Recurrence question and info on AHCC

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Adam26
Adam26 Member Posts: 125
in Anal Cancer #1

Hi everyone,

Just to let you know, if it helps, my mum is buying something called AHCC which is suppoed to prevent or cure HPV. I think it's to do with Japanese shitake mushrooms, has anyone heard of it before and used it? It might be worth trying as it says it can 'irradicate' the virus.

We saw something on the tv early about somebody who unfortunately died from breast cancer which had gone and come back, on and off for 7 years. Generally speaking, does anal cancer have a high or low reccurence rate? My mum's is/was stage 1 and I've found it very hard to find any information on how likely hers is to come back. I've seen rough figures from 5% - 15% that recur which seems pretty low and positive, but this seems to cover the whole condition, it isn't based on stages. Could anyone give me any feedback on this based on their knowledge and perhaps what they've read or been told by medical professionals etc?

Hope everyone is happy and enjoying life,

Adam

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  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #2
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    Adam

    I do not have any numbers for you regarding percentage of cases at Stage 1 that have a recurrence.  As you already know, the higher the stage, the greater the chance for recurrence or metastasis.  Also, keep in mind that individual outcome/status per case is only reported for the first 5 years after diagnosis.  After that, they are not tracked, making answering your question difficult.

    I have no information regarding the AHCC.  There's lots of information about the benefits of shitake mushrooms in fighting cancer though.  I do not know how reliable some of it is.

    I hope your mom is doing well.

    Martha

  • eihtak
    eihtak Member Posts: 1,473 Member
    #3
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    Adam26

    Hi, a while back a friend had suggested AHCC to boost immunity for my husband after a bone marrow transplant.  I never pursued it at the time as it was not compliant with his doctors recommendations. Later when I was diagnosed with anal cancer (same friend) told me I should use.....I brought it up with my doctor and he dismissed the idea due to being sold as a supplement and not yet FDA approved, yet did mention adding shiitake mushrooms to regular diet as an option for now.

    I found this article that may be of interest:

    http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/dietandnutrition/shiitake-mushroom

    katheryn

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #4
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    Take, but test...........

    Hello, Adam26:

    The American Cancer Society article on shitake mushrooms makes the compounds contained therein sound interesting, delicious, and like a possible source for future therapies. However, they are unable to cite any successful human trials as yet on the compounds' effect on HPV or cancer.

    If it's affordable for your Mum and doesn't seem to be harming her, then of course she can continue taking that AHCC if that's what she wants. Since there's no research to back it up as yet, though, I would be annoyed at a company that claims the stuff "cures HPV".

    Meanwhile, don't neglect the needed follow-up scans, scopings, HPV PAP smears, and biopsies in order to keep ahead of any dysplasia (AIN) that crops up. In a November 1st post in this thread, http://csn.cancer.org/node/289094#comment-1476341, I quoted some information and links from the UCSF Dysplasia Clinic regarding the testing and treatment procedures that they have developed. They are located in San Francisco, California where a large population of HIV+ people live, hence the empahsis on that group. But most of the information still applies to many of us anal cancer people. The UCSF team is highly regarded.

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