New Cancer Treatments

GracieGold

Hello All,
Here is a cancer treatment that is new to this country. Uterine cancer is not listed as one of the possible uses, but for some sister warriors needing new treatment options, it might be worth asking your doc about it. This comes from a report by Ralph Moss, a leading cancer research journalist who has a wide interest in many different treatment options:

The stock price of BSD Medical Corp. nearly tripled this week, after the Utah company (mainly known for its hyperthermia equipment) gained FDA approval for its MicroThermX radiofrequency ablation (RFA) device. RFA is a minimally invasive technique for removing or ablating tumors. RFA induces cell death by what is called "thermal coagulative necrosis of tumor tissues." But normal cellular metabolism still takes place in the transition zones that surround the necrotic area. It is a less invasive substitute for surgery in many situations. It involves insertion of a large needle with tines that open up around a tumor. Radiofrequency waves then generate heat that melts the tumor. This does not involve any cutting (other than formation of a small insertion hole through the skin) and recuperation time is generally much less than with open surgery. How well established is RFA? There are over 2,500 PubMed-listed articles on the topic as it relates to cancer. Actually, the effects of RFA may go beyond the mere removal of the tumor. There is also some indication that RFA causes the formation of heat shock proteins, such as HSP70, which have an anticancer effect in their own right (Teng 2010). An August 2010 study from Tuebingen University, Germany, has shown that RFA stimulates not just heat shock protein production but tumor-directed T lymphocytes. There was an increase of antibodies (in 4 patients out of 49), CD4(+) T cells, or CD8(+) T cells (in 2 patients out of 49) several weeks to months after the procedure (Widenmeyer 2010). RFA is hardly "alternative medicine," yet in some quarters patients who request RFA as a treatment are treated as oddballs. Some surgeons want to stick to the tried and true techniques they learned in their residency programs. They may admit that RFA is a possibility for liver metastases from colon cancer, but they fail to realize that around the world it is also being used for primary or secondary lung tumors (Widenmeyer 2010), pancreatic cancer (D'Onofrio 2010), Barrett's esophagus (Lyday 2010) and other cancerous and precancerous conditions. It is time for RFA to finally get the respect and increased usage that it deserves. --Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.

maggie_wilson

very interesting post, gracie
thank you for your informative post re: raf, gracie. i try to keep many of the research reports women report on this site, and this will be one of them. there are a lot of things going on in europe, that have not made it here, probably for both traditional and financial reasons, eg. my brother-in-law went to holland for a new scan of his prostrate cancer where microsopic cells could be seen, though were not able to be seen here, so when he did his radiation, while they still blasted the entire area, they were able to concentrate on the cancerous cells they could now see. unfortunately, that procedure has been discontinued in amsterdam, i think for financial reasons. in any case, one wonders just how many procedures and techniques to fight cancer have not found their way to the u.s.

sisterhood,
maggie

Jaycee2

new trmt
Thank you so much for this info--am new to posting so donot know if this will work.

I have followed some of you for several months as I have gone through trmt, now at crossroads for further trmt

I have uterine papillary serus so understand the rate of re occurence regardless of trmts used, so how far do we damage/treat in order to prevent the inevidible--

llight

I asked my docs at one point about RFA and they said, as I recall, it wasn't used in pre-cancer patients for EC. It does have its risk factors and I think the idea is it's best to remove at least ovaries, tubes, uterus, and cervix since that is how EC is generally treated. Removing everything, also called a "complete surgical debulking" removes all possible gyn sites the cancer can move to. Docs feel like why not remove everything if, generally speaking, you're in the peri or menopausal years...why take the cancer risks. Also, surgery itself can spread cancer (by stirring things up). So, again, the thinking is go in once, take it all out, and proceed w/ any recommended post-surgical treatment.

Anyway, this was what I heard a year or so ago. Also, it's important to know that docs usually follow ACOG guidelines. ACOG is the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. There's probably the same for SGO (Society of Gynecologic Oncologists). They "all" follow the same clinical guidelines to reduce professional liability.

It's always worthwhile to keep up-to-date on possible new treatments and ALWAYS feel free to ask your doc about such things.

Thanks for sharing! Don't mean to be a downer but just thought I'd share what I learned in this area.

Love having you on the boards, Gracie!

GracieGold

llight said:

I asked my docs at one point about RFA and they said, as I recall, it wasn't used in pre-cancer patients for EC. It does have its risk factors and I think the idea is it's best to remove at least ovaries, tubes, uterus, and cervix since that is how EC is generally treated. Removing everything, also called a "complete surgical debulking" removes all possible gyn sites the cancer can move to. Docs feel like why not remove everything if, generally speaking, you're in the peri or menopausal years...why take the cancer risks. Also, surgery itself can spread cancer (by stirring things up). So, again, the thinking is go in once, take it all out, and proceed w/ any recommended post-surgical treatment.

Anyway, this was what I heard a year or so ago. Also, it's important to know that docs usually follow ACOG guidelines. ACOG is the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. There's probably the same for SGO (Society of Gynecologic Oncologists). They "all" follow the same clinical guidelines to reduce professional liability.

It's always worthwhile to keep up-to-date on possible new treatments and ALWAYS feel free to ask your doc about such things.

Thanks for sharing! Don't mean to be a downer but just thought I'd share what I learned in this area.

Love having you on the boards, Gracie!

RFA
I definitely agree with you that complete hysterectomy is the first course of action with uterine cancer. And when recommended, chemo and radiation should also be seriously considered. That is the course that I am following. I was thinking of other possible treatments in case the cancer spreads to other areas and other parts of the body. Sometimes, the "recommended guidelines" are not enough. I am always on the look-out for possible treatments that make sense to me. And you are also right that doctors have to worry about liability if they go too far out on a limb. But it sounds like this is a new treatment that might be approved in some applications. Thanks for your feedback and clarification.

llight

GracieGold said:

RFA
I definitely agree with you that complete hysterectomy is the first course of action with uterine cancer. And when recommended, chemo and radiation should also be seriously considered. That is the course that I am following. I was thinking of other possible treatments in case the cancer spreads to other areas and other parts of the body. Sometimes, the "recommended guidelines" are not enough. I am always on the look-out for possible treatments that make sense to me. And you are also right that doctors have to worry about liability if they go too far out on a limb. But it sounds like this is a new treatment that might be approved in some applications. Thanks for your feedback and clarification.

Good point!
Good point, Gracie, regarding metastases. Definitely worth it to keep this one in our files in case we need to explore other options in the future.

maggie_wilson

Jaycee2 said:

new trmt
Thank you so much for this info--am new to posting so donot know if this will work.

I have followed some of you for several months as I have gone through trmt, now at crossroads for further trmt

I have uterine papillary serus so understand the rate of re occurence regardless of trmts used, so how far do we damage/treat in order to prevent the inevidible--

jaycee and the "inevitable"

i've been thinking about how to respond to you, since part of me thinks similarly, in effect, if it's going to come back anyway, why bother? on the other hand, we, individually, are not statistics, and some of us do survive and outlive our cancers, or outlive our prognoses, despite the prognosis. so, choosing how far to go with treatments is such an individual decision, based on so many variables: what stage, what kind of cancer, what treatments offered, what treatments you've had, and how they were tolerated, how old you are, what responsibilities you may have....etc. that's why reading what others here have already gone through, and hearing new information that can possibly apply to you, now or in the future, is so helpful. not to mention all the support one receives on this listserve.

i think i might, if i were you, say more to us re: where you are in your treatment, and what the possible next steps might be, and hear what others respond. and yes, there is always damage that goes along with treatment, so that is a very real consideration. it's a difficult decision: possible prolongation of life, but at what cost? is it worth it? so many have been faced with that very decision, and people make different choices, not necessarily ones you might think they'd make.

and, there's what you can do for yourself re: anti-cancer diet, exercise, acupuncture, meditation, yoga, whatever--all healthy and so good for you in all ways. it feels good to do these things, does absolutely no damage, and improves quality of life. and then it's a crap shoot, as several of us here are so fond of saying.

sisterhood,
maggie

howdybooth

GracieGold said:

RFA
I definitely agree with you that complete hysterectomy is the first course of action with uterine cancer. And when recommended, chemo and radiation should also be seriously considered. That is the course that I am following. I was thinking of other possible treatments in case the cancer spreads to other areas and other parts of the body. Sometimes, the "recommended guidelines" are not enough. I am always on the look-out for possible treatments that make sense to me. And you are also right that doctors have to worry about liability if they go too far out on a limb. But it sounds like this is a new treatment that might be approved in some applications. Thanks for your feedback and clarification.

I believe this is the
I believe this is the proceedure my sister had her reocurrance on her liver. Basically - they burned it off. That followed by chemo, which she completed in April.....so far - no reocurrance and her CA125 is staying at 12!!!!!

GracieGold

howdybooth said:

I believe this is the
I believe this is the proceedure my sister had her reocurrance on her liver. Basically - they burned it off. That followed by chemo, which she completed in April.....so far - no reocurrance and her CA125 is staying at 12!!!!!

Good news
That is great news about your sister. Keep us posted about her health. Where did her cancer originate?