Prevenire e contrastarre le conseguenze dannose derivanti dalla rimozione
chirurgica di un tumore con due sostanze dal costo di pochi euro.
(Quindi, in caso di escissione di tumori, sarebbe bene iniziare ad assumere questi due integratori (Citrus Pecrtina e Cimetidina), nelle dosi efficaci, e continuarli per almeno due anni di continuo, senza interruzioni, anche se al momento, i medici ospedalieri non ne parlano e non sono adottate prescrizioni generalizzate, senza dover necessariamente pensare che dietro ci sia la manovra di grandi multinazionali del farmaco).
Di seguito un articolo di Steven Nemeroff, Oncology Health Advisor, membro della Fondazione per l'aumento delle aspettative di vita.
La rimozione chirurgica dei tumori solidi, se da un lato dispiega efficacia e aumenta la sopravvivenza di molti pazienti, in un sottogruppo di essi, ne accresce la possibilità di metastasi a distanza e molto più aggressive di quanto si osserva nei pazienti non trattati chirurgicamente.
chirurgica di un tumore con due sostanze dal costo di pochi euro.
(Quindi, in caso di escissione di tumori, sarebbe bene iniziare ad assumere questi due integratori (Citrus Pecrtina e Cimetidina), nelle dosi efficaci, e continuarli per almeno due anni di continuo, senza interruzioni, anche se al momento, i medici ospedalieri non ne parlano e non sono adottate prescrizioni generalizzate, senza dover necessariamente pensare che dietro ci sia la manovra di grandi multinazionali del farmaco).
Di seguito un articolo di Steven Nemeroff, Oncology Health Advisor, membro della Fondazione per l'aumento delle aspettative di vita.
La rimozione chirurgica dei tumori solidi, se da un lato dispiega efficacia e aumenta la sopravvivenza di molti pazienti, in un sottogruppo di essi, ne accresce la possibilità di metastasi a distanza e molto più aggressive di quanto si osserva nei pazienti non trattati chirurgicamente.
I motivi sono complessi ma le cellule cancerose si avvalgono di molecole di membrana che fungono da fattori di adesione sia tra di loro che con le pareti dei vasi sanguigni, due meccanismi fondamentali per la loro sopravvivenza, trasporto e proliferazione a distanza.
Ora, una molecola adesiva è da tempo nota, la galectin-3, che funge da molecola di superficie in grado di riunire le cellule cancerose in un cluster, come un branco di pesci, in questo modo, favorendone la sopravvivenza e la proliferazione.
Una semplice assunzione di un integratore derivato dalla pectina, una citro pectina modificata, assunto per almeno un anno tutti i giorni per bocca, riduce la capacità adesiva delle cellule tumorali dal 250% al massimo al 90%, con formazione di metastasi a distanza assai meno frequenti.
La dose ideale è di 14 grammi di Citro pectina al giorno, per un costo di 50 centesimi al giorno. (La citro pectina è una molecola che si trova in abbondanza nella polpa degli agrumi, arance, pompelmi, limoni, e la modificazione significa farla rientrare con aposite reazioni chimiche in pesi molecolari e lunghezza di catena adeguate all'uso).
Sul tumore della prostata, la citro pectina modificata, per i ricercatori della Columbia provoca addirittura l'apoptosi delle cellule tumorali sia dipendenti dall'ormone (testosterone), che indipendenti.
E-selectin è la molecola di superficie delle cellule tumorali che ne permette l'adesione alla superficie della membrana basale dei vasi, e si è visto che questa molecola e la sua attività, può essere contrastata e parzialmente neutralizzata dall'uso di banalissima Cimetidina (Tagamet, Aciclin), da 800 mg al giorno. La Cimetidina è un farmaco liberamente venduto per l'acidità di stomaco, sebbene ampiamente superato dagli antiprotonici di nuova generazione, con un costo di pochi euro al mese. Il punto è che la Cimetidina sembra inibire l'azione della molecola aggregante della cellula tumorale.
Gli studi su animale e sull'uomo, dimostrano chiaramente che Cimetidina riduce la formazione di tumori a distanza in soggetti con tumore del colon avanzato, mediante la riduzione dell'attività della E- selectina, quindi riducendo l'adesione delle cellule cancerose alle pareti dei vasi.
Cancer Surgery: What You Need to Know Ahead of Time
By Dr. Steven Nemeroff, Oncology Health Advisor
Life Extension Foundation
The surgical removal of the primary tumor has been the cornerstone of treatment for the great majority of cancers. The rationale for this approach is straightforward: if you can get rid of the cancer by simply removing it from the body, then a cure can likely be achieved. Unfortunately, this approach does not take into account that after surgery the cancer will frequently metastasize (spread to different organs). Quite often the metastatic recurrence is far more serious than the original tumor. In fact, for many cancers it is the metastatic recurrence—and not the primary tumor—that ultimately proves to be fatal.
In a shocking irony, a growing body of scientific evidence has revealed that cancer surgery can increase the risk of metastasis.1 This would fly in the face of conventional medical thinking, but the facts are undeniable.
To gain a better understanding of how surgery can increase the risk of metastasis, let’s first discuss the actual process of cancer metastasis. A complicated sequence of events must occur in order for cancer to spread to another part of the body.1 Isolated cancer cells that break away from the primary tumor must first breach the connective tissue immediately surrounding the cancer. Once the cancer cell has broken free of the surrounding connective tissue, the next step is to enter a blood or lymphatic vessel. This is easier said than done, as entry into a blood vessel requires the cancer cell to secrete enzymes that degrade the basement membrane of the blood vessel.3 Entry into a blood vessel is vitally important for the aspiring metastatic cancer cell, since it uses the bloodstream as a highway for transportation to other vital organs of the body—such as the liver, brain, or lungs—where it can form a new deadly tumor.
Now that the lone cancer cell has finally entered the bloodstream, its problems have only just begun. Traveling within the bloodstream can be a hazardous journey for cancer cells. Turbulence from the fast moving blood can damage and destroy the cancer cell. Furthermore, cancer cells must avoid detection and destruction from white blood cells circulating in the blood stream.
To complete its voyage, the rogue cancer cell must adhere to the lining of the blood vessel, where it degrades through and exits the basement membrane of the blood vessel. Its final task is to burrow through the surrounding connective tissue to arrive at the organ that is its final destination. Now the cancer cell can multiply and form a growing colony that serves as the foundation for a new metastatic cancer. Time is working against these solitary cancer cells. This entire sequence of events must happen quickly, since these cells have a limited lifespan.2
We now see that cancer metastasis is a complicated and difficult process. Fraught with peril, very few free-standing cancer cells survive this arduous journey.1 The probability of cancer cells surviving this journey and forming new metastases can be increased by anything that serves to make this process easier. In a groundbreaking study published in the medical journal Annals of Surgery in 2009, researchers reported that cancer surgery itself can create an environment in the body that greatly lessens the obstacles to metastasis that cancers cells must normally face.1
Just as concerning is the revelation that cancer surgery can produce an alternate route of metastasis that bypasses natural barriers. During cancer surgery, the removal of the tumor almost always disrupts the structural integrity of the tumor and/or the blood vessels feeding the tumor. This can lead to an unobstructed dispersal of cancer cells into the bloodstream, or seeding of these cancer cells directly into the chest or abdomen.4,5 This surgery-induced "alternate route" can greatly simplify the path to metastasis. To illustrate, a study published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2001 compared the survival of women with breast cancer who had their tumors removed surgically, to the survival of women with breast cancer who did not have surgery. The findings established that surgery substantially improved survival compared to the group that did not have surgery. However, further analysis of the data determined that women who had surgery had a spike in their risk of death at 8 years that was not evident in the group who did not have surgery.6 In their interpretation of the results, the authors of the study stated: "A reasonable hypothesis to explain the observed patterns of the hazard functions [risk of cancer death] is to assume that…primary tumor removal may result in sudden acceleration of metastatic process…"Another group of researchers commenting on this study were far bolder in their conclusions: "This finding strongly supports that surgery alters the natural course of the disease by elongating life expectancy in the greater part of the patient population, but also by simultaneously shortening survival in a smaller subset of patients. Thus, both experimental and clinical evidence support that surgery, although greatly reducing tumor mass and potentially curative, paradoxically can also augment metastasis development."1
Given these disturbing findings, what can individuals undergoing surgery for their cancers do to protect themselves against an increased risk of metastasis? A worthwhile strategy would be to examine all of the mechanisms by which surgery promotes metastasis, and then create a comprehensive plan that counteracts each and every one of these mechanisms.
One mechanism by which surgery increases the risk of metastasis is by enhancing cancer cell adhesion. Cancer cells that have broken away from the primary tumor utilize adhesion to boost their ability to form metastasis in distant organs. These cancer cells must be able to clump together and form colonies that can expand and grow. It is unlikely that a single cancer cell will form a metastatic tumor, just as one person is unlikely to form a thriving community. Cancer cells use adhesion molecules--called galectin-3—to facilitate their ability to clump together. Present on the surface of cancer cells, these molecules act like "Velcro®" by allowing free-standing cancer cells to adhere to each other.7 Cancer cells circulating in the bloodstream (CTC) also make use of galectin-3 surface adhesion molecules to latch onto the lining of blood vessels.8 The adherence of circulating tumor cells (CTC) to the blood vessel walls is an essential step for the process of metastasis. Just like a person sliding down an icy hill has no hope of stopping if they cannot grab onto something, a cancer cell that cannot adhere to the blood vessel wall will just continue to wander through the blood stream incapable of forming metastasis. Unable to latch onto the wall of the blood vessel, these circulating tumor cells (CTC) become "ships without a port" and are unable to dock. Eventually, white blood cells circulating in the blood stream will target and destroy the CTC. If the CTC successfully bind to the blood vessel wall and burrow their way through the basement membrane, they will then utilize galectin-3 adhesion molecules to adhere to the organ to form a new metastatic cancer.7
Combating Cancer Cell Adhesion
Regrettably, research has shown that cancer surgery increases tumor cell adhesion. In one experiment that mimicked surgical conditions, scientists reported that the binding of cancer cells to the blood vessel walls was increased by 250%, compared to cancer cells not exposed to surgical conditions.9 Therefore, it is critically important for the person undergoing cancer surgery to take measures that can help to neutralize the surgery-induced increase in cancer cell adhesion. Fortunately, a natural supplement called modified citrus pectin (MCP) can do just that. Citrus pectin—a type of dietary fiber—is not absorbed from the intestine. However, modified citrus pectin has been altered so that it can be absorbed into the blood and exert its anti-cancer effects. The mechanism by which modified citrus pectin inhibits cancer cell adhesion is by binding to galectin-3 adhesion molecules on the surface of cancer cells, thereby preventing cancer cells from sticking together and forming a cluster.10 Modified citrus pectin can also inhibit circulating tumor cells from latching onto the lining of blood vessels. This was demonstrated by an experiment in which modified citrus pectin blocked the adhesion of galectin-3 to the lining of blood vessels by an astounding 95%. Modified citrus pectin also substantially decreased the adhesion of breast cancer cells to the blood vessel walls.10
Impressive research has documented the power of modified citrus pectin to directly inhibit cancer metastasis. In a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, modified citrus pectin was administered to rats that were injected with prostate cancer cells, while rats not receiving modified citrus pectin served as the control group. Lung metastasis was noted in 94% of the control group, whereas only 50% of the modified citrus pectin group experienced lung metastasis. Even more noteworthy was the finding that the modified citrus pectin group had an 89% reduction in the size of the metastatic colonies, compared to the control group.11 In a similar experiment, mice injected with melanoma cancer cells that were fed modified citrus pectin experienced a greater than 90% reduction in lung metastases compared to the control group.12
After these exciting findings in animal research, modified citrus pectin was then put to the test in men with prostate cancer. In this trial, 10 men with recurrent prostate cancer received modified citrus pectin (14.4 grams per day). After one year, a considerable improvement in cancer progression was noted, as determined by a reduction of the rate at which the PSA increased.13 This was followed by a study in which 49 men with advanced prostate cancer were given modified citrus pectin for a four-week cycle. After two cycles of treatment with modified citrus pectin, 21% of the men experienced a stabilization of their disease or improved quality of life; 12% had stable disease for more than 24 weeks. The authors of the study concluded that "MCP (modified citrus pectin) seems to have positive impacts especially regarding clinical benefit and life quality for patients with far advanced solid tumor."14
Please remember that these prostate cancer study subjects already suffered from advanced disease. It would appear more logical if these patients had initiated modified citrus pectin supplementation before surgical procedures to prevent metastatic colonies from being established, as was done in the successful laboratory studies.
In addition to modified citrus pectin, a well-known over-the-counter medication can also play a pivotal role in reducing cancer cell adhesion. Cimetidine—commonly known as Tagamet® --is a drug historically used to alleviate heartburn. A growing body of scientific evidence has also revealed that cimetidine possesses potent anti-cancer activity. Cimetidine inhibits cancer cell adhesion by blocking the expression of an adhesive molecule—called E-selectin—on the surface of cells lining blood vessels.15 Cancers cells latch onto E-selectin in order to adhere to the lining of blood vessels. By preventing the expression of E-selectin, cimetidine significantly limits the ability of cancer cell adherence to the blood vessel walls. This effect is analogous to removing the Velcro® from the blood vessels walls that would normally enable circulating tumor cells to bind.
Cimetidine’s potent anti-cancer effects were clearly displayed in a report published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2002. In this study, 64 colon cancer patients received chemotherapy with or without Cimetidine (800mg per day) for one year. The 10-year survival for the Cimetidine group was 84.6%. This is in stark contrast to the control group, which had a 10-year survival of only 49.8%. Remarkably, for those patients with a more aggressive form of colon cancer, the 10 year survival was 85% in those treated with Cimetidine compared to a dismal 23% in the control group.16 The authors of the study concluded, "Taken together, these results suggested a mechanism underlying the beneficial effect of cimetidine on colorectal cancer patients, presumably by blocking the expression of E-selectin on vascular endothelial [lining of blood vessels] cells and inhibiting the adhesion of cancer cells". These findings were supported by another study with colorectal cancer patients whereby cimetidine given for just seven days at the time of surgery increased 3-year survival from 59% to 93%!17
This data provides a compelling case for cancer patients, at least five days prior to surgery, to ingest 800 mg of cimetidine daily and at least 14 grams of modified citrus pectin daily. This combination regimen may be followed for a year or longer to reduce metastatic risk.
Preventing Surgery-induced Immune Suppression
The essential role the immune system plays in combating cancer cannot be overstated. Although there are many aspects of the immune system that come into play when fighting cancer, the role of the natural killer cell predominates. Natural killer (NK) cells are a type of white blood cell tasked with seeking out and destroying cancer cells. Research has shown that NK cells can spontaneously recognize and kill a variety of cancer cells.18 To illustrate the importance of NK cell activity in fighting cancer, a study published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment examined NK cell activity in women shortly after surgery for breast cancer. The researchers reported that low levels of NK cell activity were associated with an increased risk of death from breast cancer.19 In fact, reduced NK cell activity was a better predictor of survival than the actual stage of the cancer. In another alarming study, individuals with reduced NK cell activity before surgery for colon cancer had a 350% increased risk of metastasis during the following 31 months!41
The likelihood of surgery-induced metastasis requires the immune system to be highly active and vigilant in seeking out and destroying renegade cancer cells during the perioperative period (the time immediately before and after surgery). Tragically, numerous studies have documented that cancer surgery results in a substantial reduction in NK cell activity.20-23 In an investigation having ominous implications, NK cell activity in women having surgery for breast cancer was reduced by over 50% on the first day after surgery.20 In light of this mounting evidence, a group of researchers stated: "We therefore believe that shortly after surgery, even transitory immune dysfunction might permit neoplasms [cancer] to enter the next stage of development and eventually form sizable metastases."23
The surgical procedure itself reduces NK activity. This NK impairing effect that occurs immediately after surgery could not happen at a worse possible time. NK cell activity falters at the very time it is most needed to fight metastasis. The surgery-induced increased risk of metastasis combined with a reduction in NK cell activity can have disastrous consequences for the person undergoing cancer surgery. With that said, the perioperative period presents a window of opportunity to actively strengthen immune function by enhancing NK cell activity. Fortunately, numerous nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and medical interventions known to enhance NK cell activity are available to the person undergoing cancer surgery.
One prominent natural supplement that can increase NK cell activity is PSK, a specially prepared extract from the mushroom Coriolus. PSK has been shown to enhance NK cell activity in multiple studies.24-27 PSK’s ability to enhance NK cell activity helps to explain why it has been shown in numerous studies to dramatically improve survival in cancer patients. For example, 225 patients with lung cancer received radiation therapy with or without PSK (3 grams per day). For those with more advanced stage 3 cancers, more than three times as many individuals taking PSK were alive after 5 years (26%), compared to those not taking PSK (8%). PSK more than doubled 5-year survival in those individuals with less advanced stage 1 or 2 disease (39% vs.17%).28
A group of colon cancer patients were randomized to receive chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy plus PSK, which was taken for 2 years. The group receiving PSK had an exceptional 10-year survival of 82%. Sadly, the group receiving chemotherapy alone had a 10 year survival of only 51%.29 In a similar trial reported in the British Journal of Cancer in 2004, colon cancer patients received chemotherapy alone or combined with PSK (3 grams per day) for 2 years. In the group with a more dangerous stage 3 colon cancer, the 5-year survival was 75% in the PSK group. This compared to a 5-year survival of only 46% in the group receiving chemotherapy alone.30 Research has confirmed that PSK also improves survival in cancers of the breast, stomach, esophagus, and uterus/cervix.31-34
Other nutraceuticals that have been documented to increase NK cell activity are garlic, glutamine, IP6 (inositol hexaphosphate), AHCC (active hexose correlated compound), and lactoferrin.35-39 One experiment in mice with breast cancer found that glutamine supplementation resulted in a 40% decrease in tumor growth paired with a 2.5-fold increase in NK cell activity.38
Scientists in Germany explored the effects of mistletoe extract on NK cell activity in 62 patients undergoing surgery for colon cancer. The participants were randomized to receive an intravenous infusion of mistletoe extract immediately before they were given general anesthesia, or were general anesthesia alone. Measurements of NK cell activity were taken before and 24 hours after surgery. As expected, the group that did not receive mistletoe experienced a 44% reduction in NK cell activity 24 hours after surgery. Interestingly, the scientists reported that the group receiving mistletoe did not experience a significant decrease in NK cell activity after surgery. They went on to conclude that "perioperative infusion of mistletoe extracts can prevent a suppression of NK cell activity in cancer patients.42
Pharmaceuticals used to increase NK cell activity include interferon-alpha and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor. These drugs were shown to prevent surgery-induced immune suppression when given perioperatively.95,96 Another immune boosting drug to consider in the perioperative setting may be interleukin-2.
At least five days prior to surgery, it would appear logical to institute a natural killer (NK) cell enhancing program involving nutrients like PSK, lactoferrin, glutamine and others.
Drugs such as interleukin-2 and granulocyte-macrophage stimulating factor are approved in the United States, but health insurance does not usually cover them for the perioperative purposes suggested here. If you have any questions regarding the natural supplements or drugs discussed in this article, call 1-888-884-3666.
Heightening Immune Surveillance with Cancer Vaccines
An enlightened medical approach to cancer treatment involves the use of cancer vaccines. The concept is the same as using vaccines for infectious diseases, expect that tumor vaccines target cancer cells instead of a virus. Another distinguishing feature of tumor vaccines is that while viral vaccines are created from a generic virus, tumor vaccines are produced from a person’s own cancer cells removed during surgery. This is a critical distinction since there can be considerable genetic differences between cancers. This highly individualized cancer vaccine greatly amplifies the ability of the immune system to identify and target any residual cancer cells present in the body. Cancer vaccines provide the immune system with the specific identifying markers of the cancer that can then be used to mount a successful attack against metastatic cancer cells.
Cancer vaccines have been studied extensively, with the most encouraging results noted in trials including over 1300 patients in which tumor vaccines were given after surgery. These trials reported reduced recurrence rates and improved survival.93 Unlike chemotherapy which can cause severe side effects and toxicity, cancer vaccines are a gentle therapy with proven long-term safety.94
In a landmark study conducted in 2005, 567 individuals with colon cancer were randomized to receive surgery alone, or surgery combined with vaccines derived from their own cancer cells. The median survival for the cancer vaccine group was over 7 years, compared to the median survival of 4.5 years for the group receiving surgery alone. The 5-year survival was 66.5% in the cancer vaccine group, which dwarfed the 45.5% 5-year survival for the group receiving surgery alone.92 This glaring difference in 5-year survival, clearly displays the power of individually tailored cancer vaccines to greatly focus a person’s own immunity to target and attack residual metastatic cancer cells.
