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When I first discovered Devascularization as a potential cure I was very sceptical. It failed the only clinical trial and for me that was evidence enough and I moved on. It was not until later, when I came across laser ablation and the immune response this triggered, that everything clicked into place. I realised that Devascularization and Laser Ablation, where blood vessels are cauterized, causing cancer cells to die from starvation rather than apoptosis worked on the same principle.

I revisited Devascularization, I read the clinical trial in detail, I searched for more evidence, case studies etc. I talked to former patients, doctors that performed the procedure and vets who currently use it as the standard treatment for cancer in the Czech Republic. The more I researched, the more I became convinced that I was onto something. Over 800 patients had the procedure before it became illegal, with virtually no serious side effects from the surgery. The clinical trial also showed that the procedure is safe, even on very ill, terminal patients. The clinical trial I came to realise, had no chance of showing a positive result, because of the type of patients selected. This procedure needs a healthy immune system to work and terminal patients after several lines of failed chemo do not have much of an immune system left.

I gathered my evidence and approached a few Australian colorectal surgeons. I assumed they would be just as excited as me after reading the case studies, animal trials and the current success in veterinary medicine. After all this could help 1000’s of cancer patients who have no other chance for a cure. How naive of me. The first surgeon I saw said that he skimmed over the documentation (would be nice had he actually read even the summary) and concluded that the risk of a septic reaction from leaving a chunk of necrotic tissue in situ was too great and refused to have anything to do with the procedure. Septic Reaction really? There are over 800 case studies that say otherwise.

Strike two, a second colorectal surgeon I saw today. This one came across as quite arrogant. Refused to discuss it and every time I tried, he cut me off and just repeated that its not going to happen as there has been no phase 3 trial.

When I discussed this procedure with a researcher that was involved in the Laser Ablation study, he said that the science behind it made sense, and he recommended that I should have it done, if there is no other traditional path to a cure. He did however warn me that no Australian surgeon was going to touch this. I was more optimistic then, now I am not.

For me its a no brainer. I am convinced that the procedure is safe and that there is little to no risk of a septic reaction. It will get rid of the primary tumour in the same way as a traditional colon resection. The bonus is that if the necrotizing tumour, when left in situ, does indeed create a sustained immune response as research suggests, this has the potential to clear all my mets and provide a cure. But I guess none of the colorectal surgeons give a damn.

All I can do for now, is drool over the numerous case studies showing a complete response. I am still hoping that I can find a surgeon curious enough to give this procedure a try, but I doubt that it will be anyone in Australia.

I had my 6th high dose vitamin C IV today. The dose was gradually increased over the last two weeks and I have finally reached my maximum dose of 90g. This translates to roughly 1.5g per kilogram of body weight.

The science says that at this dose, Vitamin C should start to behave as an oxidant, which is the reverse of its usual role. Vitamin C should start reacting with metal ions to produce hydrogen peroxide, a powerful oxidant. If the theory is correct, this should start doing damage to the cancer cell DNA, and when this gets severe enough, trigger cell death through apoptosis.

Vitamin C is structurally very similar to Glucose and cancer thrives on glucose. Cancer cells soak up vitamin C like a sponge, probably thinking that it is glucose. Unlike glucose however, Vitamin C can not be used for energy and I hope that this also helps to starve my little mutants. 🙂 Normal tissue does not have the same affinity for Vitamin C and there the concentrations should not build up.

The IV now comes in a one litre bag. That’s a lot fluid to infuse and takes 2-3 hours. The vitamin C is given in its sodium ascorbate form. I imagine that giving pure Vitamin C would acidify the blood too much and probably kill you. (So for any ‘do it yourself’ buffs, remember to use sodium ascorbate, not ascorbic acid)

I have not experienced any negative side effects following even the 90g infusion. I am noticing one positive side effect however. On days when I have my IV, I have very little or no nausea. Nausea is something that I have been struggling with, even before chemo, due to my extensive liver damage.

I have been taking Vitamin K2, K3 and lipoic acid to enhance the Vitamin C action. Next week the lipoic acid will be given as part if the IV. I also get 0.8g of sodium bicarbonate added to the IV. I have read about the various benefits of sodium bicarbonate and a higher blood ph, but the clincher for this decision were my blood tests. They consistently show below normal sodium bicarbonate levels, where as they were in the normal range when I was cancer free. I don’t think that this is a coincidence.

I don’t believe that high dose Vitamin C is a cure for cancer, as some claim, however I do believe that it is another piece of the puzzle. I also believe that its use is limited, as eventually cancer cells will mutate and learn to express additional DNA repair mechanisms. After this, it is likely that High dose Vitamin C will become ineffective as an oxidative chemo agent, though it may still play a role in supporting the immune system. This may also cause other treatment methods like oxaliplatin, cisplatin, or even radiotherapy to become less effective, as these also induce DNA damage.

My oncologist still rolls his eyes, whenever I mention my Vitamin C IV, but I figure “what does he know anyway?” He does not know how to cure me and does not believe that there is a cure. It would thus be insane to just follow his advice. Right?

My low grade fever continues. Every evening my temperature is elevated, between 37.2 to 37.5 degrees Celsius. Still struggling with a gum infection, which may be its cause, but I feel that this not likely. Seeing a Dentist early next week, the earliest time that was available that did not clash with what is now a very busy schedule.

High Dose Vitamin C IV I am starting to like. This week I got up to the full dose of 90g, which roughly works out at 1.5g per kilogram of body weight. I have it 3x per week, and every day that I have it, my nausea has been greatly reduced or eliminated. Today I actually feel normal which after 6 months of near constant nausea is an amazing feeling.

My nausea is getting stronger however, but this is more due to my liver problem than chemo. I have made the decision not to take any anti nausea medications, especially since Zofran did not seem to do much anyway. I figure my liver does not need the extra load. I am learning to live with it.

My blood counts following Round 2 were the lowest to date, but still good enough to continue with this cycle. Especially red blood cells. I got sloppy with my nettle tea consumption, so will try harder as this herb seems to help.

Avastin continues to cause havoc and blowing my nose is often quite a bloody experience. Wounds are slow to heal, which I am seeing with a burnt elbow (don’t ask, long story involving my home made local hyperthermia device).

No other side effects to report, which is good.

Had an appointment today with my oncologist at Peter Mac. He’s not too bad, in fact the best of all the traditional oncologists I saw or consulted with to date, though he still tends to suffer from the same problem as most other traditional oncologists in that anything outside of the box is not something he is willing to explore or consider. I must say however that today he managed to surprise me and I think there may be hope for him yet. 🙂

I discussed Metformin to get my blood glucose as low as possible, to starve my little mutants. I discussed Celebrex as a COX-2 inhibitor, in light of my over expressed COX-2 as reported on my recent RGCC CTC tests. I discussed Cimetidine, a histamine receptor antagonist, which has received a lot of attention in relation to its anti-cancer properties. And lastly, I mentioned Naltrexone which my integrative clinic doctor prescribed together with Alpha Lipoic Acid.

He rolled his eyes at Naltrexone, and did not understand why I was prescribed this. He did however ask for more information on the studies I mentioned which were the reason for the prescription. Wow finally an oncologist willing to learn something new and from a patient no less.

He shot down Metformin, saying that there is no evidence that blood glucose plays any part in cancer growth, and he felt that the danger of hypoglycemia that can even result in death was too great. I disagreed and he said that he will request the drug’s safety profile and get back to me. Again impressed that he is willing to look into things further.

Cimetidine and Celebrex he had no issues with and after we discussed these, he wrote a prescription for both. I expected a fight to get these prescribed, but all I had to do is ask and explain my reasons. He just informed me of the possible risks of cimetidine with avastin and the increased chance of bowel bleeding and perforation the combination can cause.

Lastly I mentioned the week before, a comprehensive molecular test offered by Foundation One in the US. Again a surprise as he had the paperwork and request form for the test ready and filled out. In comparison, the last oncologist I asked for a non standard test just told me to organise it myself.

Overall a good feeling afterward, which is the way things should be.

Just got my latest blood results. I was hoping for some good news, but alas that was not to be. My CEA is again on the rise reaching 2499.0, which is another fifty point increase over last week. This is the second rise since starting on second line FOLFIRI chemo. I saw the same pattern during my first 5 rounds of FOLFOX chemotherapy with steady CEA increase, almost tripling in value over the 2.5 months. Later I found out that FOLFOX had no impact as far reducing my tumour size. If FOLFIRI behaves in the same way as the CEA markers indicate, I may be out of standard treatment options.

High CEA can also mean tumour death, so there is still some hope that Irinotecan is doing its job. The definitive answer will come on the 12th of April when I am due for the next CT scan. I am hoping to see at least some tumour shrinkage. The only positive sign, is that my liver function tests show a mild improvement and I have noticed a slight decrease in Nausea over the last 4 days.