chemo success?

fredrick55

Last year I had surgery for colon cancer. They cut out 14" of my colon and felt that they had caught it early enough. 4 months ago my CEA levels started to rise and a CT PET scan revealed that I now have stage 4 colon cancer, a tumor in my liver and "spots" in my liver and lung. I'm taking 4 sessions of chemo every other week of oxiliplatin, 5fu, and leucovorin. The plan is to shrink the tumor in the liver and clean up the spots at the same time and then surgery on the tumor. I have read a lot of negative feedback on this chemo coctail, has anyone out there had success with it?

StacyGleaso

I've had great success with the chemo-surgery "one-two punch." I've been clear for 4 years now, also from stage 4. Plenty of success stories out there, and majority of them right here!

Keep us posted,

Stacy

mikew42

Like Stacey, I've also had success with chemo and then surgery (RFA) to knock out the remaining tumor in the liver. Chemo had shrunk the liver tumor 50% and actually didn't show on PET scan, only on CT. Been NED for a year now. However, I did not have the oxiliplatin chemo regime. I had what I belive is reffered to as the FOLFIRI (Camptostar, Leucavorin, 5-fu) with Avastin cocktail. Keep in touch. Mike

glimmerofhope

Like Thomas Edison in his search for the filament for a lightbulb, I have a lot of experience with what DOESN'T work on metastatic colon cancer. I have had thoroscopic surgery on both lungs, 10" of colon removed, and literally half of my liver removed in the last three years. Chemo has put me in the hospital 3 times (for a week each time) during that span. I have taken Oxiliplatin with xeloda 5FU and leucovorin and camptosar and had hepatic arterial injection chemo directly into my liver after the liver surgery. I have had to have 4 surgeries to place stints in my bile duct drain from my liver due to damage done from the hepatic arterial injection chemo.. If you asked me today if the hepatic arterial injection chemo is the way to go after liver surgery, I am uncertain due to the complications. I currently don't show any signs of recurrence in my liver, and this is normal, since most 80%?)that do the arterial injection chemo don't have recurrence for a couple of years. The GOOD NEWS is that I was given two years to live when I was diagnosed 3 years ago with metastatic colon cancer. I am 47 years old and I can still beat the best player on the 13-15 year old Jr NBA basketball team I coach that went 10-0 recently. I run a mile approx. every other day in about 9 minutes (could do it faster) and try to stay in shape and eat less sugar (I use stevia) and fat than I used to do. I did the vegetarian thing for about 4 months but wasn't getting enough calories to maintain my weight so I'm back on the meat. I would recommend that you don't even consider Camptosar. This stuff is a derivative of mustard gas and I can tell you from experience that it isn't something you want to expose yourself to on purpose. The drug companies reps that sell this stuff are very little different from the crack dealers in my opinion. The drug companies have nearly a billion dollars invested in getting this drug through FDA approval and all they want is some return on their investment, regardless of whether it helps the patients. They are successful if they can get the oncologists to recommend this stuff to patients since most people are like sheep and do what they are told. The oncologists will tell you that this stuff is very toxic and it won't cure you, it might kill you, but this is what I recommend....Excuse me? I still show cancer in both lungs and was beginning to cough regularly in July, 2005 when I began taking low doses of 5FU and leucovorin with Avastin. My CEA was 4.0 about 4 weeks ago. I was pretty much fed up with standard chemo before July, 05, but another lady I know reduced the size of her spots in her liver to undetectable levels after taking this cocktail for approx 6 months and so I thought I would give it a try. She also reduced her CEA from approx. 80 to 4-5 during that time. The beauty of this treatment is that it is not very toxic. Two days of treatment every 2 weeks isn't so bad. My secret weapon is ammonium tetrathiomolybdate that I have been taking since May, 05. This is simply copper chelation (removal of copper from your body). There is a very thorough write-up on this at www.coldcure.com. I can get this for less than they mention (approx. $1.00 per pill) and I take 6-7 pills a day. As your cancer grows it must have copper for new blood vessels. Normal range for Cp is 18-36 and my was already abnormally high (37)when my cancer was getting cranked up in May, 05. It has taken me until now to get it from 37 to 10 and I am shooting for 7. I am basically treating myself, but you have to have a prescription from a Dr. to get this stuff from a reliable source. My logic is this. Avastin is no silver bullet, but if your VEGF is positive, you can keep your cancer from getting new blood supply by using it. But there are at least 6 other known ways for the cancer to get new blood supplies. Essentially, the cancer eventually figures out a way around the Avastin. BUT, all cancers must have copper to grow new blood supply, and that is why I am pinching the copper down. I at least believe it has slowed it up... and who knows, it may actually control it (it gives me a glimmer of hope for long term survival, and you probably know how important that is.) I learned about this at the Immune Recovery Clinic (alternative care) in Atlanta in May, 05. They have a very knowledgeable Dr. Kinsolving that has retired from working for drug companies and has also worked in numerous countries on alternative treatments. I did their treatment as well, some of which may be snake oil, but I'm convinced some of the things they do extends lives after talking to the patients there. High doses of intravenous vitamin C I believe are helpful. Sorry, I wrote a book. I hope this helps. On surgery, I went to Duke in Durham, NC... If you think surgery is the answer, I would at least get an opinion from them... Dr. D'Amico for lungs and Dr. Clary for liver.

taraHK

I am on that chemo combination now. So I can't say yet whether it is successful! I had a CT at the half-way point (after 6 cycles) which showed NED (no evidence of disease). I have found FOLFOX to be tolerable -- I am able to work and function pretty well. I've just completed 10 out of 12 cycles. Best wishes to you.

foxy

Hi Fredrick55, my age and my husband's name. I had bowel and liver cancer 12 years ago. I had 5fu and levamisol once a week for a year and now I am cancer free. There are certainly success stories with chemo, but the choice is yours. Virginia.

alharkabus

This stuff does work! I am OK after two years, by OK I mean no further spread. I am also stage 4, BTW. There ARE side effects, but the have not been overwhelming. In fact, I climbed the highest mountain in Colorado this September! Oxaly IS the worst I have had, after 7 cycles I had to try another regimen (CPT-11 instead of Oxaly) and that is not as toxic. But both regimens are effective, and your Oncologist can go from one to the other if the side effects get too tough. When I first started treatment I went to the University of Chicago for a second opinion and they preferred CPT-11 over Oxaly, for what that's worth. In all I think chemo is keeping me alive and I really don't think at Stage 4 we have a good option...

2bhealed

glimmerofhope said:

Like Thomas Edison in his search for the filament for a lightbulb, I have a lot of experience with what DOESN'T work on metastatic colon cancer. I have had thoroscopic surgery on both lungs, 10" of colon removed, and literally half of my liver removed in the last three years. Chemo has put me in the hospital 3 times (for a week each time) during that span. I have taken Oxiliplatin with xeloda 5FU and leucovorin and camptosar and had hepatic arterial injection chemo directly into my liver after the liver surgery. I have had to have 4 surgeries to place stints in my bile duct drain from my liver due to damage done from the hepatic arterial injection chemo.. If you asked me today if the hepatic arterial injection chemo is the way to go after liver surgery, I am uncertain due to the complications. I currently don't show any signs of recurrence in my liver, and this is normal, since most 80%?)that do the arterial injection chemo don't have recurrence for a couple of years. The GOOD NEWS is that I was given two years to live when I was diagnosed 3 years ago with metastatic colon cancer. I am 47 years old and I can still beat the best player on the 13-15 year old Jr NBA basketball team I coach that went 10-0 recently. I run a mile approx. every other day in about 9 minutes (could do it faster) and try to stay in shape and eat less sugar (I use stevia) and fat than I used to do. I did the vegetarian thing for about 4 months but wasn't getting enough calories to maintain my weight so I'm back on the meat. I would recommend that you don't even consider Camptosar. This stuff is a derivative of mustard gas and I can tell you from experience that it isn't something you want to expose yourself to on purpose. The drug companies reps that sell this stuff are very little different from the crack dealers in my opinion. The drug companies have nearly a billion dollars invested in getting this drug through FDA approval and all they want is some return on their investment, regardless of whether it helps the patients. They are successful if they can get the oncologists to recommend this stuff to patients since most people are like sheep and do what they are told. The oncologists will tell you that this stuff is very toxic and it won't cure you, it might kill you, but this is what I recommend....Excuse me? I still show cancer in both lungs and was beginning to cough regularly in July, 2005 when I began taking low doses of 5FU and leucovorin with Avastin. My CEA was 4.0 about 4 weeks ago. I was pretty much fed up with standard chemo before July, 05, but another lady I know reduced the size of her spots in her liver to undetectable levels after taking this cocktail for approx 6 months and so I thought I would give it a try. She also reduced her CEA from approx. 80 to 4-5 during that time. The beauty of this treatment is that it is not very toxic. Two days of treatment every 2 weeks isn't so bad. My secret weapon is ammonium tetrathiomolybdate that I have been taking since May, 05. This is simply copper chelation (removal of copper from your body). There is a very thorough write-up on this at www.coldcure.com. I can get this for less than they mention (approx. $1.00 per pill) and I take 6-7 pills a day. As your cancer grows it must have copper for new blood vessels. Normal range for Cp is 18-36 and my was already abnormally high (37)when my cancer was getting cranked up in May, 05. It has taken me until now to get it from 37 to 10 and I am shooting for 7. I am basically treating myself, but you have to have a prescription from a Dr. to get this stuff from a reliable source. My logic is this. Avastin is no silver bullet, but if your VEGF is positive, you can keep your cancer from getting new blood supply by using it. But there are at least 6 other known ways for the cancer to get new blood supplies. Essentially, the cancer eventually figures out a way around the Avastin. BUT, all cancers must have copper to grow new blood supply, and that is why I am pinching the copper down. I at least believe it has slowed it up... and who knows, it may actually control it (it gives me a glimmer of hope for long term survival, and you probably know how important that is.) I learned about this at the Immune Recovery Clinic (alternative care) in Atlanta in May, 05. They have a very knowledgeable Dr. Kinsolving that has retired from working for drug companies and has also worked in numerous countries on alternative treatments. I did their treatment as well, some of which may be snake oil, but I'm convinced some of the things they do extends lives after talking to the patients there. High doses of intravenous vitamin C I believe are helpful. Sorry, I wrote a book. I hope this helps. On surgery, I went to Duke in Durham, NC... If you think surgery is the answer, I would at least get an opinion from them... Dr. D'Amico for lungs and Dr. Clary for liver.

dude! where have you been hiding????

If you don't mind could you please email me on here and tell me what Alternatives you did at that clinic? I am always looking for successful treatments (alternative) and I would love to hear about yours.

peace, emily the alternative loving detox diva

StacyGleaso

alharkabus said:

This stuff does work! I am OK after two years, by OK I mean no further spread. I am also stage 4, BTW. There ARE side effects, but the have not been overwhelming. In fact, I climbed the highest mountain in Colorado this September! Oxaly IS the worst I have had, after 7 cycles I had to try another regimen (CPT-11 instead of Oxaly) and that is not as toxic. But both regimens are effective, and your Oncologist can go from one to the other if the side effects get too tough. When I first started treatment I went to the University of Chicago for a second opinion and they preferred CPT-11 over Oxaly, for what that's worth. In all I think chemo is keeping me alive and I really don't think at Stage 4 we have a good option...

Hi Al!

I'm glad you ended up coming to this site! Great talking to you and hope you and your family have a great Thanksgiving!

Stacy