Cancer treatment

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 112,340 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed in 2007. About 52,180 people will die from either colon or rectal cancer this year. Even though the number seems high, deaths are actually decreasing.

New screenings that detect polyps that can be removed before they turn into colon cancer may be one reason that the death rate has declined in recent years. But fewer cases have been diagnosed as well. This could be because of improvements in diet and exercise for many people. A bad diet and a lack of exercise are two risk factors.

The risk factors, according to the American Cancer Society are:

* Age: More than 9 out of 10 people are diagnosed with colon cancer are 50 or older.
* A history of polyps: Even if they have been removed, they increase the risk, especially if the polyps were large or if there were many.
* Two diseases, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease cause inflame the colon create ulcers in the lining. If a person has either disease, her or she should begin screening early in their life.
* Family history: If a close relative has had colon cancer, especially before he or she was 60, the risk is increased.
* Diet: A high-fat diets seems to increase risks.
* A sedentary lifestyle: People who get little exercise have a higher risk.
* Obesity: This also contributes.
* Smoking: Recent studies show that smokers are 30 to 40 percent more likely to die.
* Alcohol, particularly heavy use has been linked to colon cancer.

Many people who are diagnosed early during a routine screen may not have noticed any symptoms. According to the American Cancer Society, as it advances a person may experience:

* Stomach pain or cramping
* Diarrhea, constipation or other changes in bowel habits
* Blood in the stool
* Bleeding from the rectum
* A change in bowel habits such as diarrhea, constipation, or narrowing of the stool that lasts for more than a few days
* A feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that doesn’t go away after doing so
* Bleeding from the rectum or blood in the stool (often, though, the stool will look normal
* Cramping or steady stomach pain
* Weakness and tiredness

Treatment for all types of cancer is also improving. Many patients are treated successfully with surgery. Surgery will remove the tumors or the polyps. Many patients also require chemotherapy or radiation treatments.

The American Cancer Society has a treatment tool worksheet on its website, www.cancer.org, (Alexa) to help you determine which treatment is best for you. You need to consult with you doctor before making any decisions about your treatment. Your personal physician is always the best person to help you decide how to treat your colon cancer.

Colon cancer is, unfortunately, a fairly common disease and is the second leading cause of death from cancer in the Western world. However, fatalities from this form of cancer have been on the decline for the past 15 years, and the reason for this is believed to be the improvements in various treatment methods as well as an increase in regular screenings for the disease.

Chemo and radiotherapies are sometimes used, but colon cancer surgery is the most often used form of treatment of the disease and its six stages. The type of surgery is determined based on a number of factors such as the size and location of the cancerous tumor as well as the patient’s general health.

Here are the types of colon cancer surgery performed from the least invasive to the most extensive of procedures and why they may be used.

Colonoscopic excision

The development of the colonoscope, which is a specialized instrument used to examine the colon, has significantly improved the treatment of colorectal cancer over the last three decades. In addition to providing an accurate assessment of the colon, this instrument is also used in the excision of polyps, which is referred to as a polypectomy. This outpatient procedure used to treat colorectal cancer in its earliest stage is performed under local anesthesia and removes small, cancerous adenomas or polyps using the colonoscope.

Local excision

This type of operation for rectal cancer is performed through the anus and removes portions of tissue that contain cancerous cells. The tissues are then sent to pathologists for review to determine the depth or stage of the cancer, which will also indicate if additional treatment may be needed such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

Bowel resection

With this type of colon cancer surgery, the procedure is performed through an opening in the abdomen and carefully removes the diseased tissue. Surrounding tissues are also removed to ensure that there are no cancerous cells left behind. The ends of the bowel or intestine are then joined together with sutures, which is a procedure called anastomosis, and the abdomen is then closed with sutures. A temporary colostomy may also be performed during this procedure, particularly in those patients with rectal cancer.

After a period of about 12 weeks, tests are performed to see if the anastomosis has healed properly so that the colostomy opening can be closed and the patient’s normal bowel function restored. A colostomy creates an opening in the skin on either side of the abdomen which is known as a stoma. The end of the intestine is stitched to the outside of the opening and waste material then passes through the stoma into a colostomy bag. Due to advancements in colon cancer surgery a colostomy is usually only temporary.

Abdominoperineal excision

This radical form of colon cancer surgery entails the removal of the entire rectum and anal canal. This operation is done only in extreme cases of colorectal cancer when it isn’t possible to perform other types of less invasive surgery through a local excision. Recent advances in treatments for this type of cancer have made it so the majority of patients won’t ever require this type of extreme surgery.

My neighbor was labeled as “cheese man”, as he used to bring us lovely cheese specialties from his privately owned cheese house. After 2 years of the launching of the business, he disappeared and no one knew where he had gone. We started to worry. Later, after he returned home, we were informed that he had been to the hospital because he had developed colon cancer. How? - we wondered as he ate the right kinds of food. He used to eat high-fiber food for breakfast, yogurt, juice, tons of fruits, and cheese. He was one of the healthiest people we had ever known.

There was no reason for him to develop colon cancer, yet it happened. The reason? Constant exposure to cold in his cheese depot. He used to spend 8 hours in a huge fridge. A large piece of his colon had to be removed and he was living with a bag hanging from his side. He had immense pain and could only eat liquid for nearly six months. I have seen his pain and struggle, since then I have been very conscious of my circumstances and the exposure to which my body is object.

Cancer does not differentiate. It can come to everyone. Yet not many of us are aware of the risks that lead to developing this disease. Our digestive system is at times not given due importance or attention. People are not clear about the difference between their appendix, small intestine, and colon.

What causes colon cancer? Colon cancer can develop from growing of polyps in the colon. These growths that have a mushroom-like shape, are not deadly, but some may develop into cancer with time. The cancer is diagnosed through colonoscopy, a rather painful examination. Treatment is via surgical intervention which in certain cases has to be followed by chemotherapy.

The patient in many cases do not experiences any symptoms, i.e., asymptomatic. Therefore, fecal occult blood testing is recommended to be carried out on a regular basis. Symptoms become stronger with the lesion being closer to the anus. Such symptoms are changing in bowel habits. For example, change in frequency, quality and consistency of stool, bloody stools, stools with mucus, stool with melena (black color due to oxidation of the iron in hemoglobin as it passes through the colon.) Anemia with dizziness, anorexia, and asthenia, weakness are symptoms as well.

Mostly people over the age of 60 are at risk of developing colon cancer. Removal of colon polyps in time reduces the possible risk of cancer. Individuals with previous colon cancer are apt to developing it again in the future. This disease can be developed on hereditary basis. Needless to say, smoking is a high risk for this type of cancer.

Insufficient consumption of fresh vegetables and fish, and over consumption of red meat can lead to this disease. Naturally, if you are physically active, your digestive system works better and faster, therefore you are at less risk. Human papilloma virus can be the cause of this cancer, therefore you need to check the nature of your virus with your physician when you catch any. Early diagnosis can save your life.

Researchers from Rutgers University and the US Department of Agriculture have found that a naturally occurring key compound in blueberries, pterostilbene, may be able to prevent the onset of one of the most virulent and dreaded neoplasms, colon cancer.

Colon cancer, also known as bowel cancer or colorectal cancer, is characterized by growths in the rectum, colon and appendix. Colon cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in the Western world and is the third most common form of cancer. Surgery is the most common treatment to remove the growths and is usually followed by chemotherapy.

How was the link between blueberries and colon cancer discovered? The Rutgers University researchers conducted a small study with eighteen rats for an eight week period. The test rats were given azoxymethane (a cancer causing agent) to induce colon cancer and were given a balanced diet, while half of the study rats were given supplemental amounts of pterostilbene. At the end of the study, it was found that the rats who were supplemented with the blueberry compound, pterostilbene, had 57 percent less pre-cancerous cells. They test subjects also showed a lesser degree of inflammation and had reduced cell division in the bowels, both considered risk factors for developing colon cancer.

Pterostilbene is a compound that is believed to exhibit anti-cancer, anti-hypercholesterolemia, anti-diabetic, anti-fungal, anti-hypertriglyceridemia properties. Pterostilbene is also thought to have the ability to fight off and reverse cognitive decline. Pterostilbene also happens to be a natural antioxidant and studies have further suggested that pterostilbene could potentially be helpful in lowering blood cholesterol.

I’m 26 years old and I had to have my first colonoscopy done a few months back. My grandmother had and lost her battle against colon cancer. Of course this made me scared of what they may find but I found the American Cancer Society website useful to help calm down my nerves.

The only thing that you should really dread, if any, is the prep process. The prep time consists of drinking medicines that will help clean out your system. Of course you will not be able to have anything to eat or drink that is solid or has any type of flavor, unless you like broth and jell-o as long as it is not red. You will then spend pretty much all day in the bathroom. While I was prepping I came up with a few ideas to help make the prep time more productive.

Make sure you bring in a book or magazine, move your TV into your bathroom if you have space, use your laptop to play games on the internet or instant message your friends and see if they can guess what you are doing, play a hand-held videogame, if you are a female, paint your toe/ finger nails and wax/ shave your legs and one thing you need to always remember is to MAKE SURE YOU TAKE YOUR PHONE INTO THE BATHROOM. You never know when the moment will hit when you have to “go”. After all, it always seems that people call you whenever you are in the bathroom. I hope this will help you with making the prep time a bit easier to deal with.

My first encounter with colon cancer that spread to the liver was with Tony in 1996. His doctor had told him that chemotherapy or radiotherapy would be of no use for him. Tony had a miraculous healing after taking herbs. Unfortunately, Tony died one and half years later after reverting to his “bad diet”. A video on Tony can be viewed at cacarevideo blogspot below. Another case that came to mind is Dass. He had a recurrent colon cancer after surgery and chemotherapy. He was asked to undergo chemotherapy again after this recurrence. He refused and came to us for help in January 1998. It has been nine years now and Dass is doing very well and is leading a normal and happy life.

Herbs, change of lifestyle and diet had helped numerous patients to live a normal, happy life after their colon cancer, without the need for chemotherapy. Is the medical profession ever interested to know? To brush this off as a mere quackery or empty claim is a great mistake. The strength of our work is that we are able to predict the possible outcome of our herbal therapy and also repeat such outcome. Is this not scientific enough?

I have seen numerous cases of healing after chemotherapy had led patients to nowhere. The following are two cases to substantiate my claim.

Case 1: Han (not real name), 62-year-old male, was diagnosed with colon cancer that had metastasised to his liver in October 2004. He underwent an operation to remove the diseased colon. Upon hearing this, I called him at his home and asked if I could in anyway be of help. In fact, by doing this I had violated my own code of ethics. I generally do not do such a thing, lest I be accused of trying to promote my herbs. But, Han was my classmate way back in the 1960s. I provided him with all the information he wanted to know about his disease and started him on herbs. After his surgery, his doctor recommended chemotherapy which he readily agreed. I respected his decision.

Han went through twelve cycles of chemotherapy, unlike most patients who do six cycles only. But the tumor in his liver remained unaffected. Chemotherapy was abandoned and he was asked to try RFA (radiofrequency ablation). He underwent this procedure twice and twice it failed. Then the doctor recommended surgery to remove the tumor from his liver. This time, Han declined! He had learnt his lesson. But all along Han was taking herbs for both his colon and liver cancers. As of this day, three and half years since his diagnosis, Han is still doing fine. In a recent four-hour-video interview with him, Han told us that he could play golf better than his healthy friends. He can drive, eat and sleep well. None of his friends ever suspect or believe that he has cancer! When asked what made him what he is today, he answered: your herbs, change of diet and belief in God.

Case 2: June (not real name), 57-year-old female was diagnosed with colon cancer that had metastatised to her liver in January 2005. She underwent surgical resection of her colon followed by six cycles of chemotherapy. She did not suffer any side effects because she was at the same time on our herbs. June told us that when her platelets were down she took the juice of papaya leaves after reading our newsletter (Letter 41: The lowly juices of Papaya and Pegaga leaves? Do they beat scientific medicine?) After taking it for three times, the platelet count increased.

June and her husband, Paul (not real name) flew in from Jakarta to see us on 11 May 2006. This was what June said about her experience with her oncologist.

June: My oncologist said I am a very stubborn woman because I did not want to undergo anymore chemotherapy. I also declined surgery for my liver metastasis. I also did not want to go for RFA (radiofrequency ablation). I was prescribed Xeloda, but I did not take it. Now, my oncologist wants to see me. Once in a while, I received SMS from her nurse asking me to come to Singapore for a check up.

Paul: I asked the oncologist, “By doing more chemotherapy is it going to cure my wife.” The answer is NO. The oncologist was not sure. We also consulted another doctor who saw my wife and knew that she is taking herbs. This doctor told us: “Go ahead and take your herbs for as long as it is helping you.”

Our conversation shifted to diet. I asked June if her oncologist said anything about diet. “My oncologist said I can eat anything I like. There is no need to “pantang” (prohibition) at all.”

June’s condition has not deteriorated in spite of declining further medical treatment. In fact, her blood works had improved! Her CEA which was at 47.4 in March 2005 was at 3.6 in May 2006. Her liver function values– AST, ALT and GGT were once elevated but they had since gone down and were within normal limits. As of this writing (more than two years after diagnosis) June is doing very well. She has since put on weight and leads a normal life.

Amy (not real name) was 48 years old when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon (caecum) cancer in 2001. She underwent a hemicolectomy on 5 November 2001. The histopathology report indicated: “moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of caecum involving pericolic fat. The pericolic (6/10) and apical nodes (2/2) are involved by metastatic tumour (Duke C 2. T3 N2 Mx). The resected margin are free.”

Her surgeon recommended chemotherapy but Amy declined. She opted for herbs instead. She came to CA Care in November 2001 and was started on herbs: Capsule A, GI (1) Tea, Lympho-Tea (stopped mid-2006) and C-tea. She has been taking these herbs “religiously” ever since.

It has been six years and Amy is doing fine. Over the years she had gone back to her surgeon for surveillance check up and there was nothing amiss.

I met up with Amy and her husband on 18 September 2006 and had a chat.

Question: You underwent an operation but did not go for chemotherapy, radiotherapy or take any doctor’s medication? You started to take herbs and are still doing so up to this day. Are you a healthy person – are you okay?

Amy: Yes, I am healthy. I think I am healthier now than I was before. This is because I don’t have any more gastric problem — unless of course when I over-eat or when I am hungry. Otherwise, I don’t have any gastric problem. I sleep better. Energy wise I am good. Before I was on the herbs, I would be sleepy by 9 to 10 p.m. Just one or two weeks after I started to take the herbs until this day, I am still not sleepy even if it is 12 mid-night. And remember, I wake up at 6 o’clock every morning. Even that, I feel fresh the whole day and I don’t feel sleepy or tired and am full of energy. I don’t need to sleep in the afternoon.

Q: After the surgery, were you asked to go for chemotherapy?

Husband: After the operation, the doctor was asking us to start chemotherapy as soon as possible. To the doctor, we must not delay this treatment.

A: The operation was done on 5 November. A week later, I had to go back to the hospital for a follow up examination. The doctor told me that I would need to go for 30 sessions of chemotherapy. One week would be 5 sessions. I would then have to take two or three weeks rest and then start the cycle again. The doctor was telling me that I must do this quickly if not the cancer can come back again. I was asked to fix a chemo-pot but I declined. After this, I decided to come to CA Care instead.

Q: After you decided to take herbs instead of undergoing chemotherapy, did you get any pressure from your doctors — that this might not be the right approach?

Husband: No. This was because we did not go back to the oncologist any more. If we were to go back to him, we might get such “pressure”. We started to take the herbs. She was not getting worse. Instead she was getting better. So, we shut our mind to all other external pressures or advice and kept our focus on the herbs and on what we have decided to do.

Q: How did you feel after talking to the oncologist?

A: I felt very depressed. I did not like the way he talked to me. It appeared like he wanted to do business — then he said, you must do this and do that. He was not kind like the other doctors. He was very insensitive. We were very unhappy and decided to come and see you instead.

Husband: After we saw the oncologist, we knew that we could not “click” with him. On the other hand, the surgeon was a very kind man. When we told him that we would not go for chemotherapy, he said: “Do what you believe in.” He was more supportive than the oncologist who was not friendly at all. We never went back to see the oncologist ever again.

A: In fact to this day, my surgeon is very supportive. When I went back for my routine check up, he still enquired if I was still taking the herbs. He also asked if I ate meat, and that I was still on vegetables, etc. I think my surgeon was very happy to see me well.

Husband: We were very fortunately to have a nice and kind surgeon.

Q: If you look back, would you do the same thing all over again with regards to your cancer treatment?

A: I am satisfied with what I have gone through and what I did. There were no regrets. I still remember what my husband told me: “Amy, if you do not want to go for chemotherapy and wanted to go on the herbs, you have to believe in what you are going to do. If you don’t believe that the herbs are going to work for you, then don’t take them. I want you to put in your heart and soul to do this”.

Q: Besides taking the herbs and following our diet recommendation, did you take any other herbs or supplements?

A: No supplements. I took fruit juices for the first few years. It was only later that I started to take fish oil and sometimes garlic pills. Apart from that I was and am entirely on your herbs.

Q: After taking the herbs, how long did you get to experience their effects?

A: When I first came to collect the herbs, I was told that I would pass out a lot of smelly stools. That would be the first sign of cleansing. It happened exactly like I was told when I started the herbs. I passed out a lot of dark stools. The smell was real awful. I felt exhausted after this cleansing. This process went on for about 5 to 6 days after I started to take the herbs. Then, things gradually went back to normal.

Q: After taking the herbs for a week, did you feel any better?

A: Of course. I felt better. I was not sleepy anymore. Energy wise I was better.

Q: Over this five years, did the herbs and CA Care made any impact on you?

A: Yes, of course. When we came to collect herbs, Khadijah and Johan always have a lot of good words and encouragement for me. Then, I also remember when I came here and I met you. You talked to me and gave encouraging advice. These words still stuck with me. You said: “It is not the herbs alone – it is also your will to live and wanting to get well. Besides, patients must keep to their good diet”. “Laska” was my favorite food. Because of your words, I dared not eat “laksa” for many years!