Attn stage IV's: Read this- Neoplas innovation & Dr. Stephen Cantrell

lisa42
lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
UPDATED NOTE on 9/24/10: This post popped up again by someone who found it and their wife is looking into starting Dr. Cantrell's treatment. Please read my updated post down below written today as I was surprised to check the board today and found this old post from me. Although it may work for some, Dr. Cantrell's treatment did NOT work for me, as I found out from a scan taken two months after I started treatment- I received no benefit from the treatment and had slight tumor growth on the CT portion of the PET/CT scan and increased uptake on the PET portion, as well as a recurrence in the rectum. I don't want to tell anyone that this won't work for them- it seemed to have more success with some patients who had other kinds of cancers, but it definitely did not work for me.
Lisa
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Original post by me in Oct. 2009:

I know this has been talked about by a few others on this board before, most recently by Buzzard on another thread...(Thanks Buzz for the link and info). I am really excited after reading all the info on the website about Dr. Stephen Cantrell's lovastatin and interferon treatments. He is a doctor who was diagnosed with melanoma. He said his doctors were doing all the right things and it just got to the point where tumors were popping up everywhere & he was told he probably had about 6 weeks to live. He started experimenting on himself with a combination of lovastatin and interferon & noticed improvements within 4 weeks. That was 9 years ago & he now has no sign of cancer.
He now has a clinic Neoplas Innovations in Brentwood, TN (south end of Nashville). This treatment has its patent pending and is considered an "off market" treatment. The website tells all about it and they are having a very good response by many patients. They do say it's not for everyone and they've not had a clinical study. They get no funding help, so do not have the money at this time to conduct a formal study, but several people apparently have had marked improvement and some are totally cancer free now when they were basically given no hope or were failing after other treatments. I know many "alternative treatment" advocates have made this claim, but this one really seems legit to me- you'll have to check it out for yourselves. I'm planning on asking my oncologist about it soon, as well, and see if he's heard of it or of Dr. Cantrell.
Dr. Cantrell is now treating patients who are stage III and stage IV who are basically failing the standard approved treatments or who are not seeing a cure in their treatments.
I just checked out the website and printed all the info, as well as I watched the recent Youtube video clip of him being interviewed on Fox & Friends. After having two recurrences, one after finishing Folfox by just 5 months, and the other while on a maintenance regimen of Xeloda and Avastin, I'm definitely interested in this. I just found out yesterday that my CEA has gone up 8 points in three weeks & this is while on Folfiri. I'm a bit nervous about that as CEA has always been a good indicator for me & every time it's gone up in the past it's been due to a rise in cancer activity. I'm getting it checked again Wed. when I go in for chemo & will have another CT/PET scan in 5 more weeks.

Check out Dr. Stephen Cantrell and his clinic info. for yourself-
The Youtube video is titled "Dr. Stephen Cantrell on Fox & Friends"
The website for the Neoplas Innovations clinic is: www.neoplas.org

Lisa
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please read update by me on 9/24/10- above here and another post down below...
Lisa

Comments

  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    Hi Lisa!
    This sounds like something I'd be interested in as well, I had read about him somewhere. I think I just may bring this up to my onc as well.

    Hugsss!

    ~Donna
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    bumping this to the top
    Hi Everyone- I'm just replying here to bump this to the top of the threads in hopes others will read it and check out the website. Don't make any judgements until you watch the youtube video clip and check out the website and read the info for yourself.

    Have a good day-
    Lisa
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    just bumpin this to the top one more time
    Hi everyone,

    I'm just bumping this to the top one more time...
    Lisa
  • robinvan
    robinvan Member Posts: 1,012
    Thanks for the Bump!
    Thanks for bumping this Lisa. I was going to start a new thread "Who's Going to Nashville?" but if we can keep this "exploration" on one thread it is simpler..

    I see in another note that you may be contacting Neoplas. I am interested in hearing more. I'm not one to jump on the "bandwagon" of new cures that sound too good to be true, but this looks like it has promise.

    Let us know what you learn. I'm curious as to costs as well.

    Be well... Rob; in Vancouver
  • Shayenne
    Shayenne Member Posts: 2,342
    robinvan said:

    Thanks for the Bump!
    Thanks for bumping this Lisa. I was going to start a new thread "Who's Going to Nashville?" but if we can keep this "exploration" on one thread it is simpler..

    I see in another note that you may be contacting Neoplas. I am interested in hearing more. I'm not one to jump on the "bandwagon" of new cures that sound too good to be true, but this looks like it has promise.

    Let us know what you learn. I'm curious as to costs as well.

    Be well... Rob; in Vancouver

    I Thought
    The same thing Rob, if my insurance wouldnt cover something like this, I'd still be s@@t out of luck, I bet he charges alot of money. And it sounds so hopeful too!

    Hugsss!
    ~Donna
  • juliebeth
    juliebeth Member Posts: 21
    I will ask my onc as well
    I am in your same situation. I will ask my oncologist. I can't keep doing chemo.
  • andyc56
    andyc56 Member Posts: 42
    Neoplas and Dr. Cantrell
    My wife (stage IV colon cancer) and I live in the Nashville area and are very familiar with Dr. Cantrell and Neoplas. She tried to start his regimen a couple of months ago but was unable to continue due to serious side effects from the very high dose of lovastatin used. We have learned this week she also has a brain tumor, possibly crc metastisis, which would likely have disqualified her from the treatment anyway.

    Dr. Cantrell is a very nice and caring doctor, and I would certainly suggest that crc patients who have exhausted other options contact him and explore his treatment. His personal story is very compelling, and the treatment appears to work well for quite a few patients. It is not a walk in the park, however. My wife's insurance did cover the cost of the drugs, though they are experimental in this application. Best wishes to all you patients and caregivers,

    Andy
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member
    andyc56 said:

    Neoplas and Dr. Cantrell
    My wife (stage IV colon cancer) and I live in the Nashville area and are very familiar with Dr. Cantrell and Neoplas. She tried to start his regimen a couple of months ago but was unable to continue due to serious side effects from the very high dose of lovastatin used. We have learned this week she also has a brain tumor, possibly crc metastisis, which would likely have disqualified her from the treatment anyway.

    Dr. Cantrell is a very nice and caring doctor, and I would certainly suggest that crc patients who have exhausted other options contact him and explore his treatment. His personal story is very compelling, and the treatment appears to work well for quite a few patients. It is not a walk in the park, however. My wife's insurance did cover the cost of the drugs, though they are experimental in this application. Best wishes to all you patients and caregivers,

    Andy

    Andy
    Hi Andy,

    I'm very sorry to hear about your wife's situation.
    Can I ask you what her side effects were while on the Lovastatin? I didn't think there were many, if any, side effects from that, as it's a statin normally prescribed for high cholesterol. Do you remember what her dose was? I recently spoke with a man who is on the treatment now and his dosage is 40 mg. a day of Lovastatin. Did your wife have any difficulties with the interferon? I was told the interferon causes flu-like feelings for the first 2-3 weeks of treatment & then after that most people's bodies adjust to it. This is also what the man I spoke to said happened to him w/ the interferon.
    Anymore info on that would be helpful.

    Take care-
    Lisa
  • andyc56
    andyc56 Member Posts: 42
    lisa42 said:

    Andy
    Hi Andy,

    I'm very sorry to hear about your wife's situation.
    Can I ask you what her side effects were while on the Lovastatin? I didn't think there were many, if any, side effects from that, as it's a statin normally prescribed for high cholesterol. Do you remember what her dose was? I recently spoke with a man who is on the treatment now and his dosage is 40 mg. a day of Lovastatin. Did your wife have any difficulties with the interferon? I was told the interferon causes flu-like feelings for the first 2-3 weeks of treatment & then after that most people's bodies adjust to it. This is also what the man I spoke to said happened to him w/ the interferon.
    Anymore info on that would be helpful.

    Take care-
    Lisa

    Lisa, her dose gradually
    Lisa, her dose gradually scaled up to 140 mg/day. She experienced severe muscle pain and her liver enzymes went sky high. According to my research statins are generally safe for most people, but 2-3 percent of the population develops these issues at lower doses than my wife was taking.

    She did experience the flu-like symptoms from the interferon but was not able to stay on the treatment long enough to see if they would subside. Part of her difficulty may also have been due to the then-undiagnosed brain tumor she has.

    My email address is on my profile if you would like to communicate privately. Best,

    Andy
  • ThomasfromMN
    ThomasfromMN Member Posts: 5
    andyc56 said:

    Neoplas and Dr. Cantrell
    My wife (stage IV colon cancer) and I live in the Nashville area and are very familiar with Dr. Cantrell and Neoplas. She tried to start his regimen a couple of months ago but was unable to continue due to serious side effects from the very high dose of lovastatin used. We have learned this week she also has a brain tumor, possibly crc metastisis, which would likely have disqualified her from the treatment anyway.

    Dr. Cantrell is a very nice and caring doctor, and I would certainly suggest that crc patients who have exhausted other options contact him and explore his treatment. His personal story is very compelling, and the treatment appears to work well for quite a few patients. It is not a walk in the park, however. My wife's insurance did cover the cost of the drugs, though they are experimental in this application. Best wishes to all you patients and caregivers,

    Andy

    My wife has been accepted
    by Dr. Cantrell and we are now starting conversations with our Oncologist and doing our research on Lovastatin and Interferon.

    There are definitely some apparent side effects to the Lovastatin as with any statin...and the interferon doesn't sound like a walk in the park. But from what we can tell, there is good science behind the treatment and you certainly can't argue with the published results under the assumption that Dr. Cantrell publishes accurately.

    We'll keep you all posted on whether we go through with it and if so, how things go.
  • ThomasfromMN
    ThomasfromMN Member Posts: 5
    Shayenne said:

    I Thought
    The same thing Rob, if my insurance wouldnt cover something like this, I'd still be s@@t out of luck, I bet he charges alot of money. And it sounds so hopeful too!

    Hugsss!
    ~Donna

    Not expensive
    First appointment is $400 and succeeding appointments/exams are $300...of course for those of us who have to travel to Nashville, it's a lot more. But definitely reasonable and as he is a licensed MD we will claim under our out of network option.

    All the drugs are FDA approved as long as he writes a prescription it appears we are good for coverage of some amount...we are working on that. So I don't think it is expensive as you might think if you have an out of network option and prescription coverage.
  • Nana b
    Nana b Member Posts: 3,030 Member

    My wife has been accepted
    by Dr. Cantrell and we are now starting conversations with our Oncologist and doing our research on Lovastatin and Interferon.

    There are definitely some apparent side effects to the Lovastatin as with any statin...and the interferon doesn't sound like a walk in the park. But from what we can tell, there is good science behind the treatment and you certainly can't argue with the published results under the assumption that Dr. Cantrell publishes accurately.

    We'll keep you all posted on whether we go through with it and if so, how things go.

    Goodness, seeing Donna on
    Goodness, seeing Donna on here....took me by surprise. First thought was she's back. Phew!
  • Patteee
    Patteee Member Posts: 945
    Nana b said:

    Goodness, seeing Donna on
    Goodness, seeing Donna on here....took me by surprise. First thought was she's back. Phew!

    and my first thought was,
    and my first thought was, "she never left, she is still with us"
  • lisa42
    lisa42 Member Posts: 3,625 Member

    My wife has been accepted
    by Dr. Cantrell and we are now starting conversations with our Oncologist and doing our research on Lovastatin and Interferon.

    There are definitely some apparent side effects to the Lovastatin as with any statin...and the interferon doesn't sound like a walk in the park. But from what we can tell, there is good science behind the treatment and you certainly can't argue with the published results under the assumption that Dr. Cantrell publishes accurately.

    We'll keep you all posted on whether we go through with it and if so, how things go.

    good luck but be careful and watchful
    Hi Thomas,

    It took me by surprise when I checked the board this morning to see this post from me from eleven months ago (Oct 2009)!

    I am not sure if you followed my posts during the time of my actual treatment with Dr. Cantrell for a couple of months afterwards, as I realized that the treatment was not working for me. I don't want to scare you at all, but you need to be aware that, in spite of my high hopes at the beginning, that my treatment with Dr. Cantrell did not work at all. I found out on my scan two months after starting the treatment, that I had continued cancerous growth and no benefit at all. Honestly, I also communicated with three other people (two who had stage IV colon cancer and one who had stage IV esophageal cancer) during the time of my treatment (Dec 4, 2009- early Feb 2010) & they did not do well either.

    I DO know of some people who did well on it, but they didn't have colorectal cancer. Of the three people I communicated with (we found we were going through the treatment at the same time & were comparing notes on the treatment, side effects, etc)... I am sorry to say that two of them went off the treatment when they discovered it wasn't working and died within a few months (one had colon cancer & the other had the esophageal). I don't know about the other person who also had colon cancer, as I lost contact with him.

    Prior to starting treatment, I personally spoke to one of Dr. Cantrell's patients who had stage IV colon cancer who DID do well on the treatment- in fact, talking to him was the reason why I decided to start Dr. Cantrell's treatment- he really had almost miraculous results. So, I guess it HAS been successful for some with colon cancer, at least for him. I was just so sad and disappointed that the couple of others and myself with colorectal cancer did not have the same success on the treatment. After realizing it wasn't working for me, Dr. Cantrell did say to me he was going to do more research to find additional things to add to the treatment for his colorectal patients.

    As I was on the treatment, my CEA (which has always been a very reliable measure for me) steadily rose up and up. At first, Dr. Cantrell and I were hopeful that it was due to the possibility of the treatment working and CEA being released as cancer cells were dying off. That proved not to be the case as it continued rising and my next scan showed increased activity in my tumors on the PET scan and slight tumor growth on the CT portion of the PET/CT scan that I had done (my scan was on Feb 10, 2010- just over two months after starting the treatment).
    I hope, if your wife chooses to start the treatment, that it will be very successful for her but, after my experience and knowing of two others who did not benefit from the treatment, I certainly cannot wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.

    Do take care & proceed only with caution & don't wait too long for a follow-up scan.
    Lisa
  • linandtom
    linandtom Member Posts: 67
    andyc56 said:

    Neoplas and Dr. Cantrell
    My wife (stage IV colon cancer) and I live in the Nashville area and are very familiar with Dr. Cantrell and Neoplas. She tried to start his regimen a couple of months ago but was unable to continue due to serious side effects from the very high dose of lovastatin used. We have learned this week she also has a brain tumor, possibly crc metastisis, which would likely have disqualified her from the treatment anyway.

    Dr. Cantrell is a very nice and caring doctor, and I would certainly suggest that crc patients who have exhausted other options contact him and explore his treatment. His personal story is very compelling, and the treatment appears to work well for quite a few patients. It is not a walk in the park, however. My wife's insurance did cover the cost of the drugs, though they are experimental in this application. Best wishes to all you patients and caregivers,

    Andy

    Dr C
    We also saw Dr Cantrell for a consult - paid for that but never started his treatments...something just didn't feel right about it so we said no thanks. As Lisa42 said, his treatments may work for some but please do a lot of research before starting. He is very kind but also wants to sell his treatment.
  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    *sigh*
    Thanks so much for putting this info up for those who need to know. Like some others, it took my breath away to see Donna pop up on this one. She's still here in our hearts...

    *hugs*
    Gail
  • ThomasfromMN
    ThomasfromMN Member Posts: 5
    lisa42 said:

    good luck but be careful and watchful
    Hi Thomas,

    It took me by surprise when I checked the board this morning to see this post from me from eleven months ago (Oct 2009)!

    I am not sure if you followed my posts during the time of my actual treatment with Dr. Cantrell for a couple of months afterwards, as I realized that the treatment was not working for me. I don't want to scare you at all, but you need to be aware that, in spite of my high hopes at the beginning, that my treatment with Dr. Cantrell did not work at all. I found out on my scan two months after starting the treatment, that I had continued cancerous growth and no benefit at all. Honestly, I also communicated with three other people (two who had stage IV colon cancer and one who had stage IV esophageal cancer) during the time of my treatment (Dec 4, 2009- early Feb 2010) & they did not do well either.

    I DO know of some people who did well on it, but they didn't have colorectal cancer. Of the three people I communicated with (we found we were going through the treatment at the same time & were comparing notes on the treatment, side effects, etc)... I am sorry to say that two of them went off the treatment when they discovered it wasn't working and died within a few months (one had colon cancer & the other had the esophageal). I don't know about the other person who also had colon cancer, as I lost contact with him.

    Prior to starting treatment, I personally spoke to one of Dr. Cantrell's patients who had stage IV colon cancer who DID do well on the treatment- in fact, talking to him was the reason why I decided to start Dr. Cantrell's treatment- he really had almost miraculous results. So, I guess it HAS been successful for some with colon cancer, at least for him. I was just so sad and disappointed that the couple of others and myself with colorectal cancer did not have the same success on the treatment. After realizing it wasn't working for me, Dr. Cantrell did say to me he was going to do more research to find additional things to add to the treatment for his colorectal patients.

    As I was on the treatment, my CEA (which has always been a very reliable measure for me) steadily rose up and up. At first, Dr. Cantrell and I were hopeful that it was due to the possibility of the treatment working and CEA being released as cancer cells were dying off. That proved not to be the case as it continued rising and my next scan showed increased activity in my tumors on the PET scan and slight tumor growth on the CT portion of the PET/CT scan that I had done (my scan was on Feb 10, 2010- just over two months after starting the treatment).
    I hope, if your wife chooses to start the treatment, that it will be very successful for her but, after my experience and knowing of two others who did not benefit from the treatment, I certainly cannot wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.

    Do take care & proceed only with caution & don't wait too long for a follow-up scan.
    Lisa

    Still Researching....
    Thanks Lisa for reporting back on your actual experience. I'm sorry it did not work for you, it's a tough cancer.

    We are still in the process of researching and making great progress. We consulted with our oncologist in the Twin Cities (one of the recognized greats) and he had his staff do research and he looked at the science. In 2006, the University of Berlin did a study giving 5FU/Leucovorin/Interferon 2b/Starch Spores to one group and 5FU/Leucovorin to the other. The results were remarkable...20 months until disease progression for the first group and 11 months for the second. He gave us the actual abstract for the study.

    Also, he gave us 2 abstracts for current FDA studies looking at Statins and Colon Cancer...there is strong evidence that Statins can be highly effective for some patients.

    So, I think Dr. Cantrell is certainly onto something. Our oncologists advice was to continue with Erbitux since it is keeping Dawn's markers controlled with low glucose uptake and if it stops being effective then to look at Dr. Cantrell's regiment as a serious option. He had no issue with the science and found it intriguing...his main issue was the serious side effects of Interferon.

    Also, I wanted everyone to know about an Oncologist I found on the North Side of Chicago...he's been quietly in practice for decades with remarkable results. His techniques are now being adopted at the incredible MD Anderson Center in Houston. He uses traditional chemo with 2 major twists...

    1. They map out your circadian rhythm and deliver the chemo in accordance with your body's natural patterns.
    2. They supplement your treatment with over 55 nutritional supplements each day. (they are working on a new formula so as not to take so many things)

    They are having noticeable results. We are probably going to go have a consultative appointment with him. You can find him here http://www.blockmd.com/

    I strongly encourage folks to pass his information on to others. Lots more to share and will do so soon.

    Thomas
  • ThomasfromMN
    ThomasfromMN Member Posts: 5
    lisa42 said:

    good luck but be careful and watchful
    Hi Thomas,

    It took me by surprise when I checked the board this morning to see this post from me from eleven months ago (Oct 2009)!

    I am not sure if you followed my posts during the time of my actual treatment with Dr. Cantrell for a couple of months afterwards, as I realized that the treatment was not working for me. I don't want to scare you at all, but you need to be aware that, in spite of my high hopes at the beginning, that my treatment with Dr. Cantrell did not work at all. I found out on my scan two months after starting the treatment, that I had continued cancerous growth and no benefit at all. Honestly, I also communicated with three other people (two who had stage IV colon cancer and one who had stage IV esophageal cancer) during the time of my treatment (Dec 4, 2009- early Feb 2010) & they did not do well either.

    I DO know of some people who did well on it, but they didn't have colorectal cancer. Of the three people I communicated with (we found we were going through the treatment at the same time & were comparing notes on the treatment, side effects, etc)... I am sorry to say that two of them went off the treatment when they discovered it wasn't working and died within a few months (one had colon cancer & the other had the esophageal). I don't know about the other person who also had colon cancer, as I lost contact with him.

    Prior to starting treatment, I personally spoke to one of Dr. Cantrell's patients who had stage IV colon cancer who DID do well on the treatment- in fact, talking to him was the reason why I decided to start Dr. Cantrell's treatment- he really had almost miraculous results. So, I guess it HAS been successful for some with colon cancer, at least for him. I was just so sad and disappointed that the couple of others and myself with colorectal cancer did not have the same success on the treatment. After realizing it wasn't working for me, Dr. Cantrell did say to me he was going to do more research to find additional things to add to the treatment for his colorectal patients.

    As I was on the treatment, my CEA (which has always been a very reliable measure for me) steadily rose up and up. At first, Dr. Cantrell and I were hopeful that it was due to the possibility of the treatment working and CEA being released as cancer cells were dying off. That proved not to be the case as it continued rising and my next scan showed increased activity in my tumors on the PET scan and slight tumor growth on the CT portion of the PET/CT scan that I had done (my scan was on Feb 10, 2010- just over two months after starting the treatment).
    I hope, if your wife chooses to start the treatment, that it will be very successful for her but, after my experience and knowing of two others who did not benefit from the treatment, I certainly cannot wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.

    Do take care & proceed only with caution & don't wait too long for a follow-up scan.
    Lisa

    Still Researching....
    Thanks Lisa for reporting back on your actual experience. I'm sorry it did not work for you, it's a tough cancer.

    We are still in the process of researching and making great progress. We consulted with our oncologist in the Twin Cities (one of the recognized greats) and he had his staff do research and he looked at the science. In 2006, the University of Berlin did a study giving 5FU/Leucovorin/Interferon 2b/Starch Spores to one group and 5FU/Leucovorin to the other. The results were remarkable...20 months until disease progression for the first group and 11 months for the second. He gave us the actual abstract for the study.

    Also, he gave us 2 abstracts for current FDA studies looking at Statins and Colon Cancer...there is strong evidence that Statins can be highly effective for some patients.

    So, I think Dr. Cantrell is certainly onto something. Our oncologists advice was to continue with Erbitux since it is keeping Dawn's markers controlled with low glucose uptake and if it stops being effective then to look at Dr. Cantrell's regiment as a serious option. He had no issue with the science and found it intriguing...his main issue was the serious side effects of Interferon.

    Also, I wanted everyone to know about an Oncologist I found on the North Side of Chicago...he's been quietly in practice for decades with remarkable results. His techniques are now being adopted at the incredible MD Anderson Center in Houston. He uses traditional chemo with 2 major twists...

    1. They map out your circadian rhythm and deliver the chemo in accordance with your body's natural patterns.
    2. They supplement your treatment with over 55 nutritional supplements each day. (they are working on a new formula so as not to take so many things)

    They are having noticeable results. We are probably going to go have a consultative appointment with him. You can find him here http://www.blockmd.com/

    I strongly encourage folks to pass his information on to others. Lots more to share and will do so soon.

    Thomas
  • maglets
    maglets Member Posts: 2,576 Member
    tootsie1 said:

    *sigh*
    Thanks so much for putting this info up for those who need to know. Like some others, it took my breath away to see Donna pop up on this one. She's still here in our hearts...

    *hugs*
    Gail

    Donna
    I can hardly look at her....me to gail it just takes my breath away to have Donna pop up

    she was The Best

    mags
  • ThomasfromMN
    ThomasfromMN Member Posts: 5
    lisa42 said:

    good luck but be careful and watchful
    Hi Thomas,

    It took me by surprise when I checked the board this morning to see this post from me from eleven months ago (Oct 2009)!

    I am not sure if you followed my posts during the time of my actual treatment with Dr. Cantrell for a couple of months afterwards, as I realized that the treatment was not working for me. I don't want to scare you at all, but you need to be aware that, in spite of my high hopes at the beginning, that my treatment with Dr. Cantrell did not work at all. I found out on my scan two months after starting the treatment, that I had continued cancerous growth and no benefit at all. Honestly, I also communicated with three other people (two who had stage IV colon cancer and one who had stage IV esophageal cancer) during the time of my treatment (Dec 4, 2009- early Feb 2010) & they did not do well either.

    I DO know of some people who did well on it, but they didn't have colorectal cancer. Of the three people I communicated with (we found we were going through the treatment at the same time & were comparing notes on the treatment, side effects, etc)... I am sorry to say that two of them went off the treatment when they discovered it wasn't working and died within a few months (one had colon cancer & the other had the esophageal). I don't know about the other person who also had colon cancer, as I lost contact with him.

    Prior to starting treatment, I personally spoke to one of Dr. Cantrell's patients who had stage IV colon cancer who DID do well on the treatment- in fact, talking to him was the reason why I decided to start Dr. Cantrell's treatment- he really had almost miraculous results. So, I guess it HAS been successful for some with colon cancer, at least for him. I was just so sad and disappointed that the couple of others and myself with colorectal cancer did not have the same success on the treatment. After realizing it wasn't working for me, Dr. Cantrell did say to me he was going to do more research to find additional things to add to the treatment for his colorectal patients.

    As I was on the treatment, my CEA (which has always been a very reliable measure for me) steadily rose up and up. At first, Dr. Cantrell and I were hopeful that it was due to the possibility of the treatment working and CEA being released as cancer cells were dying off. That proved not to be the case as it continued rising and my next scan showed increased activity in my tumors on the PET scan and slight tumor growth on the CT portion of the PET/CT scan that I had done (my scan was on Feb 10, 2010- just over two months after starting the treatment).
    I hope, if your wife chooses to start the treatment, that it will be very successful for her but, after my experience and knowing of two others who did not benefit from the treatment, I certainly cannot wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone.

    Do take care & proceed only with caution & don't wait too long for a follow-up scan.
    Lisa

    Just one other comment
    As Dawn and I have been battling this cancer for 9 years this month, I think your heading of "be careful and watchful" applies to all potential treatments and to diligence and self-advocacy in general, not just Dr. Cantrell.

    I would hate for someone to read your post and avoid contacting Dr. Cantrell because they get "spooked". For example, Dawn currently is having tremendous response to Erbitux...in our cancer support group, there's a gentleman who had almost no response whatsoever to it. That is why options are critical in the fight....because at the end of the day, Doctors/Science don't truly know what will work for whom.

    So, I would just say to folks who might end up here, Dr. Cantrell is certainly 1 option among many and as with anything you pursue, be diligent, pay attention to your body, and always keep a short leash on follow-up.

    Tom