Bibliography - By Topic
Abscopal Effect (click for more info)
Addiction
Article - Preventing Drug Addiction in Cancer Patients
Including treatment and support resources... "Cancer doesn’t have to define you or steal your joy, and you don’t have to be a slave to addiction. If you’re seeking help for drug or alcohol addiction, or a co-occurring mental health disorder (depression, anxiety, eating disorder, etc.), you can find it at The Recovery Village®. Lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and there’s no obligation to enroll in treatment. So whether you’re ready to receive treatment or just need a listening ear, we’re here for you."
https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/resources/cancer-patients/
Amygdalin
Study - The anti-cancer effect of amygdalin on human cancer cell lines.
"Our findings suggest that amygdalin might have an anticancer effect due to the various gene expressions in A549, MCF7, and AGS human cancer cells, showing it's potential as a natural therapeutic anticancer drug."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30725348
Angiogenesis
The Angiogenesis Foundation
Article - Tumor Angiogenesis as a Target for Dietary Cancer Prevention
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184418/
Article - Antiangiogenesis in the Treatment of Skin Cancer (Vincent W. Li MD MBA, William W. Li MD)
(on the mechanism of cancer spreading in skin cancer and conventional methods used to treat it)
https://angio.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/pdfs/Li.LiJDD08.pdf
Antioxidants
Study: 'Do the dietary supplements epigallocatechin gallate or vitamin e cause a radiomodifying response on tumors in vivo? A pilot study with murine breast carcinoma." (Is it safe to take antioxidants during radiation?)
EGCG slowed tumor growth rate by 10%. EGCG and VE slowed tumor regrowth by 24 to 25%... Normal tissues were protected from late radiation effects (autoamputations) in the VE group. VE and EGCG increased tumor cell apoptosis and decreased tumor cell proliferation but had no effect on microvessel density. In this pilot study, neither VE nor EGCG exerted a significant radiomodifying effect on the MCa-IV tumor. Nonetheless, the suggestion of a small degree of tumor radioprotection by these antioxidant compounds warrants further research.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17309809
Article: Should Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy Be Prescribed Antioxidants? (By Ralph Moss, PhD)
"In September 2005, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians published a warning by Gabriella D’Andrea, MD, against the concurrent use of antioxidants with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, several deficiencies of the CA article soon became apparent, not least the selective omission of prominent studies that contradicted the author’s conclusions... A blanket rejection of the concurrent use of antioxidants with chemotherapy is not justified by the preponderance of evidence at this time and serves neither the scientific community nor cancer patients."
However, I (Bailey) add, it appears that the evidence available cannot definitively prove that antioxidant supplements can be used without interfering with chemotherapy or radiation. Caution should be exercised and patients should speak to their doctor or other medical professional before taking antioxidant supplements concurrently with chemo or radiation.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1534735405285882 or https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1534735405285882 (full-text)
Artemisinin
Arthritis (click for more info)
Bacteria and Cancer (click for more info)
Biopsies (click for more info)
Blue Zones
"The Danish Twin Study1 established that only about 20% of how long the average person lives is dictated by our genes, whereas the other 80% is dictated by our lifestyle. In 2004, Dan Buettner, CEO of Blue Zones LLC, was determined to uncover the specific aspects of lifestyle and environment that led to longevity.
By teaming up with National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging, Dan and his team, found the 5 demographically confirmed, geographically defined areas with the highest percentage of centenarians (Loma Linda, CA, USA; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; seen in Figure 1). These 5 areas were located using epidemiological data, statistics, birth certificates, and other research. These areas were dubbed Blue Zones, where people reach age 100 at 10 times greater rates than in the United States. Once these areas were established, they sent in a team of anthropologists, demographers, epidemiologists, and researchers to identify the lifestyle characteristics that might explain longevity. They found that the lifestyles of all Blue Zones residents shared 9 specific characteristics. These are called the Power 9."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6125071/
Broccoli Sprouts
Budwig Diet
Article: The Budwig Diet and Cancer— Separating Flax from Fiction.
"Basic science suggests that flaxseed could have a very positive effect on cancer. Yet clinical research of flax in human cancer patients is almost entirely lacking... Long ago, as a member of the first advisory board of the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), I fought to get the U.S. government to research the alternatives that were of interest to cancer patients. But, then and now, the NIH has not shown much interest in seriously examining popular alternatives.
As a result, they can truthfully say that such treatment has not been studied! They often state this as a criticism of proponents, rather than as a confession of their own failure to pursue promising leads."
Candida
Colombian Essential Oil of Ruta graveolens against Nosocomial Antifungal Resistant Candida Strains
"Time-kill kinetics assay demonstrated that REO showed a fungicidal effect against C. tropicalis and a fungistatic effect against C. albicans. In addition, an amount of 40% of the biofilm formed by C. albicans was eradicated using 8.2 µg/mL of REO after 1 h of exposure. The synergistic effect of REO together with some antifungal compounds was also investigated. Fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICI) showed synergic effects of REO combined with amphotericin B."
Search for an organic source.
Ruta graveolens is also available as a homeopathic remedy, which you can obtain from a homeopathic practitioner, health food store or Hahnemann Laboratory.
I would however caution using it if you're trying to get pregnant: "These plants have been used to fertility regulation, as anti-fertility agent, to control menstrual flux and bleedings, as abortifacient and as contraceptive."
Genus Ruta: A natural source of high value products with biological and pharmacological properties
Cat's Claw
Study - Antitumoral and antioxidant effects of a hydroalcoholic extract of cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa) (Willd. Ex Roem. & Schult) in an in vivo carcinosarcoma
modelhttps://www.academia.edu/17055869/Antitumoral_and_antioxidant_effects_of_a_hydroalcoholic_extract_of_cats_claw_Uncaria_tomentosa_Willd._Ex_Roem._and_Schult_in_an_in_vivo_carcinosarcoma_model
Checkpoint Inhibitors
Article - Thymic hyperplasia following double immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in two patients with stage IV melanoma.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajco.13233
"These are the first described cases of true thymic hyperplasia following combination immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for metastatic melanoma. We hypothesize that the true thymic hyperplasia in these cases results from initial lymphocyte depletion caused by intense corticosteroid therapy followed by rebound thymic hyperplasia during the period of relative hypocortisolism, which may have been aggravated by the onset of secondary hypoadrenalism."
Chemotherapy
My personal stance is that there are times when chemotherapy may be appropriate, such as if alternatives were tried and the cancer growth did not slow down and if it used via IPT (insulin potentiation therapy) in which the chemo is given in lower doses, and in combination with other complementary therapies such as major diet and lifestyle modifications, IV therapies and/or fasting. With that said, cancer researcher Ralph Moss discusses the downfalls of chemotherapy used in conventional settings in the following article:
When Chemo Kills: The Inside Story
https://www.mossreports.com/when-chemo-kills/?mc_cid=465d7d18ad&mc_eid=e293c3acbf
Coffee Enemas
Article - Scientific Basis of Coffee Enemas (from the Gerson Institute)
https://gerson.org/pdfs/How_Coffee_Enemas_Work.pdf
Case report - Coffee enema induced acute colitis
I don't often hear of any negative side effects from coffee enemas but this article (in Korean language) provides some information on its potential negative effects. References are in English, and some are not related to coffee enemas themselves but barium, saline and hydrogen peroxide enemas.
Coley's Toxins (click for more info)
Copaiba Essential Oil
Article - Improvement of Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Dysfunction by β-Caryophyllene: A Focus on the Nervous System
"As a selective cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonist, several studies have reported it as possessing numerous pharmacological activities such as antibacterial (e.g., Helicobacter pylori), antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic (e.g., neuropathic pain), anti-neurodegenerative and anticancer properties."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33915950/
COVID-19 (click for more info)
Danger Model (click for more info)
Dietary Fats
Article - Metabolic Endotoxemia: The Link Between the Chronic Diseases and the Saturated Fats You Want to Avoid
https://medium.com/@Kahn642/metabolic-endotoxemia-the-link-between-the-chronic-diseases-and-the-saturated-fats-you-want-to-eda04c8623e4
Drug-Herb Interactions
Integrative Therapeutics' "Drug-Nutrients Interactions"
https://www.integrativepro.com/Resources/Drug-Nutrient-Interaction-Checker
Memorial Sloan Kettering's "About Herbs, Botanicals & Other Products"
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs
Epstein Barr Virus
Study - Epstein–Barr virus-associated lymphomas
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5597738/pdf/rstb20160271.pdf
Estrogen
Study - Green tea intake is associated with urinary estrogen profiles in Japanese-American women
Conclusions: Findings suggest that intake of green tea may modify estrogen metabolism or conjugation and in this way may influence breast cancer risk.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3584908/pdf/1475-2891-12-25.pdf
Essential Oils (click for more info)
Exercise
Fasting
Study - Flipping the Metabolic Switch: Understanding and Applying the Health Benefits of Fasting
Medical Supervision for Fasting
An article from the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine states a few interesting things:
"Fasting may also protect patients against the harmful side effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Fasting for up to five days, followed by a normal diet prior to treatment may reduce side effects from treatment, without causing chronic weight loss or interfering with the therapeutic effect of treatment."
"A small study (n=6) reported a reduction in fatigue, weakness, and gastrointestinal side effects, compared to receiving chemotherapy without fasting.5 As shown in Figure 2, the trend for a reduction of many additional side effects was also reported by the group of patients who always fasted before chemotherapy."
"If you are a cancer patient, water fasting 2-3 days prior to treatment and up to one day following treatment to optimize the efficacy of treatment and reduce treatment-related side effects may be considered, but only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner."
Here's an alternative to fasting, taken from Chris Wark's interview with Dr. Valter Longo: "The ProLon Fasting Mimicking Diet developed by Dr. Longo and his team is the result of 20 years and $26 million in research. Long time readers of this blog know I am a big fan of 3-5 water fasting. If you are intimidated by or unable to do a 3-5 day water fast, the ProLon FMD is a 5-day, plant-based, calorie-restricted ketogenic diet. It’s the next best thing to water fasting, and for some people it might be better… I’ve done it. I highly recommend it. And I plan to do it again. Learn more here."
Fatigue
Study - Oxygen-ozone therapy as support and palliative therapy in 50 cancer patients with fatigue – A short report
"Patients were treated with Auto Hemotransfusion (GAE) according to the SIOOT (Scientific Society of Oxygen Ozone Therapy) protocols, two times a week for one month and then twice monthly as maintenance therapy... No side effects were found, and 35 patients (70%) achieved a significant improvement (> 50%) of the symptoms. Our preliminary data demonstrate that ozone therapy is a valid supportive therapy for fatigue in cancer patients, both during cancer therapy and in a palliative setting with no significant side effects."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28849547
Fiber
Study - Fat, fibre and cancer risk in African Americans and rural Africans
https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms7342.pdf
Frankincense
Article - Frankincense Oil Kills Chemo-Resistant Cancer Cells Without Damaging Healthy Cells, Studies Show
https://returntonow.net/2019/03/21/frankincense-oil-kills-chemo-resistant-cancer-cells-without-damaging-healthy-cells-studies-show/
Gadolinium
Article - Gadolinium-based contrast agent toxicity: a review of known and proposed mechanisms
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4879157/
"Unequivocal data regarding the effects of multiple GBCA exposure are limited. However, the information regarding the thermodynamic stability constants for GBCAs, in vitro, animal, and human data, and the emerging data regarding gadolinium tissue accumulation in those with normal kidney function indicate that the potential toxicity associated with GBCA must be seriously and urgently considered. This concept must be addressed with retrospective and prospective cohort studies. Research providing additional mechanistic data is also paramount and will provide valuable information regarding how to prevent GBCA-related toxicity, treat existing GBCA-related health issues, guide the use of existing GBCAs, and direct the design of safer MRI contrast agents."
Garlic
Study - The Influence of Heating on the Anticancer Properties of Garlic
"Allyl sulfur compounds are the major active constituents found in crushed garlic. Research has revealed that garlic and its lipid- or water-soluble components have many pharmacologic properties; however, studies also demonstrate that heating has a negative influence on these beneficial effects... These studies suggest that heating destroyed garlic's active allyl sulfur compound formation, which may relate to its anticancer properties."
https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/131/3/1054S/4687116
Gerson Therapy
Gerson Matzinger - Practice of Gerson’s diet therapy in neoplastic diseases: A tissue-centric nutritional immunotherapy that anticipated Matzinger’s Danger Model with its tissue-based effector class control
http://gerson-research.org/wp-content/uploads/Gerson-Matzinger.pdf
Glyphosate
Study - Glyphosate Induces Human Breast Cancer Cells Growth via Estrogen Receptors
"Several recent studies showed its potential adverse health effects to humans as it may be an endocrine disruptor. Glyphosate exerted proliferative effects only in human hormone-dependent breast cancer, T47D cells, but not in hormone-independent breast cancer, MDA-MB231 cells, at 10⁻¹² to 10⁻⁶M in estrogen withdrawal condition. The proliferative concentrations of glyphosate that induced the activation of estrogen response element (ERE) transcription activity were 5-13 fold of control in T47D-KBluc cells and this activation was inhibited by an estrogen antagonist, ICI 182780, indicating that the estrogenic activity of glyphosate was mediated via ERs. Furthermore, glyphosate also altered both ERα and β expression... These results indicated that low and environmentally relevant concentrations of glyphosate possessed estrogenic activity."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23756170-glyphosate-induces-human-breast-cancer-cells-growth-via-estrogen-receptors/?from_term=roundup+cancer&from_pos=10
Green Tea
Study - Green tea intake is associated with urinary estrogen profiles in Japanese-American women
Conclusions: Findings suggest that intake of green tea may modify estrogen metabolism or conjugation and in this way may influence breast cancer risk.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3584908/pdf/1475-2891-12-25.pdf
HHV-6 (click to see PowerPoint presentation)
Hyperthermia
Article - Temperature Matters! And Why it Should Matter to Tumor Immunologists
"These discoveries suggest that mild hyperthermia may be an effective noninvasive strategy for manipulating the tumor microenvironment in specific ways that could enhance immunotherapy... A major concept being explored by researchers in Thermal Medicine is that application of heat to a specific region of the body (in the absence of fever) may result in a significant counter reaction aimed at restoring the normal temperature of the affected region. These counter reactions might alter the physiology of the tumor microenvironment, altering the immune response. Importantly, fever and hyperthermia share a dependence upon activation of heat shock factor 1, (HSF-1) (14) suggesting a common stress induced pathway could account for some of the similar effects of each process on the immune response.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24490177
Study - Hyperthermia enhances photodynamic therapy by regulation of HCP1 and ABCG2 expressions via high level ROS generation.
Hyperthermia increases the cytotoxic effects of photodynamic therapy.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6367329/
Article - Where to get photodynamic therapy:
https://www.roswellpark.org/patients/treatment-services/innovative-treatments/photodynamic-therapy
Study - Biofunctionalization of magnetite nanoparticles with stevioside: effect on the size and thermal behaviour for use in hyperthermia applications
Stevia compound-coated nanomagnets help increase efficacy of hyperthermia in killing rat glioma cells.
"Our finding suggests superior properties of stevioside-coated magnetite nanoparticles in comparison to polysorbate-80 and oleic acid coated nanomagnets as far as particle size reduction, biocompatibility, hyperthermic effect, and cellular uptake by the glioblastoma cancer cells are concerned. The stevioside-coated nanomagnets exhibiting the maximum temperature rise were further investigated as heating agents in in vitro magnetic hyperthermia experiments (405 kHz, 168 Oe), showing their efficacy to induce cell death of rat C6 glioma cells after 30 min at a target temperature T = 43 °C."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30729822
Hypophysitis
Review - Immunotherapy and Hypophysitis: Clinical Presentation, Treatment, and Biologic Insights
Hysterectomy
If at all possible I recommend avoiding this procedure because of the increased cardiovascular risk, especially among younger women.
Study - Cardiovascular and Metabolic Morbidity After Hysterectomy With Ovarian Conservation: A Cohort Study
"Results: Over a median follow-up of 21.9 years, women who underwent hysterectomy experienced increased risks of de novo hyperlipidemia (HR 1.14; 95% CI, 1.05-1.25), hypertension (HR 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03-1.25), obesity (HR 1.18; 95% CI, 1.04-1.35), cardiac arrhythmias (HR 1.17; 95% CI, 1.05-1.32), and coronary artery disease (HR 1.33; 95% CI, 1.12-1.58). Women who underwent hysterectomy at age ≤35 years had a 4.6-fold increased risk of congestive heart failure and a 2.5-fold increased risk of coronary artery disease."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29286988-cardiovascular-and-metabolic-morbidity-after-hysterectomy-with-ovarian-conservation-a-cohort-study/?from_term=hysterectomy+hyperlipidemia&from_pos=2
Review - Early and late onset complications of gynaecologic surgery: a multimodality imaging approach
"Correct evaluation of female pelvis after gynaecologic surgery, having in mind the most frequent complications, is based on the correct use of the instruments and on the experience of the examiner, who should be aware of the history of the patient, type of surgery and clinical symptoms for which the exam is required; the clinician should be aware of the possibilities and limits of the different techniques, in order to choose the most appropriate imaging modality and promptly make a correct diagnosis."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5506770/pdf/FVVinObGyn-9-5.pdf
Iodine
Study - Adjuvant Effect of Molecular Iodine in Conventional Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer. Randomized Pilot Study
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6682905/pdf/nutrients-11-01623.pdf
"Our data indicate that supplementation with I2 improves the effectiveness of the treatment, decreasing side effects and increasing disease-free survival specially in advanced conditions (stage III). We also show that iodine supplementation induces tumor re-differentiation and the reactivation of antitumor immune responses. This study establishes a framework for the proposal of a phase III study for the analysis of iodine supplementation in the treatment of advanced breast cancer."
Ki-67
Ki-67: more than a proliferation marker
highly expressed in cycling cells but strongly down-regulated in resting G0 cells
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5945335/
Lupus
Article - Lupus Vulgaris Caused by Mycobacterium bovis
This is a case history of a patient with lupus who was diagnosed later in life despite having had the lesion first appear in childhood. I wonder what caused the disease to start worsening later in life? Was it stress? Something environmental?
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the main causative agent of lupus vulgaris. However, the disease can also be caused by "Mycobacterium bovis or bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), an attenuated strain of M bovis used in vaccines."
Milkweed
Mistletoe Therapy
Study - Active Chinese mistletoe lectin-55 enhances colon cancer surveillance through regulating innate and adaptive immune responses.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18785279 (Full text available at https://www.wjgnet.com/1007-9327/full/v14/i34/5274.htm)
Modified Citrus Pectin
Melanoma:
Studies on Modified Citrus Pectin and melanoma reveal that MCP may reduce the risk of metastasis.
Study - Galectin-3 expressed on different lung compartments promotes organ specific metastasis by facilitating arrest, extravasation and organ colonization via high affinity ligands on melanoma cells.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24952269
"Metastasis could also be inhibited by blocking surface polyLacNAc by pre-incubating cells with truncated galectin-3 (which lacked oligomerization domain) or by feeding mice with modified citrus pectin in drinking water. Overall, these results unequivocally show that polyLacNAc on melanoma cells and galectin-3 on the lungs play a critical role in arrest and extravasation of cells in the lungs and strategies that target these interactions inhibit lung metastasis."
Study - Effects of natural complex carbohydrate (citrus pectin) on murine melanoma cell properties related to galectin-3 functions.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7696855
"We reported previously that intravenous injection of B16-F1 murine melanoma cells with CP or MCP into syngeneic mice resulted in a significant increase or decrease of lung colonization, respectively (Platt D, Raz A (1992) J Natl Cancer Inst 84:438-42). Here we studied the effects of these polysaccharides on cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions mediated by carbohydrate-recognition. MCP, but not CP, inhibited B16-F1 melanoma cells adhesion to laminin and asialofetuin-induced homotypic aggregation. Both polysaccharides inhibited anchorage-independent growth of B16-F1 cells in semisolid medium, i.e. agarose. These results indicate that carbohydrate-recognition by cell surface galectin-3 may be involved in cell-extracellular matrix interaction and play a role in anchorage-independent growth as well as the in vivo embolization of tumour cells."
Study - Modulation of the lung colonization of B16-F1 melanoma cells by citrus pectin.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1538421
"Successful interference with such a process with MCP may lead to a reduced ability to form tumor cell emboli and metastasis."
MRI
I did some research on this a little while ago and found some other interesting articles, one of which states that iron chelates may be used to replace gadolinium as a contrast agent...
Article - Diagnostic value of alternative techniques to gadolinium-based contrast agents in MR neuroimaging-a comprehensive overview.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/31444580/?i=3&from=gadolinium%20kidney
Gadolinium has resulted in kidney toxicity.
Article - Gadolinium Retention and Toxicity-An Update.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28501075
Study - Gadolinium-Based MRI Contrast Agents Induce Mitochondrial Toxicity and Cell Death in Human Neurons, and Toxicity Increases With Reduced Kinetic Stability of the Agent.
"Conclusions: In human neurons modeling a subset of those in the basal ganglia, these results demonstrate a toxic effect of gadolinium-containing MRI contrast agents on mitochondrial respiratory function and cell viability. Toxicity increases as agent concentration increases and as the kinetic stability of the agent decreases."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31265439
Article - Low-Molecular-Weight Iron Chelates May Be an Alternative to Gadolinium-based Contrast Agents for T1-weighted Contrast-enhanced MR Imaging.
"Conclusion: Iron-based contrast agents are promising as alternatives for contrast enhancement at T1-weighted MR imaging and have the potential to contribute to the safety of MR imaging."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28880786
Article, Science to Practice: Will Gadolinium Chelates Be Replaced by Iron Chelates in MR Imaging?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29356647
Full-text: https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/10.1148/radiol.2017172305?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3Dpubmed
Mucositis
Study - Adjunctive Treatments for the Prevention of Chemotherapy- and Radiotherapy-Induced Mucositis
"There is plausible clinical evidence for the administration of several adjunctive treatments for the prevention and treatment of mucositis. Probiotics were reported to reduce the burden of intestinal mucositis and treatment-induced diarrhea. Activated charcoal and glutamine are beneficial for chemotherapy-induced diarrhea, whereas the administration of honey, zinc, and glutamine reduce the risk of developing oral mucositis during chemotherapy or radiotherapy."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30136590/
Muscle Spasms
Wound Phototherapy
Low-level light therapy has received device clearance in the United States for cosmetic improvement of aging or sun-damaged skin, acne, actinic keratoses, non-melanoma skin cancer, improving circulation, and decreasing pain as well as stiffness and muscle spasm. It has been used for dental, dermatologic, neurologic, and chiropractic conditions in Canada, Europe, and Asia for several years.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33166263/
Niacin
I found something very interesting about niacin and skin cancer! 500mg niacin helped with DNA repair due to sun exposure and reduced the incidence of nonmelanoma skin cancers in this study!! Nicotinamide for skin cancer chemoprevention. Just be careful with niacin because even 50mg can give a person a really good niacin flush!!
One would take it daily, without stopping. The study showed that stopping the niacin stopped the cancer preventive effect:
"Relative reductions in new skin cancers were noted as early as 3 months into the intervention period, but the chemopreventive effects of nicotinamide were rapidly lost post-intervention; skin cancer incidence in the 6-months’ post-intervention was identical in the placebo and nicotinamide arms.2 Hence, nicotinamide most likely acts to slow the progression of already initiated cancer cells."
As for the dose it's not very clear, it could be 250mg, 500mg or 1g daily that could work. There have been studies on various doses but with differing durations of time.
"Optimum nicotinamide dosing
The ONTRAC study used nicotinamide 500 mg twice daily, chosen because this dose resulted in a slightly greater and more rapid reduction in AK compared with 500 mg once daily in our phase 2 AK studies.46 Our earlier UV immunosuppression studies, however, found comparable protection afforded by 500 mg once daily and thrice daily, although these were studies in healthy Mantoux-positive participants with intervention for only 7 days.30 The optimum long-term nicotinamide dose for skin cancer chemoprevention is not known. It may be that 500 mg or even 250 mg daily provides similar efficacy as the 1 g daily dose used in ONTRAC. There was no correlation between participants’ bodyweight and the chemopreventive effectiveness of a 1 g daily dose (i.e., no detectable reduction in efficacy in patients with a higher bodyweight), implying that chemopreventive efficacy may have been saturated at 500 mg twice daily and that lower doses may also be effective. As yet, there are no data comparing the efficacy or tolerability of a single 1 g daily dose to a divided dose of 500 mg twice daily, as was used and found to be well-tolerated in the ONTRAC study.2 Blood NAD levels following a 500 mg nicotinamide dose in healthy volunteers were previously noted to return to baseline within 90 min of dosing30 (suggesting that divided dosing may be more appropriate) although it may be that a steady state for NAD levels in the skin can be achieved with repeated dosing."
N-Acetyl Cysteine
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2004/8/aas
Opdivo
Potential side effects: https://www.opdivo.com/about-opdivo/side-effects
"Hypophysitis is a rare condition which involves the acute or chronic inflammation of the pituitary gland or pituitary stalk. The most common form is lymphocytic hypophysitis which is believed to be an autoimmune disorder."
Ozone
Study - The antiproliferative effects of cold atmospheric plasma-activated media on different cancer cell lines, the implication of ozone as a possible underlying mechanism.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30387137
P53
The greater the p53 abnormalities, the more progressed it is.
Angiogenesis, p53, bcl-2 and Ki-67 in the progression of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy
The overwhelming bulk of evidence suggests that the frequency of p53 abnormalities does increase with disease progression and is highest in tissues from patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10325496/
PABA
[Appears to act as an antiviral and antibiotic agent. Was recommended to me by Dr. Anna Pavlick, MD from NYU Langone Cancer Center when she discovered it killed melanoma cells in her lab.]
Study - Modulation of chemotherapy with para-amino benzoic acid (PABA): Translation from preclinical models to a completed phase I trial
"We observed inflammatory responses in responding cutaneous lesions." (which could be a good thing! This often happens during Coley's toxins injections
https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/jco.2005.23.16_suppl.7557
Study - Production of Antifungal p-Aminobenzoic Acid in Lysobacter antibioticus OH13.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b05084/suppl_file/jf7b05084_si_001.pdf
Study - The folate precursor para-aminobenzoic acid elicits induced resistance against Cucumber mosaic virus and Xanthomonas axonopodis.
"Unexpectedly, fruit yield was increased in PABA-treated plants, indicating that PABA-mediated SAR successfully protected pepper plants from infection by bacterial and viral pathogens without significant fitness allocation costs."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23471007
Pain
Study - Antihyperalgesic effects of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera root extract) in rat models of postoperative and neuropathic pain.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28849547
Pancreatic Enzymes (click for more info)
Pandemic (click for more info)
PEMF (click for more info)
PET Scans
Study - The ability of positron emission tomography/computed tomography to detect synchronous colonic cancers in patients with obstructive colorectal cancer.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30931111
Study - The value of using fludeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography scan with respect to colorectal abnormalities-a cross-sectional study.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30788152
Photodynamic Therapy
Article - Where to get photodynamic therapy:
https://www.roswellpark.org/patients/treatment-services/innovative-treatments/photodynamic-therapy
Study - Hyperthermia enhances photodynamic therapy by regulation of HCP1 and ABCG2 expressions via high level ROS generation.
Hyperthermia increases the cytotoxic effects of photodynamic therapy.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6367329/
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
Article - Polyethylene glycol: a game-changer laxative for children
PEG is now commonly used as a laxative in children worldwide for constipation.
Phytochemicals
Article - Potential Synergy of Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention: Mechanism of Action (Rui Hai Liu)
https://bit.ly/2TOJ4k3
Radiation Therapy
Curcumin can protect the body from inflammatory damage caused by radiation!!
Pneumonitis is a concern when it comes to Opdivo treatments, according to this article published in 2017 in China:
[Immune-related Pneumonitis Caused by Programmed death-1 Inhibitor Pembrolizumab: A Case Report and Literature Review]
"The common clinical manifestations were dyspnea, cough, fever and other immune-related damages. And about 20% patients had no symptoms... Adequate steroid and tapering slowly is the standard treatment. Immunosuppressive agents could be added in some serious cases. The prognosis was relatively good. Most patients were alleviated."
I thought that maybe curcumin could alleviate pneumonitis from Opdivo treatments the same way it reduces pneumonitis after radiation. Given that the cytokine IL-4 is involved in radiation-induced pneumonitis, I postulated that pneumonitis from Opdivo could also be related to activity of IL-4. However, according to this study, levels of IL-4 were below the detection level of the test (ELISA).
Study - Curcumin Mitigates Radiation-induced Lung Pneumonitis and Fibrosis in Rats
The cytokine IL-4 is proposed to be involved in radiation lung injury. In the study, rats received radiation to the chest and levels of IL-4 were subsequently measured and found to be increased after radiation treatments. There was also a great increase in pneumonitis and fibrosis. Treatment with curcumin however downregulated the expression of IL-4 in the rats and could possibly prevent or reduce pneumonitis and fibrosis in people receiving radiation to the lung area.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6709933/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19721902/
Review - Relationship and interactions of curcumin with radiation therapy
Curcumin is widely thought to be neuroprotective; its high consumption is associated with minimal rates of several neurodegenerative diseases in India, which is backed by convincing experimental evidence of such[90]. Pre-RT administration of curcumin was able to improve results in post-RT spatial/memory functional tests (Morris water maze) in mice administered carbon ion RT (high biologically effective dose owing to the heavy particle size)[91]. Furthermore, histologically-apparent neuropathological changes were also present between both groups. Hence, if other research can confirm these results, it will not be difficult to design clinical trials examining learning/memory tests in patients undergoing whole-brain RT with or without curcumin.
Curcumin can also protect lymphocytes, the most RT-susceptible blood cell, especially when radiating bony lesions (marrow) in patients[92].
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4896895/
Study - Selenium does not affect radiosensitivity of breast cancer cell lines.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31201502
"The data suggest that physiological relevant selenium concentrations administered in combination with radiation therapy do not deteriorate the efficacy of radiotherapy in breast cancer patients."
Article - Tumor Microenvironment as A “Game Changer” in Cancer Radiotherapy
"Low doses [of radiation therapy, RT] slightly activate the antitumor response, without significant impact on the cancer blood vessels, which does not damage the entire tumor. High doses activate the antitumor immune response but also cause destruction, with huge regions of hypoxia that trigger renewal processes that lead to a regrowth of the tumor. In both cases, cancer may recur. Therefore, further studies investigating the effect of dose and RT schema on the TME [tumor microenvironment] are necessary. The acquired knowledge should be used to develop a treatment regimen that will destroy cancer cells and use the surrounding environment to effectively fight cancer. The key is to understand that TME is a “game changer” in the RT fight against cancer. Ignoring this information leads to therapy failure. Following these may lead to designing an effective combination therapy—radiotherapy with drugs that will prevent the unwanted, negative changes occurring in the tumor microenvironment. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/13/3212/htm
Soy
Soy may help prevent metastasis and angiogenesis in melanoma.
Pooling all comparisons, soy food intake after diagnosis was associated with reduced mortality and recurrence. Pooling the comparisons of highest vs. lowest dose, soy food intake after diagnosis was again associated with reduced mortality and recurrence. Subgroup analysis of ER status showed that soy food intake was associated with reduced mortality in both ER negative and ER positive patients, and both premenopausal and postmenopausal patients. In addition, soy food intake was associated with reduced recurrence in ER negative and ER+/PR+, and postmenopausal patients. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis showed that soy food intake might be associated with better survival, especially for ER negative, ER+/ PR+, and postmenopausal patients.
http://journal.waocp.org/article_27665_fc0b15f47675e24cb667928541889c5e.pdf
Study - Influence of soy isoflavones in breast cancer angiogenesis: a multiplex glass ELISA approach
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330202434_Influence_of_soy_isoflavones_in_breast_cancer_angiogenesis_a_multiplex_glass_ELISA_approach
Soy isoflavones may have a positive anti-angiogenic effect in estrogen-independent breast cancer but increase the risk of angiogenesis and spread of estrogen-positive breast cancer.
Study - Soyasapogenol B exhibits anti-growth and anti-metastatic activities in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30607469
Study - Soy Isoflavones exert beneficial effects on letrozole-induced rat polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) model through anti-androgenic mechanism
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6130471/
Study - Soy Isoflavone Supplementation Increases Long Interspersed Nucleotide Element-1 (LINE-1) Methylation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30862188
"Soy isoflavones [maybe] potential chemopreventive agents in HNSCC."
Study - Genistein Protects H9c2 Cardiomyocytes against Chemical Hypoxia-Induced Injury via Inhibition of Apoptosis.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30808828
The authors don't state this, but I wonder if one could infer from the findings of this study that soy protects the heart from chemotherapy-induced heart damage?
Study - Effect of soy isoflavones on breast cancer recurrence and death for patients receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2988534/
"High dietary intake of soy isoflavones was associated with lower risk of recurrence among post-menopausal patients with breast cancer positive for estrogen and progesterone receptor and those who were receiving anastrozole as endocrine therapy."
Study - Use of dietary supplements containing soy isoflavones and breast cancer risk among women aged >50 y: a prospective study.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30831601
Results suggest that soy-based supplements may increase risk of breast cancer recurrence in ER-negative breast cancer and women with a family history of breast cancer.
Stem Cells (cancer stem cells)
Review article - Cancer stem cell metabolism: a potential target for cancer therapy
"CSCs, being in a dormant state, make it difficult for most anti-cancer drugs that target only proliferative tumour cells.
https://molecular-cancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12943-016-0555-x
Sulforaphane
Review - The role of Sulforaphane in cancer chemoprevention and health benefits: a mini-review
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5842175/pdf/12079_2017_Article_401.pdf
Supplements
Article - Herb-Drug Interactions (from MSKCC)
https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/diagnosis-treatment/symptom-management/integrative-medicine/herbs/search
Thermography
Study - [Possibilities of contact chromatic thermography in the diagnosis of lung cancer].
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2034079#targetText=Thermographic%20results%20were%20analyzed%20in,surface%20of%20lung%20cancer%20patients.
Vitamin C
I refer to these two protocols for high doses of vitamin C at home (when you can't get to a clinic if you want IV C):
from Chris Wark https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/high-dose-vitamin-c-protocol-for-cancer/
and Dr. Thomas Levy https://www.peakenergy.com/articles/nh20140311/Reversing-disease-with-the-'multi-C'-protocol
Vitamin D
Some people have trouble absorbing vitamin D. In searching for a reason why, I found that Dr. Jockers has a great article on vitamin D resistance. Vitamin D Resistance and Autoimmunity
https://drjockers.com/vitamin-d-resistance-and-autoimmunity/?ck_subscriber_id=790503286
There may be a genetic mutation to explain why a person is not absorbing vitamin D very well. Vitamin A deficiency can be a cause.... and magnesium deficiency and parathyroid imbalance can play a role as well.
I also found this review article, which is interesting...
Intestinal absorption of vitamin D: a systematic review
It states: "Factors that modified cholesterol absorption also altered vitamin D absorption." If someone has high cholesterol and low vitamin D, I wonder if there is an inverse relationship there? I reached out to the authors to try to get the full text of the article to find out more about it.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29025082/
Intestinal absorption of vitamin D: a systematic review
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29025082/
Pure North Article - Vitamin D: The Facts - Scientific Evidence
https://purenorth.ca/research/vitamin-d-the-facts/
Role of Magnesium in Vitamin D Activation and Function
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29480918/
Magnesium assists in the activation of vitamin D.
White Matter Lesions
Review - Classification of white matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging in the elderly
We have reviewed the distinctions between periventricular white matter lesions and deep white matter lesions in terms of etiology, histopathology, functional correlates, and imaging methodologies. We suggest a new sub-classification of white matter lesions which may have better etiological and functional relevance than the current simple dichotomization. The new categories are juxtaventricular, periventricular, deep white, and juxtacortical. This new classification scheme may contribute to reducing the heterogeneity of white matter lesion findings in future research.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2593803/pdf/nihms64612.pdf