Q about oncologist.

mmilbach

I need a little help.

My Mom was diagnosed with UPSC Stage 3c about a year ago and has undergone a round of chemo, then radiation, then Herceptin and the cancer is still progressing, it has spread to lymph nodes in her neck, lungs and possible liver.

She goes to a Kaiser clinic and no matter what I do, I can't get her to go to one of the big clinics although she did have one visit at Hopkins. (Question is not about this, as I have (grudgingly) accepted that she won't travel to get treatment)

So my question is about the Dr:
Every time I come up with ideas that I have read about or seen, he essentially says, "not FDA approved for this cancer..." or just kind of brushes off the idea.
Does he HAVE to only prescribe FDA approved treatments? If I see reports and scholarly articles that say anti-malarial or anti-depressant drugs (for example) have shown some affects improving chemo results, and he just brushes it off, is it that he cannot use these, or is it that he just doesn't want to?
I mentioned to him the Bruckner clinic and how he was using several chemo drugs at low doses and our Dr. asked if this was a clinical trial, I told him no, he just said something to the affect of "well he is just doing his own thing then...". I am confused, can dr's legally prescribe treatments that are not FDA approved?

I guess I just don't understand what he can and can't do.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Mike

Hybridspirits

different treatments

Mike I am sorry your Mom is going through this and you are a dedicated son to be reaching out to get advice and help.  My experience is that medical/western medicine do follow FDA approve approaches and maybe there are pockets of dr's that do their own thing.  Getting second opionions on the pathology and treatment is helpful as I did do that and we ended up chaning the radiation appraoch based on a big cancer hospitals recommendation. 

there are Naturopath oncoogists that do help with supplemental treatments to help chemo work.  Nasha Winters in colorado is very popular as she is a many year ovarian cancer survivor.    Here is a link to some information about her:  http://ediblesouthwestcolorado.com/nasha-winters-cancer-fighter/

I do see a naturopath with a focus on oncolgoy and my gyno/oncologist says she can't comment on it as her code of ethics isn't that orientation but is glad i am addressing cancer from all angles

hope this helps

 

NoTimeForCancer

Is this doctor a gynecologic

Is this doctor a gynecologic oncologist???  These doctors specialize in these types of cancers and would know what is going on in their field.  The Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) or the Society of Gynocologic Oncology (SGO) are actively involved in different clinical trials, etc...but they do know the PREFERRED methods of treatments.  

A gynecologist, an oncologist, and a gynecologic oncologist are all very different.  I met a woman who had a gynecologist be so arrogant to think she could preform surgery that she botched it and the cancer came back.  God bless the gynecologists who realize where experts are needed.

 

molimoli

Sorry about your mom Mike.We like good sons ,husbands and

daughters here.

Oncologists  working as a team in a facility financed in part by the big  pharmaceutical company that supplies them with Chemo and Radiation medicine cannot use or suggest anything else to patients at all, not to mention any that is not FDA approved . Because of the money power of these selected companies the FDA delays Approval to any other companies or outright dismisses them as not cancer curing or cancer helping without doing any research at all.

These small up and coming companies cannot financially afford to conduct large scale clinical trials  or challenge the FDA or the demand of the current pharmaceutical companies on the FDA to keep outsiders out. The Hospitals gets the dollars rolling in for every chemo treatment ( thousands of dollars each treatment) The oncologists gets a percentage of their income from the pharmaceutical companies , some up to 50% a known fact that none will or can deny, the direct question will be met with stares or a yes.I posed such a question. Had to. Needed to. There are litrature out there explaining this known fact of the the unpullable ties with the mega rich and drug companies.

Any oncologist who dare to break rank will be immediately dismissed ,none wants to lose their enormous income because of a numbered, (we are #s ) cancer sufferer. Each of us is worth  between 200000 and 400000 to our cancer centre throughout our treatment of average 3years. Depending on if you are in Canada or US.

There are some oncologists that will use the many other version of chemo-like medications from the small up and hopefully coming scientist  but they are independents and cannot work at the big cancer centres. All over the world doctors know that they can do better with cancer and are doing better but it means nothing to us because we are not there.

Your doctor knows its not clinical trials,because the FDA won't even give these new and old companies the go ahead to do clinical trials  and they can't without the elusive  permit that they will never get.

Until the FDA is separated from the big Donations from the drug company and the oncologist accept less pay and kickbacks from the drug company  and the hospitals do fund raisings  instead of accepting the big bucks  from these mega rich business men and women investers we can do nothing but accept or refuse the samo-samo to the end of our days.

Why do you think so many alternative cancer doctors proposing ways to legally offer medicine from non FDA source were all poisoned at their conference a few months ago. Read about it on the internet  and weep.  No one can come up against the FDA, the ONCOLOGIST ASSOCIATION  AND RICH INVESTERS, no one.

Find out what your ins. pay for the current Chemo and radiation it will blow your mind. If they allow cure in for cancer ,what will happen to all these billion dollars company and investers, they know. The reality of the Cancer monolopy makes me want to throw up.I have seen chemo given to men and women in their 80's and feeble to almost dead with no hope of saving them  only to collect money upon their last breath.(vomit,vomit)

Thanks for posing the question ,it racheted up my forever rant. Until change comes . Moli.