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Alternative Cancer Therapy Protocol Recommended
Products RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION (RFA) High-frequency electric current is being used to heat tumors from within, a process referred to as "cooking the tumor to death" (McCullough 2001). In cardiology, high-frequency radio waves have been used for decades to ablate cardiac nerves in patients with dangerous heart rhythms that resisted drug therapy. The concept segued into oncology with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) initially used to provide palliative relief to inoperable, terminal patients, particularly those with liver cancer. But momentum is growing for the technique, and the therapeutic focus is changing as well. So strong are the prospects for RFA that this pioneering treatment appears (according to researchers) to have the potential to replace both surgery and radiation therapy. Because of its therapeutic value and cost effectiveness, along with its noninvasive, low-risk profile, RFA has the attention of both physicians and patients. The National Institutes of Health consider RFA the most predictable, safest, and simplest method for thermal ablation in bone, liver, kidney, prostate, breast, and brain cancers. Using open MRI, doctors gain access to the tumor through a needle puncture, a process requiring no surgery. Using specially designed titanium or stainless steel instruments, doctors are directed by the MRI image to the site of malignancy. A titanium electrode is guided to the tumor and enough heat is generated (just below the boiling point) to kill the cancerous cells. After 10-12 minutes of continuous contact with the tumor tissue, the radiofrequency energy "cooks" a sphere of 1-2 inches. By "cooking" adjacent spheres, larger tumors can be treated. Dr. Jonathan Lewin, director of magnetic resonance imaging at University Hospitals of Cleveland, says that tumorous areas that earlier appeared white are now black, a black hole of dead tumor tissue. It is immediately possible to determine the amount of tumor destruction and to plan treatments (should additional treatment be necessary). The dead cells are not removed, but become scar tissue and eventually shrink. The procedure is done under local anesthesia, with minimal discomfort to patients. There are no cumulative dose effects as with radiation therapy, so patients can be treated repeatedly if the cancer returns to other sites. Hospitalization is usually limited to several hours rather than days. Dr. Patrick Sewell (University of Mississippi Medical Center) performed this procedure on nine lung cancer patients in China, ranging in age from 38-78 years. Five had primary tumors, two had primary lung tumors with metastasis, and two had metastasized cancer that had spread to the lungs from other locations. When the PET scans came back (3 days following treatment), all tumors had been killed (Sewell 2000). At the 85th Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (Chicago), Dr. Tito Livraghi of Vimercate Hospital (Italy) presented the results of a study designed to evaluate the efficacy of RFA in breast cancer-to-liver metastasis. The study consisted of 15 lesions in 10 patients (mean age 51 years). Eight of the patients had progressive metastatic disease following chemotherapy; two patients with hepatic metastasis had not undergone chemotherapy. Following RFA, the value of the treatment was assessed by biphasic helical computed tomography (CT) performed at 4-month intervals. Complete necrosis was obtained in 14 out of 15 lesions (93%). Follow-up imaging studies (at 4-30 months) were unable to detect a recurrence in any of the 14 lesions. Four patients have remained disease free; five (later) have developed new hepatic and/or extra-hepatic metastasis; and one has died with diffuse metastasis. RFA resulted in no treatment-induced complications (Pullen 1999). Early results (from an NIH Clinical Center Study) look promising for the use of RF energy in patients with certain kidney and adrenal tumors. Of 18 kidney tumors treated, 13 (72%) showed no x-ray evidence of residual tumors immediately following treatment. One patient remains cancer-free 2 years following treatment. In a related NIH study involving adrenal gland tumors, 7 of 11 tumors (64%) showed no active disease following RFA. Though the remaining 36% of patients had evidence of residual tumors on follow-up imaging, all patients treated had x-ray confirmation that most of the targeted tumor was killed by treatment (Healthlink 2000). Dr. Steven Curley (University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center) says that within a 12-month timeframe, a great deal more data will be available to physicians and patients. But in the interim, Dr. Curley says that inoperable colorectal patients have enjoyed a 3-year survival using RFA. In some cases, RFA is a home run in itself; for those less fortunate, the process buys the immeasurable gift of time. With the advent of integrated medicine, groundbreaking finds are stockpiling. It is felt that scientists are significantly advancing on this dread disease, and a 3-year reprieve could "just make the difference." M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center University Hospitals
of Cleveland SUMMARY Although it would be wholly inappropriate for the Life Extension Foundation to steer individuals in decisions of omission or commission regarding therapies, it would be equally improper to shun responsibility. Because we are challenged by a professional and moral commitment to assist in overcoming appalling statistics, we have discussed some controversial issues in this protocol. Cancer treatment has always resulted in a political battle, even within the confines of conventional medicine. Surgeons, for instance, strongly endorse surgical removal of the tumor(s), although radiologists often recommend various forms of radiotherapy to kill cancer cells. Medical oncologists, on the other hand, are proponents of chemotherapy, immune-augmentative, and hormone modulation therapies. In many cases, a particular type of cancer may warrant utilization of all conventional therapies, that is, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. When it comes to alternative approaches, there are a wide variety of choices that can be accessed on the Internet. The challenge is separating the hype from credible science. The difficulty in achieving control over many forms of cancer has enabled charlatans to flourish. Conventional oncology has long criticized the efficacy of alternative methods. The irony is that the treatments offered at mainstream cancer centers provide little hope for those afflicted with the most deadly cancers. Until a cure is found, there will be a constant political and scientific struggle to win the business of the 1.3 million Americans who are diagnosed with cancer each year. The purpose of this protocol is to provide options that would not normally be offered by practicing oncologists. These various alternative therapies raise many issues that are subject to change as new data emerges. Patients are encouraged to log on to www.lefcancer.org for updated information about reported successes or failures of treatments offered by alternative cancer clinics. It is important that cancer patients also read the protocols in this book titled Cancer Adjuvant Therapies and Cancer Treatment: The Critical Factors to learn about other potential treatment strategies. Staying Informed The information published in these protocols is only as current as the day the book was sent to the printer. This protocol raises many issues that are subject to change as new data emerge. Furthermore, cancer is still a disease with unacceptably high mortality rates, and none of our suggested treatment regimens can guarantee a cure. The Life Extension Foundation is constantly uncovering information to provide the cancer patient with more ammunition to battle their disease. A special website has been established for the purpose of updating patients on new findings that directly pertain to the cancer protocols published in this book. Whenever Life Extension discovers information that points to a better way of treating cancer, it will be posted on the website Before utilizing the cancer protocols in this book, we suggest that you log on to www.lefcancer.org to see if any substantive changes have been made to the therapeutic recommendations described in this protocol. Based on the sheer number of newly published findings, there could be significant alterations to the information you have just read. Alternative Cancer Therapy Protocol Pg (1) (2) (3)
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These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease
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