Liver Cancer

Background

Some background about the person, who has been diagnosed. She is 69 years old, has been diagnosed for Diabetes for about 4 years, and also underwent a triple bypass surgery 2 years back.

A lump near her chest, was the reason for taking her to the doctor for diagnosis, and Cancer was detected. Her recent CT scan of Abdomen and Pelvis states

“Ultrafast CT scan of the Abdomen and Pelvis reveals neoplastic lesion in the left lobe of the liver. This lesion measures 18.07×15.72 cms. Satellite nodule is noted in the caudate lobe. Thrombosis is noted in a left portal vein. Multiple enlarged lymphnodes are noted in the para-cardiac, celiac, para-aortic and supra-pancreatic regions. The largest lymphnode measures 5/34×5/80×4.22 cms. Enhancing nodules are noted in the left paramedian anterior abdominal wall, largest measuring 3.94 x 1.33 x 1.39 cms. Minimal free fluid is noted.”

What the Doctor’s Say

Here is what the doctor’s say (I am trying not to add my personal comments to this),

1. The cancer has advanced to a level, that there are no options available to cure the cancer 100% (as as one doctor put it, there is no treatment which can be considered as a home run).
2. All the doctors have given a fixed time period for her survival. This time is different, ranging from 8-10 weeks, to 6 months. Some of the reasons for the “shorter” time are
   • The fact she has Diabetes complicates the matter, in case she gets any infection.
   • Three months back (in May 2007), her blood sugar had gone dangerously low (about 30). As a part of follow-up tests, she had a CT scan (I need to investigate if it was done with a dye or not. And, also if it was a plain oversight, since nobody was looking for it.), which did not show up the liver tumor. So, this means the current tumor has grown to this size, in 3 months.Some reasons for the “longer” time are
   • The fact that she is not exhibiting any “severe symptoms” (such as fluid in the abdomen).I am hoping I can add more to this second list.
3. All doctors have ruled against surgically removal of the tumor (since it has spread), and Chemotherapy (on grounds of the limited current life expectancy and the very limited addition after Chemo, and the side affects of the same). The doctors are simply suggesting we take “Palliative measures”, which as I understand mean, just treat her symptoms (pain, nausea etc.) as and when they appear.

I should add one important item here, which I have missed before. I am located in NJ, USA, while she is located in Mumbai (Bombay), India. This means, while I am getting all her medical records, I am not able to see her first hand. And family members, who are as close to her as I am, are right there by her side.

Some Rays of Hope

Like anybody else in the similar situation, I refuse to believe that there is nothing out there, which can extend the life (without loss of quality – since I do not believe in life on support with machines …. but that would be another discussion). So, I decided to check out some options. Here are some

• Sorafenib, marketed as Nexavar by Bayer.
  This is a medication, approved by FDA in 2005, and EU in 2006, which has been showing some promise. Here are some sites with information about this drug
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorafenib
  • http://www.nexavar.com/
  • http://www.drugs.com/nexavar.html
  • http://www.drugs.com/pro/nexavar.html
  • http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/InfoSheets/patient/sorafenibPIS.htm
  • http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-02/gg-nst021107.php
  • http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/558023
• Tian Xian, a herbal supplement aimed to control, inhibit and destroy cancer cells.
  Well, now obviously we come to a “slippery slope”. There are “testimonials” of the effectiveness of this supplement – but no “scientific study”.

  However, as one of the doctor’s put it (caution – he was not talking about Tian Xian, but alternative medicines in general) – when I asked him whether I should look into alternative medicines (I may be para phrasing a bit, since I was not taking notes at the time) – ‘Well, he had come across a patient, who was given a couple months to live, after being diagnosed with Cancer (do not remember which specific cancer he had told me). The person went to his village in India, and started taking medication from a local Vaidya, and was still alive and well after 1.5 years. A little investigation showed that the Vaidya was giving him arsenic in some form, which was found later (in western medicine research) as being an effective treatment. However, for every one case like this, there are dozen’s, where the non-traditional medicine has no (or sometimes even negative) effects. So, caution is prudent, you can do some reasearch and try various options, especially given the terminal nature of the disease.’

  Some sites for Tian Xian

• http://www.tianxian.com/
• http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=5059
• http://www.cancer-tian-xian.com/
• http://www.healthrecipes.com/tian_xian.htm

• Raw food diet.
  Another acquaintance, who also had cancer, had gone into a very strict raw food diet. The logic here was to absorb as little impurities as possible, and cause as little stress on the immune system as possible. For him, it definitely had a profound effect (in regards the reduction in growth and spread of the tumor), to the extend that even the doctor’s were surprised. However, the regimen was definitely not a very easy one to follow.

  Some sites that provide information regarding this regimen.

  • http://www.arnoldsway.com/
  • http://mail.rawfoods.com/email/scripts/loginuser.pl

Well, this is where I would love to get some comments and input from the wider audience, since I am sure there are other options out there …. it is just a matter of knowing which ones.

Nexavar not easily available

Well, so they come up with a so-called “miracle drug”, they price it extremely high ( while I have not been able to get accurate prices, since it is not available anywhere) – approx $2500-$4000 for a months dosage (2 pills a day), but it cannot be obtained anywhere either.

Well, in my case, the problem is compounded by the fact that the patient is not here in the US, and not covered by a US insurance company. Obviously, now – there is no company which would consider insuring her. So, I read on one site that in order to procure the drug, I could try asking the Nexavar Reach program (866-883-3177) or Bayer (800-288-8371). I am going to give both of them a call tomorrow, to see what can be done.