That is the perception being “cultivated” here. /" Colon Cancer Statistics 2009 However, after reading medical literature on this issue, it came as a shock to know that one does not necessarily have to die if one does not undergo chemotherapy. The perception I had then was without chemotherapy, colon cancer patients would die -- if not all of them, at least a great majority of them. But research data does not support that perception. Let me highlight two research papers for your reading.
Dr. Charles Moertel and colleagues of the famed Mayo Clinic, advocated the use of 5-FU + levamisole for colorectal patients. They showed that this concoction is more effective than using 5-FU alone. Based on the data of 929 patients with Stage 3 colon cancer, they presented their report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, 1 March 1995, Volume 122: 321-326 ( Fluorouracil plus Levamisole as Effective Adjuvant Therapy after Resection of Stage III Colon Carcinoma: A Final Report) as follows:
1. Out of the 315 patients who did not receive chemotherapy 177 of them, i.e. 56 %, suffered recurrence.
2. Out of the 304 patients who received chemotherapy, only 119 or 39 %, suffered recurrence.
3. Out of the 315 patients who did not receive chemotherapy 168 of them, i.e. 53.3 %, died.
4. Out of the 304 patients who received chemotherapy 121 or 39.8 %, died.
5. The side effects of fluorouracil plus levamisole were: nausea, infrequent vomiting, stomatitis, diarrhea, dermatitis, fatigue, occasional mild alopecia and neurotoxicity.
6. Approximately half of the patients had hematologic depression that was usually limited to mild leukopenia.
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7. Forty percent of patients had abnormal liver function test results during the course of the therapy. Their toxicity were reflected in elevated alkaline phosphatase levels (which peaked approximately 7 months after onset of therapy), elevated aminotransferase (AST) levels, and elevated serum bilirubin besides causing fatty liver.
From the above data it is clear that chemotherapy reduced recurrence by 17 % and reduced death by 13.5 % but not without side effects which are often brushed off as insignificant.
Similarly Wolmark et al. (Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy or BCG for colon cancer: results from NSABP protocol C-01. J. National Cancer Inst. 1988. Vol: 80:30-36), showed that a mixture of 5-FU + semustine + vincristine also did a good job. Let us look at the data presented below:
A total of 1,166 patients who had undergone surgery for Duke’s B and C colon cancer were divided into 3 groups and given the specified treatments. The results of the study were as follows:
1. 59% of those who underwent surgery only (as control group) survived after 5 years.
2. 67% of those who received 5-FU + semutine + vincristine survived after 5 years.
The results demonstrate that the use of 5-FU + semustine + vincristine after surgery for Duke’s B and C colon cancer provided higher rates of 5-year survival. Leukemia has been observed in 3 of 479 patients who had received semustine.
Take note that the REAL benefit of chemotherapy in this study can be seen in 8 % of patients only. Also after 5 years, 59% of patients were still alive even without chemotherapy. The question we may want to ask is: “what if they had undergone chemotherapy?” I expect almost all or a great majority of them to be alive at the end of five years. No, the data shows only 67% of them survived. This is another shocking truth -- even if one were to undergo chemotherapy, research shows that 33% of patients still die from colon cancer.
One doctor told his patient that taking herbs and getting well is a matter of luck. Now, what about chemotherapy? Chemo-patients probably need just as much luck?
The difference of five-year survival between chemotherapy and no chemotherapy group is only 8% or 13.5 % (based on work in Mayo Clinic). Chemotherapy is proven to be beneficial by only a slim margin. Indeed, from the academic point of view, the result is statistically significant. This would please the statisticians and the scientists, but I am not sure if it pleases cancer patients at all. I believe this is not what patients (especially those in the poor developing country) are looking for. They are seeking for a REAL cure (not a MEDISAL CURE either!). If this is not possible, at least they expect a much greater chance of achieving it. I wonder if 8 % or 13.5 % benefit is good enough?
Chemotherapy causes severe side effects in most patients. It is not like an “ant-bite” as one oncologist would tell some patients. With only 8 % or 13.5 % difference, is it worth the gamble?
One question comes to mind: Can this slim margin of 8 % or 13.5 % not be achieved by some other non-invasive or non-toxic means? For example, does it ever occur to people that by just a change of diet or taking of herbs, perhaps we can also increase our chances of healing colorectal cancer and the result could be better than chemotherapy? In my future articles I shall present various case studies to show that indeed this hypothesis is valid and has merit -- herbs and change of diet and lifestyle can prolong meaningful survival better than chemotherapy!
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