talked to someone taking Dr. Cantrell's treatment
Most of you probably know from my past couple of posts that I have made an appt. for Dec. 3 to go see Dr. Stephen Cantrell of Neoplas Innovations in Nashville, TN (I'm only waiting that long because I want to have the results of my next PET scan back and with me when I go). I was able to call there this a.m. and get the name and phone # of a man who started taking the lovastatin and interferon treatments four months ago. It was great talking to him. He was actually stage III, not stage IV, but his rectal tumor was very large (4cm x 10cm)and was pressed against his prostate gland. He was on radiation and chemo for 2 months without success, and then his tumor had an abscess and he became very ill and was hospitalized at the VA hospital in Nashville for almost two months. He almost died a few times. He was at the point where they were literally going to remove most of what was in his abdominal cavity, when he sought out Dr. Cantrell and started the lovastatin and interferon treatments. He said within 4 weeks, his main tumor started shrinking and within two months it had shrunk down to half its size. Now, after four months, his PET scan shows no sign of cancer and his CT shows a very small nodule left, which will be taken out surgically soon, I believe.
He will probably be on a maintenance dose of the lovastatin and interferon following that. He told me he also has spoken to several other patients with colorectal cancer on the treatment and that they are also doing quite well.
He told me that he gets Lovastatin from WalMart's pharmacy for $20 a month (that's not his insurance copay- that's WalMart's price- he needs 40 mg & the 40 mg pills are a lot more, so he takes 2 20 mg pills a day and gets it for $20 a month). The interferon is covered by his insurance, and I'm not sure how much that costs- but I can tell you a LOT less than any of the chemo meds!!!! Although I had made the appt, I hadn't yet booked my airline tickets. Now, after speaking with this man, I am fully convinced to go forward (in spite of some oncologists "poo-pooing" it)- I am booking my tickets with Southwest.
Oh- another thing to add about oncologists naysaying this... this man said his sister died just a couple of months ago from pancreatic cancer (which is also one of the types of cancers Dr. Cantrell treats). In spite of her seeing her brother's success with Dr. Cantrell, her oncologist told her he didn't believe it would help her and if she even talked to Dr. Cantrell about it to not bother coming back to him. Well- she didn't seek out Dr. Cantrell and kept on with the treatments her regular oncologist had her on & she died. Supposedly there have been several pancreatic cancer patients who have done well and are now even cancer free.
I don't know what it will do for me or not, but I'm going to go find out!
Cheers,
Lisa
Comments
-
Dear Lisa,I am so happy that
Dear Lisa,I am so happy that you got to talked to someone who has real experience with Dr. Cantrell's treatment.I am sure this brought you lots of excitement.I hope you will get a very good price for your air-tickets.Please remember I am supporting you to seek the new way of treatment and I am hoping for the best for you.I hope this can bring you a real NED.You are in my prayers and I have been praying for this board everyday.Please have a safe and good trip to Nashville.Best luck to you with the appointment.Take care.Hugsss.0 -
Hey Lisa, I did go on the
Hey Lisa, I did go on the website and read a good bit. I read that you should complete first line of treatment before coming there. Is this accurate, or am I not reading it right? I am interested in this as well. Please keep me posted as you know my situation, stage IV numerous mets to liver, inoperable. I am on Folfox right now. Good luck I will be praying for you, Patti0 -
Courage
Lisa -
Good going!!
There's a lot of amazing stuff out there, and all that's needed is
the guts to try it. Chemo isn't the answer, and most the oncos
know damn well that it's not the answer, but they're locked into it.
It take courage to walk down other paths, and I am so damned
proud of you to have that courage.
Please keep us posted every step!0 -
Good luck
Lisa,
have safe travels and brings us back all kinds of great info on this, I too have visited his website and I am very interested. I was telling wendy if my cancer ever came back that I would want to try this. I do have to tell you that wendy doesnt like it and this is why, she was on interferon (sp) for Hep C treatment and its a nasty nasty drug. I didnt realize until I had to go through chemo myself that wendy had gone through chemo too. Unfortunately, the treatment didnt clear her of Hep C and has left her with a very bad case of Fibro. Her quality of life now is not so good and she said if she had to do it all over again she wouldnt do it. But fighting Hep C is a different ballgame then cancer, and from what I have read he has had great results, so I wish you the best and please keep us posted.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
God Bless
Beth0 -
Beth/dorookie- interferondorookie said:Good luck
Lisa,
have safe travels and brings us back all kinds of great info on this, I too have visited his website and I am very interested. I was telling wendy if my cancer ever came back that I would want to try this. I do have to tell you that wendy doesnt like it and this is why, she was on interferon (sp) for Hep C treatment and its a nasty nasty drug. I didnt realize until I had to go through chemo myself that wendy had gone through chemo too. Unfortunately, the treatment didnt clear her of Hep C and has left her with a very bad case of Fibro. Her quality of life now is not so good and she said if she had to do it all over again she wouldnt do it. But fighting Hep C is a different ballgame then cancer, and from what I have read he has had great results, so I wish you the best and please keep us posted.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
God Bless
Beth
Hi Beth,
When I talked to the man in Tennesee who is taking the treatment right now, I asked him about the interferon and the lovastatin. Lovastatin makes you a little tired, but supposedly nothing compared to how tired chemo makes you. The interferon, he said, basically mimics you having the flu for about 2-3 weeks (he get shots of it 3x a week). He said, for him anyhow, that after that point your body normalizes with it and it doesn't seem to affect him at all now & is nothing compared to how regular chemo made him feel.
What were Wendy's effects from the interferon?
Lisa0 -
my oncologistluv3jay said:Lisa,
It takes a lot of
Lisa,
It takes a lot of courage for stray from the beaten path and I'm proud of you. I hope you have lots of success with this treatment and if so, I'm sure many more of us will follow in your footsteps! My prayers are with you!
-Sheri
I'm a little nervous for this Wednesday. I left my oncologist a message about me making an appt with Dr. Cantrell & his nurse called to say he wants to discuss it with me & so I now have an appt with him Wednesday afternoon to discuss it all. His nurse said he's seen the website, but "to bring any supporting literature" with me.
The vibe I got was that he's either unaware of Cantrell or is not in support of it.
We'll see how that goes...
My husband says it ultimately doesn't matter what my oncologist thinks, but I am still hoping he'll be "on board" with me at least going for the consultation.
As I can point out to him, many treatments that are being used today were once scrutinized by the medical community before they were accepted as standard practice.0 -
Good for youlisa42 said:my oncologist
I'm a little nervous for this Wednesday. I left my oncologist a message about me making an appt with Dr. Cantrell & his nurse called to say he wants to discuss it with me & so I now have an appt with him Wednesday afternoon to discuss it all. His nurse said he's seen the website, but "to bring any supporting literature" with me.
The vibe I got was that he's either unaware of Cantrell or is not in support of it.
We'll see how that goes...
My husband says it ultimately doesn't matter what my oncologist thinks, but I am still hoping he'll be "on board" with me at least going for the consultation.
As I can point out to him, many treatments that are being used today were once scrutinized by the medical community before they were accepted as standard practice.
Lisa, it is great that you are taking a pro-active approach in seeking out treatment options. I too had run across Dr. Cantrell's treatment options a while back, even though I've followed completely standard adjuvant therapy. If your oncologist is doubtful about Dr Cantrell, why doesn't he call him? I understand the caution of many oncologists, but they really should keep an open mind as well. Perhaps you can encourage your doctor along these lines?
Best of luck,
Jeremy0 -
Skepticaljscho said:Good for you
Lisa, it is great that you are taking a pro-active approach in seeking out treatment options. I too had run across Dr. Cantrell's treatment options a while back, even though I've followed completely standard adjuvant therapy. If your oncologist is doubtful about Dr Cantrell, why doesn't he call him? I understand the caution of many oncologists, but they really should keep an open mind as well. Perhaps you can encourage your doctor along these lines?
Best of luck,
Jeremy
I'm probably going too but what are the chances of them giving you a number for a success story. I want to talk to the guy who says he's been on it for six months and his cancer is stable. But i was hooked 3 months ago. I think my thread topic was entitled "Fish On", as were all the subject headings in e-mails I've shared with Dr. Cantrell.0 -
Forward directionlisa42 said:my oncologist
I'm a little nervous for this Wednesday. I left my oncologist a message about me making an appt with Dr. Cantrell & his nurse called to say he wants to discuss it with me & so I now have an appt with him Wednesday afternoon to discuss it all. His nurse said he's seen the website, but "to bring any supporting literature" with me.
The vibe I got was that he's either unaware of Cantrell or is not in support of it.
We'll see how that goes...
My husband says it ultimately doesn't matter what my oncologist thinks, but I am still hoping he'll be "on board" with me at least going for the consultation.
As I can point out to him, many treatments that are being used today were once scrutinized by the medical community before they were accepted as standard practice.
Re:
"My husband says it ultimately doesn't matter what my oncologist thinks"
Don't let the oncologist talk you out of anything. You have to go in the
direction that -you- feel is best for -you- .
You are not going alone, each and every one of us want you to succeed,
and we're all with you in both mind and spirit.
You'll do fine.0 -
Hope all goes well for youlisa42 said:my oncologist
I'm a little nervous for this Wednesday. I left my oncologist a message about me making an appt with Dr. Cantrell & his nurse called to say he wants to discuss it with me & so I now have an appt with him Wednesday afternoon to discuss it all. His nurse said he's seen the website, but "to bring any supporting literature" with me.
The vibe I got was that he's either unaware of Cantrell or is not in support of it.
We'll see how that goes...
My husband says it ultimately doesn't matter what my oncologist thinks, but I am still hoping he'll be "on board" with me at least going for the consultation.
As I can point out to him, many treatments that are being used today were once scrutinized by the medical community before they were accepted as standard practice.
Hope all goes well for you Lisa. Please keep us posted. I'll be praying for you. I am suppose to start Phase one trial on ARRAY-162-111 Ist of Dec. at the Start Center. If I pass my screening. If this doesn't work I'll probably do what you are doing with Dr. Cantrell. You have to do what you think is right for you.
lol
Cyndi0 -
from Wendylisa42 said:Beth/dorookie- interferon
Hi Beth,
When I talked to the man in Tennesee who is taking the treatment right now, I asked him about the interferon and the lovastatin. Lovastatin makes you a little tired, but supposedly nothing compared to how tired chemo makes you. The interferon, he said, basically mimics you having the flu for about 2-3 weeks (he get shots of it 3x a week). He said, for him anyhow, that after that point your body normalizes with it and it doesn't seem to affect him at all now & is nothing compared to how regular chemo made him feel.
What were Wendy's effects from the interferon?
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
This is Wendy.. Beth's other half. I wanted to reply directly to your question myself, so you wouldn't be scared. I've never read Beth's posts or logged on here before today, then I saw your question and felt compelled to answer. GOD tends to make things fall right into place where they are most needed. Well, let me first say that my experience isn't like most others. I took it for Hep C. The same medication is used to stimulate the immune system to fight off viral hepatitis as they are using for the treatment you are interested in. The man you talked to is right. In the beginning, it feels like the flu...shivers, cold and hot, the body aches..just like the flu and then your body tries to adjust to the drug. My problem is that my body never adjusted correctly. The symptoms just got worse and worse and the pain was so horrible that I should have just stopped taking it, but I CHOSE to continue. Many Hep C patients drop off of the treatment regimen due to the same problem. But, being the stubborn, Helen Reddy hear me roar type, I made myself stay on it for the whole 6 mos. instead of giving up. Plus, I wasn't being managed correctly by a doctor that was used to treating Hep C, I didn't know it at that time, but that office only treats 12 cases a year! You will be followed by a very knowledgeable team unlike me. I would have to say that if I were you I'd do it. Also, I would recommend maybe going onto a message board for Hep C and see what others are saying too. They all have been there, done that too.. lot's of good stories. I gave myself 1 shot a week. I got the medicine for free through Shering-Plough who makes the interferon. I'm low income and met the guidelines so yay for me! My two cents worth is to just make sure you let them know the severity of the symptoms, if they aren't going away like they should in the time period they should. But don't be afraid. You always have the option of not staying on it if it's too harsh. You will be fine, just expect to feel like you got in a bar fight the night before for awhile, but it will get better. As they say, feel the fear, but do it anyway. Good luck and if you have any more questions, I can answer them by phone or email or on the board...BEST OF LUCK!!
Wendy0 -
to Wendydorookie said:from Wendy
Hi Lisa,
This is Wendy.. Beth's other half. I wanted to reply directly to your question myself, so you wouldn't be scared. I've never read Beth's posts or logged on here before today, then I saw your question and felt compelled to answer. GOD tends to make things fall right into place where they are most needed. Well, let me first say that my experience isn't like most others. I took it for Hep C. The same medication is used to stimulate the immune system to fight off viral hepatitis as they are using for the treatment you are interested in. The man you talked to is right. In the beginning, it feels like the flu...shivers, cold and hot, the body aches..just like the flu and then your body tries to adjust to the drug. My problem is that my body never adjusted correctly. The symptoms just got worse and worse and the pain was so horrible that I should have just stopped taking it, but I CHOSE to continue. Many Hep C patients drop off of the treatment regimen due to the same problem. But, being the stubborn, Helen Reddy hear me roar type, I made myself stay on it for the whole 6 mos. instead of giving up. Plus, I wasn't being managed correctly by a doctor that was used to treating Hep C, I didn't know it at that time, but that office only treats 12 cases a year! You will be followed by a very knowledgeable team unlike me. I would have to say that if I were you I'd do it. Also, I would recommend maybe going onto a message board for Hep C and see what others are saying too. They all have been there, done that too.. lot's of good stories. I gave myself 1 shot a week. I got the medicine for free through Shering-Plough who makes the interferon. I'm low income and met the guidelines so yay for me! My two cents worth is to just make sure you let them know the severity of the symptoms, if they aren't going away like they should in the time period they should. But don't be afraid. You always have the option of not staying on it if it's too harsh. You will be fine, just expect to feel like you got in a bar fight the night before for awhile, but it will get better. As they say, feel the fear, but do it anyway. Good luck and if you have any more questions, I can answer them by phone or email or on the board...BEST OF LUCK!!
Wendy
Hi Wendy,
Thank you so much for responding! I actually wrote a thanks reply earlier today, but I see it never posted (we've been having trouble posting off and on lately).
Thanks for sharing your story and situation with me, and also for the encouragement to still go for it! I'm sorry you experienced such a time with it and have suffered with the Hep C. As lousy as the interferon sounds, I'm hopeful that it will WORK against the cancer, and that the side effects will be tolerable and will just be temporary.
Thanks again for caring enough to post
Whether the person with cancer or a caretaker, we're all in this together.
Take care,
Lisa0 -
to John (snommintj)snommintj said:Skeptical
I'm probably going too but what are the chances of them giving you a number for a success story. I want to talk to the guy who says he's been on it for six months and his cancer is stable. But i was hooked 3 months ago. I think my thread topic was entitled "Fish On", as were all the subject headings in e-mails I've shared with Dr. Cantrell.
Hi John,
I'm sending you a PM...
talk to you then-
Lisa0 -
Thankscyndi2324 said:Hope all goes well for you
Hope all goes well for you Lisa. Please keep us posted. I'll be praying for you. I am suppose to start Phase one trial on ARRAY-162-111 Ist of Dec. at the Start Center. If I pass my screening. If this doesn't work I'll probably do what you are doing with Dr. Cantrell. You have to do what you think is right for you.
lol
Cyndi
Thanks John, Jeremy, and Cyndi (and everyone else too!) for the encouragement.
John, I agree with what you've said & thanks for the encouragement.
Cyndi, I'm definitely interested in hearing more about the trail ARRAY-162-111 at the Start Center. I'm going to write that down and also mention it to my onc when talking to him about Dr. Cantrell and other possible clinical trials that he might know about.
Keep us posted!
Lisa0
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