Ovarian Cancer

Selected cases for sharing

CASE 1 – Miss VF (Ovarian)

In January of 2012, Miss VF, a 20-year-old lady who presented with stage 3c ovarian cancer, illustrates well this option of integrative treatment. Having consulted several gynae-oncologists who had all advocated a radical surgery followed by 6 cycles of chemotherapy, she and her parents could not come to terms with the prospect of losing her reproductive potential yet with only around 35% chance of a 5-year survival. Her tumour markers (CA125 of 33,000) were grossly elevated and at her request we undertook a conservative debulking surgery where the main tumor in left ovary (15cm) and other macroscopic disease in peritoneum and lymph nodes were removed. She received a holistic treatment under the metabolic treatment protocol.

A little over 8 weeks later, her tumor markers had completely normalized and she was in excellent health. She has since married, has two lovely children and has remained cancer free till today, more than 10 years since primary surgery.

In this situation, we have used the powerful effects of reversing cancer as an adjuvant allowing a fertility sparing surgery. The patient was well aware that, if the initial approach did not bear the intended results, she would have required additional surgery and chemotherapy. Fortunately, she did not require those options to be exercised. One frequent argument has been the dangers of delaying chemotherapy. This is of course a genuine concern and could be a problem in a very small number of cancers. In our experience over the last 10 years involving hundreds of patients, this risk did not materialize in the vast majority of patients. On the contrary, it has also been observed that prior treatment with high dose nutrient supplements and nutritional optimization has resulted in a better response to chemotherapy and thereby necessitating lowered total dose of chemotherapy.

CASE 2 – MDM. TM 31YO)– Ovarian cancer during pregnancy

Madam TM was a 31-year-old newly married Doctor who was detected to have ovarian cancer during a routine check-up in early pregnancy. She was eight weeks pregnant at the time of diagnosis. Mdm. TM wanted to preserve fertility and save the pregnancy if possible and only consented for an oophorectomy to be carried out.  As per her request a laparoscopic oophorectomy and omental sampling was carried out.

She recovered well from the surgery but unfortunately, she had a miscarriage two weeks later. Histopathological examination confirmed a stage 1C serious papillary adenocarcinoma of the ovary. She was offered chemotherapy but she and her husband who is also a doctor declined. She was therefore treated using the DRV protocol and by eight weeks after the surgery we were able to document remission. She was on very close monitoring and follow-up and remained cancer free and two years after surgery she conceived a pregnancy and went on to have a normal childbirth.

It is now six years and since her surgery she has remained cancer free and in normal health.

Discussion Ovarian cancer is one of the dreaded diseases in young women as conventional treatment would require both surgical removal of uterus and ovaries as well as subsequent chemotherapy. This undoubtedly would result in the young woman being rendered sterile for the rest of her life and enter menopause at early age.
Using the DRV protocol and metabolic management we were able to offer this young doctor an opportunity to realize her dream of having children. This is therefore an option to be considered in young women in the reproductive age group provided they are adequately counselled, and close monitoring can be carried out.

CASE 3 – Madam LA (Ovarian)

In 2016 Madam LA, a 43-year-old business executive presented with a huge stage 4 ovarian cancer, complicated by marked ascites, and widespread peritoneal metastasis. At Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, she was offered a neoadjuvant chemotherapy of three cycles to be followed by debulking surgery and a further three cycles of chemotherapy post-operatively. She could not accept this, and sought a second opinion at HUKM, and there too she was given the same treatment options.

At this point, not satisfied with what she perceived to be drastic therapies, she undertook self-directed treatment, with guidance from alternative practitioners, and through her own research of internet resources. Over a course of three months, interestingly, through a hodgepodge of therapies she showed dramatic improvements in the clinical situation, with markedly reduced ascites and declining tumour markers. At the end of three months though, the tumour markers started again on the uptrend, at which point she presented to our treatment centre.

Certainly, she had residual cancer, but the extent of the disease was markedly reduced compared to her first diagnosis. Having educated her on the possibilities of an integrative approach, she consented to a debulking surgery. Surprisingly, the disease volume was dramatically less compared to the findings documented (CT scan) at the initial presentation. There was bowel involvement, and liver involvement. A hysterectomy and removal of the ovaries, and removal of the bulky tumors without sacrificing bowel function was performed. Post-operatively she received peritoneal alkalinization, high dose IVC, high dose amygdalin and nutritional and lifestyle counselling.

However, four weeks after surgery the tumor markers had still not normalized, and at this juncture, the patient was persuaded to add a limited use of chemotherapy. A single agent Carboplatin with the concurrent use of IVC protocol was instituted. She responded very well, and her tumor markers normalized after a single dose of Carboplatin. She declined further chemotherapy and opted to continue with the healing strategies that we use at our treatment centre. Follow-up over five years has shown her to be in complete remission with no recurrences.

Widening surgical options.

In the traditional setting, complete extirpation of the cancer is a much-cherished goal.  In the situations where this is not possible (eg. in advanced ovarian cancer), optimal debulking becomes a secondary goal. This is premised on the outcome associated with subsequent chemotherapy where residual cancer less than 1-2cm has shown better responses. This unfortunately leads to radical surgery that entails removal of segments or variable portions of normal organs. This obviously contributes to increased morbidity as well as organ hypofunction which in the long term could be detrimental to health. This approach is undertaken as by and large, chemotherapy is the only adjuvant therapeutic tool available at the disposal of the oncologists to deal with widespread residual disease.

From an integrative perspective, the availability of healing therapies adds another option which can be offered as an adjuvant to surgery. Chemotherapy and other ‘targeted’ therapies remains an option if such interventions do not yield the desired results.