Gambit, sorry to hear this. Don't know if you know this, but there is a theory and research that cancer cell feed on sugar as it primary source of fuel. The cure being to cut off sugar entirely from your diet and starve off the cancer from it food supply. Essentially killing it. I don't know if it really works or not. But you could take a look. Good Luck. http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/27/health/sugar-cancer-relationship-study/index.html
Keytruda, where it can be used, is pretty amazing stuff and her oncologist told us he is considering putting her on it if her cancer returns in the next couple of years. I understand it;s in the $100k ballpark. If you have results from genetic testing that can lead to treatment, that's great. The test my wife had done looked at proteins on the tumor cells which determine whether a certain drug will be attracted to the tumor cells or not. Of the 22 approved drugs for her non-small cell adnocarcinoma, non would have worked given the protein makeup of the cells. Absent this proteinomic testing, they would have given her the usual treatement, it would have beaten her up and had no effect. Having been a party to this, if I was diagnosed with any type of non-liquid cancer, I would get this testing done. The problem then, as in her case, was if the results suggest something outside of "the guidelines," you need to have a doctor willing to do that, who trust you won't sue. Further, many early-stage cancers are treated by surgery, and I think, often, these can be deforming. It would seem to me that if, by such testing, you could know (as in your case) that the cancer WILL respond positively to a certain drug, it would seem that such early stage, surgically-treated cancers that deform the patiet may be better treated by chemo. But I am not a Dr., just an offhand thought.
Well...the surgery is done now and I lost a third of my colon. Thankfully I have no side effects from the surgery. I'll spare you the gory details about bowel function changes post op but I have no changes. I feel like I won the lottery with that one. Keytruda is exorbitantly priced but it seems to work on stage IV cancer quite well, especially those with a MSH2 mutation (have to double check the exact mutation). I see where you're coming from with the protein testing and chemo but you know what? If I had a choice between surgery and chemo, I'd choose the surgery in most cases. I'll research the testing you recommend but once gene testing was done, I think all evidence pointed to FOLFOX as the frontline treatment. It would have been nice to have more than two choices, FOLFOX or FOLFIRI. And FOLFIRI wasn't even offered by my oncologist. What chemo regimen did your wife use?
I just saw this thread and wanted to chime in. I didn't have colon cancer but I did have lymphoma -DLBC stage 2. I survived with chemo as it's one of the rare cancers that work well with chemo. I will offer a few of my observations around tolerating chemo. I do think staying on a strict keto diet will help your overall chances of avoiding a recurrence but I'm not an expert. I would also suggest exercising while on chemo. not after the infusions or during NADIR but just when you feel like you could pull it off as staying active is actually a very good thing. the most important things I could share is fasting. I would fast for a few days at a time before infusions and a day or so afterward and I tolerated the chemo very well. the last round I didn't fast and boy did I feel the difference. I felt like the chemo was 100 times stronger and felt like I would die. that was all 6 years ago and I'm alive and well now. I would also encourage you to go ahead and trade while on chemo just be sure to cover for periods when you might be down for the count. It's really good to have mental activities to distract you, otherwise you'll go insane at home thinking too much and playing google doctor. Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor; I'm just sharing information. Don't take anything here as medical advise without consulting your oncologist and GP.
Hey tachyon5. I'm pretty much doing everything you've said. My WBC and RBC counts never dipped below normal, thanks to TRT and maybe some supplements I'm taking. The fasting is tough but it does help. With the exception of Christmas dinner tomorrow, I will fast for the next two days before my next chemo cycle.
Sounds good. Glad to hear it. Although I gotta say I embraced healthy meats. Game meat, buffalo stew, beef bone stew etc. I also still fast regularly. But whatever you’re doing that’s working, keep doing that! Gotta go with what works for you. Good luck!