you took the herbs and did the e-Therapy, did you need to take the pain killer (Tramadol) that the doctor gave you?
W: Yes. He had to take the painkiller. It was effective only for about two hours, then the pain came back.
C: Now, after the herbs and the e-Therapy, do you still need to take the painkiller?
W: No need to take any painkiller.
C: So, you did not take the painkiller for the past two nights?
W: No need for painkiller and he only took your herbs.
RZ: Now, I feel better. The pain is very much less. Before this I was not able to sleep because of the pain.
C: Did the treatment of the past two days, helped you?
W: Yes, it helped him very much.
C: That’s about all that I can to help you. It seemed that he able to walk with more strength?
W: Yes, more strength and his movements had also improved.
Reflection
This is indeed a sad story. Reflect on this case again and ask some questions:
If you were RZ, what would you have done differently?
The surgeon said surgery could cure his cancer 100 percent – what you think?
Do you think, surgery is really necessary given that the cancer had already spread to his bone?
The doctor suggested radiotherapy and then possibly the Targeted Therapy – what do you say to that? Is this a genuine attempt to “cure” the cancer, or it is just an effort to feel that he is doing the right thing? A hero with no realistic chance of success?
CANCER STORY 
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