Personalized testing on tumor for effectiveness of chemo & other therapies

My wife is doing great, not merely a survivor - she's never chemo sick and has full daily activity.  We technically prefer UFT-LV to xeloda for her low tumor residues, our actual choice for stage III and her IV colon cancer residues.  However this tegafur uracil (UFT) oral chemo that she uses is not available in North America, actually cited as too nice by the FDA.  We used both tumor tissue antibody staining (for things like CA19-9, COX2, CSLEX1 as recommended by Life Extension Foundation), and the live tissue kill testing.  My wife well benefited from both sets of data.    If Drs Nagourney or Weisenthal, will find a cooperative pathologist with the antibody stains, the graded tumor tissue stains should be something like $130-$300 per stain.

I could tell from her elevated, presurgical blood tests for CEA and CA19-9 that she was likely to benefit greatly from the cimetidine, and max dosed it.  The tissue antibody stains pretty much removed any doubt for me, based on Matsumoto (2002) and other papers.  Her mets overexpressed the common mCRC killer biomarkers suggested by LEF Extension Foundation (based on the molecular phenotypes rather than genotype).    

The kill tests suggested that ordinary chemo combinations (5FU, irinotecan, oxilaplatin, gemcitabine) were insufficient but alternative additions could make 5FU-LV work.   Her subsequent blood tests and scans support this success too. 

The Japanese often treat stage III or II with a year of UFT and PSK.  The CA19-9 etc, cimetidine connection is solid research that has no advertiser.

Bee bee said:

Thanks for responding!

Your info is extremely helpful but i have to admit, very scientific so it's a little over my head.

Is my understanding correct that your wife did benefit from live tissue kill testing but it sounds like you did not do it thru Drs. Nagourney or Weisenthal? But you agree with the approach, yes? 

I also ask because Kathleen808 also recently posted for info on this and any additional light you or others can shed on this would be helpful.  

 

Yes, I agree with both approaches, particularly for advanced cancer.  For stage II and III, I could be fairly happy with the CA19-9, COX2 stains to decide on adjuncts like cimetidine and COX2 inhibitors.  I initially temporized with the CA19-9 and CEA blood data.

However, stage IV or mCRC is too often a rude surprise around surgery so live tissue testing may be an investment since there will be no time for decisions at surgery to start the needed live sample shipment to Drs Nagourny or Weisenthal.   Also I am not sure as to which samples they will want with the irradiation changing things, you need to talk with their staff.