Graviola info

mrsgrandlake
mrsgrandlake Member Posts: 23
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I just had a PET scan and it looks like it's back in my liver and lung now. I had a clean CT scan a year ago. Had surgery in 2005 after dx of Stage II without nodal involvement. The onc did not recommend chemo. I do a liver biopsy this Friday the 13th! So I don't have the official dx or tx from the onc yet. Doing tons of research of course and just curious if anyone else has done any research on Graviola, as an alternative therapy? Somebody's gonna find a cure someday!!

Comments

  • Betsydoglover
    Betsydoglover Member Posts: 1,248 Member
    Hi -

    I am a Stage IV (liver met) survivor - 17 months without chemo and 20 months NED (no evidence of disease). I know nothing about graviola, although I am sure you will get much advice about alternatives. However, if you do turn out to be Stage IV, you really need to do some basic chemo - perhaps only enough to knock some sense into this beast and then you can think about alternatives alone. But metastatic disease is nothing to mess around with.

    Please come back here when you know more. We can give you lots of advice and share lots of information.

    Take care,
    Betsy

    P.S. One thing that concerned me when I looked up graviola is that the principle web site touts it as much more effective than Adriamycin for colon cancer. But, Adriamycin is rarely used for colon cancer (it's a very common breast cancer drug). So, while I have heard there are some studies going on with respect to Adriamycin and colorectal, I am not sure how much this kind of comparison means at this point.
  • mrsgrandlake
    mrsgrandlake Member Posts: 23

    Hi -

    I am a Stage IV (liver met) survivor - 17 months without chemo and 20 months NED (no evidence of disease). I know nothing about graviola, although I am sure you will get much advice about alternatives. However, if you do turn out to be Stage IV, you really need to do some basic chemo - perhaps only enough to knock some sense into this beast and then you can think about alternatives alone. But metastatic disease is nothing to mess around with.

    Please come back here when you know more. We can give you lots of advice and share lots of information.

    Take care,
    Betsy

    P.S. One thing that concerned me when I looked up graviola is that the principle web site touts it as much more effective than Adriamycin for colon cancer. But, Adriamycin is rarely used for colon cancer (it's a very common breast cancer drug). So, while I have heard there are some studies going on with respect to Adriamycin and colorectal, I am not sure how much this kind of comparison means at this point.

    So wonderful to hear you are NED and for so long Betsy, makes the beast just a little less scarier to hear stories like yours. Our plan is to definitely give conventional treatment a try and see how the mets respond to it. I know there are alternative therapies that are just there to take our money and exploit our fear. I definitely want to avoid those. Thank you for your info and I pray for your continued health!
  • 2bhealed
    2bhealed Member Posts: 2,064 Member
    hi there,

    I don't know anything about graviola so can't help you there, but I sure have done plenty of alternative protocols for my Stage III colon cancer (with no chemo) and have been NED for 5 years and 8 months.

    There ARE cures out there that have worked for people, but everyone responds to treatments differently whether they are conventional or alternative. Cancer is a symptom of a deeper problem so digging for the Root Cause of one's cancer is often a good place to go whatever tx protocol you decide to do. Conventional medicine, IMO, relies on disease management and not necessarily on cure. Though they rock at diagnostics and surgeries.

    I would like to add that conventional medicine is not immune to taking your money. Have you checked into what some of the prices for chemo runs these days--not to mention all the drugs that go along with it, and the medical care that needs to administer it....and we ALL know about the fear factor they instill in us with statistics and expiration dates they like to dish out. So really, charlatans are not limited to the alternative field. Not at all!

    I am sorry to hear that you have mets at the moment though. It never fails to send a chill up the spine when I read about a mets--especially from a Stage II that can have good surgical curative rates.

    peace, emily who chose to spend her money on alternatives and has never been sorry--not one minute.
  • nudgie
    nudgie Member Posts: 1,478 Member
    I am very surprised that your Onc Doc did not recommend chemo as a precuationary treatment. I was DX in July 07 with Stage II, NO/MO colon cancer. Tumor removed in July and according to the my Onc Doc he stated that the industry standard now for Stage II was adjuvant chemotherapy. Results due to the Mosiac (sp?) study. The decision was mind to make, but my Dad always told me "Damn if you do and Damn if you don't". After speaking with family and friends I decided to due the chemo which was the FLOFOX regime of every other week for 6 months which = 12 treatments. Drugs were 5FU, Lecuvorin (sp?) and Oxy. Had my first bloodwork and CT Scan on 22 Jan 07 and all was clear.

    I am very sorry that the beast has returned. Did they say what they saw in the PET Scan in your liver and lung?

    PLEASE KEEP USE INFORMED