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Pancreatic Cancer - Has anyone had experience with Metabolic Oncology?
My husband has stage IV Pancreatic Cancer. His is taking Folfironox every two weeks. He has also begun high dose Vitamin C infusions between his rounds. We are soon also engaging with Care Oncology out of Virginia to start a metabolic attack to starve his cancer cells in hopes that this will make the chemo more effective. Our goal is to attack his cancer using every weapon concurrently that we can find. Does anyone out there have any experience with these additional therapies? I would recommend the book "How to Starve Cancer" by Jane Mclelland. Jane is a stage IV cancer survivor of over 20 years. Lots of good supplemental information in the book.
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I am currently reading Jane’s book & yes there is a lot of great info in there. You can definitely go down a lot of rabbit holes and much of it is over my head. Getting your oncologist to go along with much of what she details in her book though is a whole other story. I have read a few German studies, on my own, with positive results on fasting 36 hrs prior to chemo infusions and for up to 24 hrs after, if possible, to help the chemo work better to kill off cancer cells & to spare your healthy cells. These studies show that many of the chemo side effects such as nausea, vomiting & digestive side effects are reduced or completely diminished. It sounds like there is definitely proof here to try fasting. I plan to do it myself once my chemo begins in May. Especially fasting 36 hours before. Prolonging it 24 more hrs after may be rough for many but they say if it’s too tough to continue for 24 hrs after to juice vegetables and protein and get some nutrients that way. I’d be interested in hearing more about others’ experiences with fasting during chemo treatments.
I would think carefully about fasting 36 hours in advance. With all the pre-meds then the actual chemo recipe…taking any medicine on an empty stomach may not work for most. As one gets into chemotherapy your appetite will diminish and it was a struggle for me to get enough healthy nutrients in! Hydration is KING.
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1 ReactionYes, I agree Hydration is King. I have learned this fact about my body under chemo through a very hard lesson.
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1 ReactionI have asked a former colleague about what she has heard from her patients who are undergoing chemotherapy and what has helped them the most to get through a course of what is fundamentally administering poisons in the hopes of killing the tumor cells before the patient.
She says "hydration, hydration, hydration."
I completely agree with all of your comments regarding the importance of hydration. Unfortunately, my husband wouldn't keep up with the daily intake of fluids that are needed. He is now in the hospital, recovering from dehydration and the inability to eat and keep anything down. He is getting better slowly. He just started getting fed through a feeding tube to get nutrients back in his body.
His Folfironox is on hold for a few weeks and we will probably need to proceed with a reduced dosage.
I plan on supplementing it with High Dose Intraveneous Vitamin C and the Care Oncology Protocol of off-label drugs to starve his cancer. (Metformin, Doxycycline, Mebendazole and Atorvastatin. )
Our next step, however, is getting his strength back from lack of eating and dehydration.
From Mayo Clinic - High-dose vitamin C: Can it kill cancer cells? https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/expert-answers/alternative-cancer-treatment/faq-20057968
Interest in using very high doses of vitamin C as a cancer treatment began as long ago as the 1970s when it was discovered that some properties of the vitamin may make it toxic to cancer cells. Initial studies in humans had promising results, but these studies were later found to be flawed.
Subsequent well-designed, randomized, controlled trials of vitamin C in pill form found no such benefits for people with cancer. Despite the lack of evidence, some alternative medicine practitioners continue to recommend high doses of vitamin C for cancer treatment.
More recently, vitamin C given through a vein (intravenously) has been found to have different effects than vitamin C taken in pill form. This has prompted renewed interest in the use of vitamin C as a cancer treatment.
There's still no evidence that vitamin C alone can cure cancer, but researchers are studying whether it might boost the effectiveness of other cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, or reduce treatment side effects.
There are still no large, controlled clinical trials that have shown a substantial effect of vitamin C on cancer, but some preliminary studies do suggest there may be a benefit to combining standard treatments with high-dose IV vitamin C. Until clinical trials are completed, it's premature to determine what role vitamin C may play in the treatment of cancer.
Karthik Giridhar, M.D.
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2 ReactionsStuff like rehydration salts, sports drinks, Gatorade and oral rehydration drinks to prevent dehydration in children who are ill have the extra sodium and minerals needed to help prevent dehydration. Sometimes hydration can be given outpatient to help prevent hospitalization when someone is not severely ill.
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1 ReactionMy husband has PC Stage IV (mets to liver). Diagnosed when scanned for indigestion. No symptoms, no pain, no jaundice...but turned up full blown stage 4 . Was not sick, went to the gym 3-4 times a week.
We are about to have cycle 9 of folfironox. I'm interested in this topic as well. I have not found any success stories with using the many approaches out there specifically in the "Pancreatic Cancer" arena. Pancreatic is so different from other types of cancers like breast, ovarian, brain and others. It is fast moving and adaptive.
Metformin is definitely helpful. A keto diet could be helpful. There are ongoing studies on vitamin c but not completed (I'm going to ask about that this week). Fasting may be good but very dangerous to the system when weak. Chemo is harsh and has cumulative in its' attack on the body and side effects. We ended up in a very tough place after cycle 5. Some breeze through it but it does get rough.
Please work closely with your oncologist before you do any these as it sounds like he is in a weakened state from not eating properly and dehydration.
Best hope on your cancer journey.
K
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5 ReactionsI just finished round 1 of modified FOLFIRINOX (appointment Monday, then infusion pump until Wednesday). Based on my experience, I would absolutely not fast or withhold fluids before, during or after chemo. (Bearing in mind, of course, that lack of appetite and gastro upsets of all sorts can throw that plan out.) I am still trying to catch up on fluid and food four days later, and I can tell I'm undernourished and underwatered. We even talked this afternoon about pushing fluid the day before chemo. I was told to do that during an earlier, unrelated chemo course to prevent kidney damage, but I think it may help with this as well.
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1 ReactionThank you for sharing your story.
Pushing fluids the day before chemo sounds like a good idea. I didn't realize that was even recommended. Thank you!