Best of Breast: news for week ending 23 May 2014

News from the world of breast cancer and cancer, as highlighlighted by Google Alerts, for the week ending 23 May 2014.

It seems there’s been a rise in the number of women opting for double mastectomies, because of fear of recurrence, even when there is no genetic basis for breast cancer (i.e. no BRCA1/2 gene mutation].

I can understand and sympathise:  After all, who wants to go through the rollercoaster of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment again if it recurs in the other breast?  Why not get it all out in one go, with an increased chance that it won’t ever return?  There are other reasons women opt for contralateral mastectomies:  the need for symmetry is one.

But mastectomies carry risks and psychological consequences.  Furthermore, what the surgeons don’t tell patients is that the cancer can still return, mastectomy or no double mastectomy, in the same breast with the tumour.  The cancer cells lurk in the scar tissue, which is often the site of a recurrence.  This can happen even if patients have had radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Best of Breast: news for week ending 16 May 2014

A round-up of the latest medical developments, from Google Alerts, for Breast Cancer and Cancer, for the week ending 16 May 2014.

The top story is a woman with incurable multiple myeloma, who was NED after measles virus treatment.  Oncolytic virotherapy is not something new.  The researchers in this trial had written a paper as far back in 2009 the measles virus and cancer.   There was also a reported case of a boy with Burkitt’s lymphoma whose tumour regressed after he caught measles.  Just in case you were wondering, in this study, the measles vaccine was re-engineered, so that one of the side-effects was NOT measles!

1.  Women’s cancer killed by measles virus in trial

Wow! Easy Kit – the new, easier, faster way of making Bravo Probiotic!

Updated March 2016 – For more information on GcMAF, please join the GcMAF and GcMAF Cancer forums on Facebook – they are closed groups, so you have to wait for your membership to be confirmed.  They contain up-to-date information on sources of GcMAF, and also feedback and contributions  by people who are using GcMAF.

If you’ve read my posts on Bravo Probiotic (aka GcMAF yoghurt, and previously known as Maf314 yoghurt), you’ve probably wondered at the time-consuming process to make it.  I liken the process to musical chairs with yoghurt.

Supplement: GcMAF yoghurt — Maf 314 — Bravo Probiotic

The cost of Bravo Probiotic — GcMAF Yoghurt — Maf314 — someone find me a camel!

The old way of making Bravo Probiotic (GcMaf yoghurt/Maf 314)

Well, I think I’m excited as I’ll ever be – the gods at Bravo Probiotic have heard my cries and come up with a new, improved version, called Easy Kit.

Like it says on the tin, Easy Kit puts the EASY back into yoghurt making.

Making the old version of Bravo Probiotic

Best of Breast: news for week ending 9 May 2014

News from Google Alerts, for Breast Cancer and Cancer, for the week ending 9 May 2014.

Lots 0f goodies this week, from the importance of sleep in survival rates to screening techniques, to more discoveries of genetic triggers for breast cancer.  But what stands out is news from Australia.  Graham Kelly, chief of Novogen, who is using a breakthrough cancer treatment for his own prostate cancer promises to deliver the drug at an affordable price.

One of the main criticisms of Big Pharma is how it overcharges for cancer drugs, leading to the accusation (and conspiracy theories) that all they want to do is exploit cancer patients who are desperate for a cure.  True, the path from discovery to trials to commercial release is expensive, but Graham Kelly of Novogen accuses Big Pharma of overpricing, and vows to do better with a fair price.  Whether this remains to be seen is debated, but it’s refreshing to see someone who’s in the business put his money where his mouth is, and to fess up to what critics of Big Pharma have been saying all along.  Good luck to him, is all I can say, long may he live and prosper.

Superhero outfit optional. “We believe innovative medicine can be developed without the obscene price tags that make families mortgage their homes or strain federal health budgets” … Novogen boss Graham Kelly. Picture: Jim Trifyllis Source: News Corp Australia

1A.  Breakthrough cancer cell treatment from the University of NSW offers new hope

1B.  Novogen CEO Graham Kelly says he will make an anti-cancer drug at an affordable price

Fulda 2013 conference #5: Oxidative stress and the EDIM (tumour-marker) test (Dr Michael Schoenberg)

(This talk was given in Fulda in Dec 2013, and delivered in German, with a simultaneous English translation, so apologies if I misunderstood any of the translation, and for the sparseness of my notes)

The Christmas market at Fulda

Dr Schoneberg studied Roman Catholic Theology and philosophy in Halle and Erfurt, and was a Catholic Priest in Erfurt.  He subsequently studied medicine at Martin-Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg.  He is a medical specialist in surgery in Frankfurt, and holds a doctorate in medicine.  He is medical director for emergency medical services, and also senior emergency physician.  He runs a private medical clinic for alternative medicine.

http://www.dr-schoneberg.de

*****

The aim of the talk was to show the relationship between a set of diagnostic tumour-marker tests, the EDIM, and oxidative stress in the human body.  These tests are not the usual conventional markers.  They enable the practitioner to track whether or not treatments are successful in reducing oxidative stress in the body.

What is the EDIM tumour-marker test?

EDIM is an acronym for Epitope Detection In Monocytes.  It is a set of two diagnostic tests that are alternatives to conventional tumour markers.  These two EDIM tests are the TKTL1 and Apo10 blood tests.  Research conducted into these tests seem to indicate that they can show early signs of metastasis even when established tumour markers and clinical signs and imaging (like Pet Scans) do not do so.

image credit: tarvarlin.com

Apo10 is a specific tumour protein that is not normally detectable in normal cells.  TKTL1 stands for Transketolase-like 1 enzyme.  Cancer cells display high levels of glycolysis (rapid fermentation of glucose) a process which is also known as the Warburg effect – it’s what enables cancer cells to survive in the absence of oxygen.  Lactic acid is also produced by cancer cells, even in the presence of oxygen.  The lactic acid also protects the cancer cell from the body’s immune system.  The TKTL1 enzyme is responsible for this effect.

http://www.tktl1.de/?Introduction

http://www.tavarlin.com/downloads/2009PosterFIGO.pdf

http://www.tavarlin.com/downloads/FutureOncology.pdf

What is oxidative stress and its relation to redox reactions? (adapted from wikipedia)

A Redox reaction is an amalgamation of two processes:  a reduction and oxidation.  Substances that have the ability to reduce other substances (cause them to gain electrons) are said to be reductive or reducing and are known as reducing agents, reductants, or reducers..  Substances that have the ability to oxidize other substances (cause them to lose electrons) are said to be oxidative or oxidizing.

An example of oxidisation is rusting (oxygen causes the iron to rust).

An example of a redox process is photosynthesis in plants which involves the reduction of carbon dioxide into sugars and the oxidation of water into molecular oxygen.

Free radical reactions are redox reactions that occur as a part of homeostasis and killing microorganisms, where an electron detaches from a molecule and then reattaches almost instantaneously. Free radicals are a part of redox molecules and can become harmful to the human body if they do not reattach to the redox molecule or an antioxidant. Unsatisfied free radicals can spur the mutation of cells they encounter and are, thus, causes of cancer.

What is the relationship between oxidative stress and redox reactions?

Oxidative stress reflects an imbalance between a system’s ability to manage redox and any resulting damage. Disturbances in the normal redox state of cells can cause toxic effects through the production of peroxides and free radicals that damage all components of the cell, including proteins, lipids, and DNA. Thus, oxidative stress can cause disruptions in normal mechanisms of cellular signaling.

*********

According to Dr Schoneberg, therapies to correct oxidative stress include:

• High dose Vitamin C and Alpha-Lipoic Acid
• Polyphenols
• Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation

There is a special type of oxidative stress called Nitrosativer Stress involving free radical nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite derived product.

The Coy protocol uses the EDIM tests to monitor the effectiveness of treatments.  The Coy diet includes:

• Tocotrienol (natural Vitamin E)
• Carbohydrate reduction in the diet (1g/kg of bodyweight)
• Omega 3 (10g/kg)
• MCT oil
• Lactate (to dissolve the coat around the tumour)
• Polyphenols

Best of Breast: news for week ending 2 May 2014

The highlights from the world of Breast Cancer and Cancer, as culled from Google Alerts, for the week ending 2 May 2014.

Science-fiction or fact?

This week’s leader comes under the “Too Good to be True” and “Revolutionary” heading.  In fact, it was so incredible, I checked the date of the PR statement for the news release in case it was 1 April 2014 and a prank.  I did a search on the internet just to play safe.

I sometimes dream of travelling into the future where the cure for cancer has been found, and travelling back with a key device that could get rid of cancer without any side-effects.  This week, there’s a device that seems to have fallen out of an alien’s time machine.

Chemotherapy, as we all know, comes at a cost.  It not only kills cancer cells, but also all fast-growing cells and damages nerves in the body.  It’s a bit like using chemicals to try to burn off your right ear while leaving your left ear intact.

Some of the side-effects of chemotherapy include low blood cell counts, fatigue and chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).

CIPN sympoms include nerve damage, loss of sensation, and even severe pain in the hands, fingers and feet of cancer patients.

The American Cancer Society says that CIPN can even cause more serious problems like changes in your heart rate, blood pressure, dangerous falls, trouble breathing, paralysis and even organ failure. In many cases the pain caused by CIPN is permanent and can cripple the lives of cancer survivors 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Another study this week shows that many women who have chemotherapy are at higher risk of ending up unemployed 4 years after diagnosis.

The cure, is often more feared, then the disease itself.

Beam me up Scotty? Lazarus: the first device to prevent and reverse chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

Now it seems there may be a device that can prevent and reverse the effects of CIPN and some of the other side-effects of chemotherapy.  Better still, it does it using low-level laser technology, without chemicals or radiation.  The Lazarus device from Photetica sounds like something out of a science-fiction (or Biblical) B-movie, because it looks simple, but promises to deliver.  The only hitch?  It’s currently not approved by the FDA and is seeking funds for trials through crowdfunding.

Mastectomy #8D: When disaster strikes (Part 4) … nerve tests

Preface – Why I write about my mastectomy. 

Yep, been there … done that …

Before my mastectomy, in the search for reassurance, I scoured the internet for first person experiences.  

Some of the posts I read left me reeling, and thinking “there but for the Grace of God …”.  

And yet I read on, devouring the suffering (just as passers-by rubber-neck a traffic accident), because it was strangely addictive, a bit like porn (except no one deliberately goes through a mastectomy to make money!)

[I never thought that I would someday join this group of exclusive women in providing my own personal horror story.]