Colon cancer

There are things for cancer surgery that appear to change life odds, some that can be done on even this short time line.

Part of these come from Life Extension Foundation articles on "Cancer Surgery" and "Colon Cancer the critical factors".

Blood tests can be done immediately, without medical argument/interference, by ordering online or over the lab's 800 phone number, like Qwest, Life Extension or LabCorp. Presumably at diagnosis, your friend had, at least, some weak blood testing that included CBC, CEA and a few chemistry panels, like Chem7 (basic chem, BMP) or Chem14 (CMP), but missing many useful ones. Even two generations ago, they found the occasional Chem25 useful for colon cancer (I've got the billing record). Although I understand the need for system cost controls, I think lives are lost when skilled hands don't have all the data, promptly.

The blood tests I was most po'd about not being included in my wife's tests at/after diagnosis were CA19-9, LDH (lactate dehydrogenase), 25-hydroxyvitamin D, PT/INR, cerulosplasmin, ESR and hsCRP - especially before even the first vitamin pill, treatment, or chemo. CEA, CA199, LDH, ESR best done again surgery, after, too.

One of Life Extension major recommendations for colon (and rectal) cancer surgery was ca 800 - 1000 mg/day of cimetidine (CIM) before, after or during surgery for at least 5 days. On investigation I found papers that suggested a slight advantage to higher CIM dose but "erectile toxicity" (droopy while on 1600 for weeks-months) to 50% of men. The first 5-7 days perioperatively are most important. So my wife used 1600 mg CIM for weeks and months the first year with oral chemo, since she had an elevated CA199 blood test (over 19 ~ 25 for cimetidine/colon cancer vs 34 - 40 for PanCan diagnoses), which I had demanded the night before surgery. We even got her 2nd surgery with 3200 mg CIM to replace the current proton pump inhibitor to prevent gastric reflux. CIM was the original surgical pre-op med in the 1980s and 1990s, and still best for CRC control with some CA199 marker present. Cimetidine is available over the counter in the US in 200 mg tablets (e.g. Tagamet 200 HB, Acid Reducer). We preferred (prescription) generic 400 mg or 800 mg pills for long term use.

This is most of what she actually took daily before first surgery (for 4 weeks) based on various papers: Spouse started 1600 mg cimetidine, 11,000-17,000 iu vit D3, 900 mg lipoic acid, 600 mcg MeSC selenium, 500 mg coQ10, (mega)fish oil caps (tid), 45mg vit K2(menaquinone-4 aka menatetrenone), 4000 mg vit C, 2000 mg N-acetylcysteine(NAC), 400 vit E-succinate, pancreatin daily - for 1 month before surgery. Added ... IV vitamin C (25,000-75,000 mg/infusion, 3-7 times/week) after surgery and reduced cimetidine to 800mg after 2 months. No serious side effects, perhaps Grade 1 diarrhea sometimes from the UFT (an oral chemo overseas)... Pathology showed most invasive material outside colon necrosed before surgery, obstructed channel opened slightly, 2 lymph nodes (on left half) remained positive.(, 3 dead or alive on right half). She had almost 400,000 iu vit D3 before surgery (4 weeks) and some people do take 200,000-600,000 iu single doses, for serious or chronic illness but it has more issues if they are short on vitamin K2 or magnesium. (Also B-100, modified citrus pectin, 200 - 400 mg magnesium, others still MIA)

Our first surgeon was dumbfounded by the amount of cancer tissue destruction that had occurred by an abnormal immune attack that neither he nor the pathologist had seen before.

One of the things I liked about both surgeries, is that they used celecoxib (Celebrex) for pain post surgery, recommended for two weeks. Later we used celecoxib for cancer with oral chemo for about 5.5 years because it helped break CEA rises, and a year more, without chemo.

Hello I was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and had surgery in July and now starting my chemo. I was contacted by Signatera blood lab. Does anybody know anything about that company and what it actually does.

Yes, Signatera is a lab that does testing to monitor cancer and check for biological markers that indicate if lynch syndrome is present. If so, there will be follow up testing that will need to be done regularly.