CancerCompass message board discussion started by LindaFromShropshire on 2/14/2008 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,20931,0.htm Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Hi ALLBeing stage 4, have been avidly resarching net. My background is CA125 pre Op 1800, post op 1047, after chemo 1 (taxol/carboplatin)=443, chemo 2 =111, chemo 3=60. Next chemo next Tues. Have learned lots. For what its worth my regime now is eating mostly raw veg/salads, less fruit because of sugar. Pound for pound red peppers contain more Vit C than an orange (canteloupe melon is alkaline). Lemon, once digested, is alkaline so having lots of warm fresh lemon water. Adhering to Acid/Alkaline regime, NO sugar, NO dairy, use unsweetened soya milk and love almonds (being alkaline) plus usual flax OIL (not seeds). Just read v promising info re ginger:In laboratory studies, researchers found ginger caused ovarian cancer cells to die. Further, the way in which the cells died suggests ginger may avoid the problem common in ovarian cancer of cells becoming resistant to standard treatments. The researchers are presenting their results in a poster session at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting. Researchers used ginger powder, similar to what is sold at grocery stores, only a standardized research grade. The ginger powder was dissolved in solution and applied to ovarian cancer cell cultures. Ginger induced cell death in all the ovarian cancer cell lines tested. Moreover, the researchers found that ginger caused two types of cell death. One type, known as apoptosis, results from cancer cells essentially committing suicide. The other type of cell death, called autophagy, results from cells digesting or attacking themselves. "Most ovarian cancer patients develop recurrent disease that eventually becomes resistant to standard chemotherapy - which is associated with resistance to apoptosis. If ginger can cause autophagic cell death in addition to apoptosis, it may circumvent resistance to conventional chemotherapy," says study author J. Rebecca Liu, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the U-M Medical School and a member of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. Study results are very preliminary, and researchers plan to test whether they can obtain similar results in animal studies. The appeal of ginger as a potential treatment for ovarian cancer is that it would have virtually no side effects and would be easy to administer as a capsule. Ginger is effective at controlling inflammation, and inflammation contributes to the development of ovarian cancer cells. By halting the inflammatory reaction, the researchers suspect, ginger also stops cancer cells from growing. "In multiple ovarian cancer cell lines, we found that ginger induced cell death at a similar or better rate than the platinum-based chemotherapy drugs typically used to treat ovarian cancer," says Jennifer Rhode, M.D., a gynecologic oncology fellow at the U-M Medical School. Liu's lab is also looking at the effects on ovarian cancer of resveratrol, a substance found in red wine, and curcumin, the active ingredient in the curry spice turmeric. In addition, researchers at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center are investigating ginger to control nausea from chemotherapy and ginger to prevent colon cancer. This article was published in April 06. Also found another article published Oct07. I wonder if it relates to the above ginger article. Just in case I have started muching on a bit of fesh grated ginger...its not bad! Herewith other article mentioned:Hope for ovarian cancer vaccine Ovarian cancer often returnsA vaccine for ovarian cancer has produced "encouraging" results in preliminary trials, US scientists say. The vaccine is designed to enhance the body's own immune response to the cancer, said the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, based in Buffalo, New York. Most patients with advanced disease respond to chemotherapy, but more than 70% die from a recurrence of the cancer within five years of diagnosis. Cancer Research UK welcomed the study but said further trials were needed. Details of the study appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. We are confident that the vaccine will eventually be widely available Professor Kunle OdunsiThe vaccine contains an ovarian cancer protein fragment coupled with a molecule known to induce immune response. It targets a protein produced in a high proportion of ovarian cancer cells, but not in healthy cells. The researchers tested it in women with epithelial ovarian cancer, a cancer type that originates in the covering of the ovaries. They said although their study was designed as a phase one clinical trial - a preliminary study - it had produced "encouraging" results. Dual effect The vaccine induced the immune system to produce antibodies, and to mobilise specialised T cells which were able to target cancer cells producing the key protein. The researchers detected vaccine-induced immune cells in patients up to 12 months after immunisation, suggesting a long-lasting effect. Lead researcher Professor Kunle Odunsi said: "There is now compelling evidence that the immune system has the capacity to recognise and kill ovarian cancer cells. "Our vaccine strategy is simply taking advantage of this knowledge in an effort to improve the outcome for ovarian cancer patients. "We are confident that the vaccine will eventually be widely available." Dr Alison Ross, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said: "We welcome any research that could lead to improved survival for people with ovarian cancer, and cancer vaccines have exciting potential. "This early trial shows encouraging results but it's important to remember that much larger studies will be needed before we know for sure whether the vaccine is safe and effective."   Also LindaFromShropshire Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi, Linda - Thanks for all the interesting news you put in your message!  My dad's gotten me on the ginger caps from Everman's store here in Pensacola.  I am taking them daily! I wish you every success in your survivorhood.  I've been fighting ovarian since 1992 & have just restarted chemo on Jan 22nd (Taxotere) for 3 treatments then more scans.A sister in the good fight,Katie in Florida Katefl Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 2/14/2008 Katefl wrote:Hi, Linda - Thanks for all the interesting news you put in your message!  My dad's gotten me on the ginger caps from Everman's store here in Pensacola.  I am taking them daily! I wish you every success in your survivorhood.  I've been fighting ovarian since 1992 & have just restarted chemo on Jan 22nd (Taxotere) for 3 treatments then more scans.A sister in the good fight,Katie in Floridahi katie! glad to see u r still well! i hope u do not have a reoccurence? what did u get as chemo in 1992? what doage ginger are u taking? i'll try anything to win this fight!harriet Harrietg. Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi,I am glad to here about this; was mentioned before a long with Tumeric. if you go to cancertutor.com you can learn a lot about alternative treatments which are much more successful than Modern medicine. My Mom died from Ovarian Cancer she was stage 3c and battled for 22 months, the chemo made her worse. Unfortunately chemo is pallative symptomatic care and does not cure the disease. I only wish my Mom did alternative treatments she would be alive today.Good Luck.Tom Sleepy123 Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT TomTY, much appreciated. I will definetely follow up the site. Godbless your dear mom. I agree the alternate route should be explored, even if alongside conventional medicine, because nothing can beat natural products for human consumption. Take care. LindaFromShropshire Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 2/14/2008 Sleepy123 wrote:Hi,I am glad to here about this; was mentioned before a long with Tumeric. if you go to cancertutor.com you can learn a lot about alternative treatments which are much more successful than Modern medicine. My Mom died from Ovarian Cancer she was stage 3c and battled for 22 months, the chemo made her worse. Unfortunately chemo is pallative symptomatic care and does not cure the disease. I only wish my Mom did alternative treatments she would be alive today.Good Luck.TomBe careful! I researched Tumeric when I was on Chemo. It can cause kidney damage if taken while on Chemo. Wjane Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Be cardful!!!   I researched Tumeric while I was on chemo and learned that it can cause kidney damage if taken while undergoing Chemo. Wjane Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi,Tumeric is very safe; anything taken with chemo can be dangerous because chemo is very dangerous itself, highly toxic and in some cases can cause cancer. Sleepy123 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi,My Mom was on a chemo for Hepatatis C, called Interferon which I believe caused her Ovarian cancer, Sleepy123 Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi Linda, just read your message and what an insprirational lady you are! You do not say when you were first diagnosed with OC? but you appear to be doing very well and may it long continue. My name is also Linda and I live in Oxfordshire. I also follow a very similar diet to yourself, when I was diagnosed at stage lllc in April 2006 I eliminated all red meat and all dairy, I now occasionally have organic chicken but eat a lot of fish, preferably not farmed and never smoked. I drink a lot of green tea and have cut out alchohol and tea and coffee, although I do sometimes have a glass of red wine. It is amazing if they discover after further tests that just a good quantity of ginger could knock these little gremlins on the head, if they can kill cells in the laboritory with ginger then why not just target the cancer cells within us with it. I am just starting my 3rd line of chemo, unfortunetly I appear to be refractory to some of the treatments, I respond well and my CA125 goes down, although has not ever gone down below 28, as soon as treatment finishes it starts to climb again, My first line was taxol/carbo then six months later I had six cycles of caelyx but that only lasted 3 months and I am now on Gemicitibine/Carbo. I go tomorrow for another dose! It would be very nice to keep in touch Linda and my home email is --Message edited by CancerCompass staff. For personal protection, email address removed. Consider private reply. Please review CancerCompass Member Guidelines at http://www.cancercompass.com/common/guidelines.html--  I do think this site is excellent for its news and support to its users. Well I am off to have a ginger and lemon tea!! take care, very best wishes, Linda Angel of Hope Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hello LindaTY for your regime thatis very similar to mine; I too cannot forego the occasional glass of red wine either! I started first chemo on 26Nov07. I also found the Cancer Battle Plan a good read. Also have found comfort in following the Acid/Alkaline way of thinking. A good site to get background is EnergiseForLife as it has a food list.  I have read that Ovarian cancer is a hormonaly driven cancer of the steroid variety and as such it is important to avoid all diary; and to replace with soya products eg tofu. One could scour the net till next Christmas. I am lucky in that my sister is helping me big style in finding success stories as it saves me pouring me through the negative stuff. Perhaps we should all share positive reads/info? I believe positive thinking in our situation is tremendously important. Please keep in touch. Linda  LindaFromShropshire Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Linda and AllMors good news - its always heartening to learn of new promising studies relating to to Ovarian cancer. This one on cranberry juice.ScienceDaily (Aug. 26, 2007) — Compounds in cranberries may help improve the effectiveness of platinum drugs that are used in chemotherapy to fight ovarian cancer, researchers have found in a laboratory study.The scientists demonstrated in cell culture studies that human ovarian cancer cells resistant to platinum drugs became up to 6 times more sensitized to the drugs after exposure to the cranberry compounds in comparison to cells that were not exposed to the compounds, which were obtained from juice extracts. Although preliminary, the findings have the potential to save lives and reduce the harmful side effects associated with using high doses of platinum drugs for the treatment of ovarian cancer, the researchers say, adding that human studies are still needed. The new study adds to a growing number of potential health benefits linked to cranberries. "For the first time, we have shown in our in vitro studies that cranberry extracts can sensitize resistant human ovarian cancer cell lines," say study co-presenters Ajay P. Singh, Ph.D., and Nicholi Vorsa, Ph.D., natural products chemists at Rutgers University. "This has opened up exciting possibilities for therapeutic intervention associated with platinum therapy," add Singh and Vorsa, who collaborated with colleagues Laurent Brard, M.D., Ph.D, Rakesh K. Singh, and K.S.Satyan, Ph.D., of Brown University. But the researchers caution that the study is experimental and that patients with ovarian cancer should always consult with their physicians before trying any type of anti-cancer therapy. Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chemotherapy using platinum drugs, including cisplatin and paraplatin, is a mainstay treatment for ovarian cancer. However, cancer cells tend to develop resistance to platinum therapy and higher doses of the drugs can cause unwanted side-effects, including nerve damage and kidney failure. The new study focused on cranberry juice because of past research suggesting that the juice has a wide range of potential health benefits, including the ability to fight urinary tract infections, stomach ulcers, and cancer. Singh and his associates obtained ovarian cancer cells that were relatively resistant to platinum. They treated the cells with various doses of a purified extract of commercially available cranberry drink (containing 27 percent pure juice), exposed the cells to the platinum drug paraplatin and compared them to cells that were not exposed to the extract. Paraplatin killed 6 times more cancer cells that were pre-treated with juice extract compared to cells that were exposed to the cancer drug alone, the researchers say. The extract also slowed the growth and spread of some cancer cells. The maximum amount of juice extract given to the cells was the human equivalent of about a cup of cranberry juice, according to the researchers.Singh and colleagues believe that the active compounds in the extract are powerful antioxidants called 'A-type' proanthocyanidins that are unique to cranberries and not found in other fruits. The researchers add that they do not understand exactly how the cranberry compounds work. However, based on research by other groups, these compounds appear to bind to and block certain tumor promoter proteins found in the ovarian cancer cells, they say. The result is that the cancer cells become more vulnerable to attack from the platinum drugs, the scientists say, noting that the cranberry compounds are not a cure for cancer.  The researchers hope to eventually identify the most active anti-cancer fractions of the cranberry extract and determine the optimal dose for effectiveness against ovarian cancer. Theoretically, a therapeutic compound made from cranberry extract could be used as part of an injectable chemotherapy regimen or as a beverage supplement to be consumed during chemotherapy, says Singh. Animal studies will begin soon and a new therapy could one day be available to consumers if further testing proves successful, he says.For now, the researchers recommend that those with ovarian and other types of cancer seek their physician's advice for the most effective treatment options. The current study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. You won't be surprised to hear I am off to the shops for a carton or five ow cranberry juice - for vit c benefits of course. Best wishes, LindaFromShropshire LindaFromShropshire Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Hi LindaTY for reply. What sypmtons did you have prior to dignosis? and did you say you are also lllc? I had the second part of my treatment yesterday which was the gemicitibine on its own, I now will have two weeks off before next one! I too have a very supportive sister and would be quite lost without her. I made sure she and her daughters and my daughter all had tests for OC once I was diagnosed. Thank God they were all clear. Its so important to catch OC in the early stages and I feel very strongly that doctors need to be educated in looking for the signs instead of fobbing symptons off to either age or IBS. In my case they thought for a while I had asthma! I knew I did'nt as I was very active, walking dogs etc, never suffered with getting out of breath or anything, in fact I was always very healthy. I do believe stress plays a contributory part because if you are stressed your immune system gets low and I think thats when this horrible desease can take hold. Now I try not to get stressed about things and believe your health is more important than anything else, if you hav'nt got your health then what good is anything else. I am fortunate that I have a very close family and its their love and support that keeps me positive. TY for info of other sites to view, will take a look later. Hope you are feeling well today, when is your next treatment date?Very best wishes,Linda Angel of Hope Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT Read your information with interest.  Tried ginger tea today.  Decided that drinking this stuff surely should kill cancer cells!  Maybe pill ginger is easier to swallow!!!  Just though I'd share my experience w/ hopes that it will bring a smile to you. bethannev Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT linda&linda! same boat, same urge  to read all about it! june 2006, c-day! feeling fine at the moment: to read your posts, maybe it was all that cranberry juice i was drinking! now i take pill form to ward off urinary tract infections which plague me! i have but one question: one of u said it was hormonal: even if the tumor was estrogen-negative? i agree on the stress issue as i was very healthy, had some gastro issues, urinary infections, all swept under the rug by gp! next thing i knew i'm like totally incontinent & look 8 months pregnant! i actually thought this was normal for post-menopausal women as on tv i kept seeing ads for pads for incontinence! water under the bridge, keep up the nutrition side, sports, positive thinking! do u think yoghurt is also bad for u? i'm even not sure about the soya products as they are fyto-estrogens! keep up the fight! harriet Harrietg. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 2/21/2008 bethannev wrote:Read your information with interest.  Tried ginger tea today.  Decided that drinking this stuff surely should kill cancer cells!  Maybe pill ginger is easier to swallow!!!  Just though I'd share my experience w/ hopes that it will bring a smile to you. I  am OV 3c (Feb 07)  and read of ginger.  I started drinking homemade ginger tea (boiling pieces of ginger root in water) recently.  Try adding a little apple cider mix to the tea.  Just a little bit makes it easier to drink.  Beware though if you have upcoming surgery, ginger is an anticoagulant.  I have surgery this Thusday and have stopped drinking until afterwards. I have reoccurrence that appears to be just in one lymphnode.  I will have laproscopy to confirm only in lymphnode follwed by tomotherapy.  If it's elsewhere as well my doctor will try to remove and I'll need more chemo.  Anyone ever had tomotherapy radiation? zona3 Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 2/25/2008 zona3 wrote: On 2/21/2008 bethannev wrote:Read your information with interest.  Tried ginger tea today.  Decided that drinking this stuff surely should kill cancer cells!  Maybe pill ginger is easier to swallow!!!  Just though I'd share my experience w/ hopes that it will bring a smile to you. I  am OV 3c (Feb 07)  and read of ginger.  I started drinking homemade ginger tea (boiling pieces of ginger root in water) recently.  Try adding a little apple cider mix to the tea.  Just a little bit makes it easier to drink.  Beware though if you have upcoming surgery, ginger is an anticoagulant.  I have surgery this Thusday and have stopped drinking until afterwards. I have reoccurrence that appears to be just in one lymphnode.  I will have laproscopy to confirm only in lymphnode follwed by tomotherapy.  If it's elsewhere as well my doctor will try to remove and I'll need more chemo.  Anyone ever had tomotherapy radiation? Prayer and Ginger have worked wonders for my wife.  OC3c, two surgeries, 6 rounds Carbo/Tax, 9 rounds patupolone trial (sp?). CA125 below 30 after first 6 chemo, then rose to ~200 during trial.  Stopped trial and started ginger and steadily dropped to ~130 ( over several months) and still dropping. CT and PET scan show no cancer.  I think that means none over 1 cm or whatever the resolution of PET is... might be smaller.Important:PLEASE GOOGLE & READ ABOUT GINGER DOSAGE and HEAT1) Need pretty high dosage of ginger, stop for a while if liver (your side) aches (sounds weird but true).  Supposedly from all of the cancer cells that the ginger killed & liver has to process??? again, read about it...2) Supposedly, heat can breakdown the gingeroles (the good stuff in ginger) and reduce or negate effectiveness.  So, tea might not be the best idea.  We use standardized capsules and have tried tincture when we mega dosed at one point.Really shooting in the dark... I wish more research was being done.  But then again, how can the Pharm companies make a bucket of money from ginger...God Bless and keep you all    LuvMyWife Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT  On 2/25/2008 zona3 wrote: On 2/21/2008 bethannev wrote:Read your information with interest.  Tried ginger tea today.  Decided that drinking this stuff surely should kill cancer cells!  Maybe pill ginger is easier to swallow!!!  Just though I'd share my experience w/ hopes that it will bring a smile to you. I  am OV 3c (Feb 07)  and read of ginger.  I started drinking homemade ginger tea (boiling pieces of ginger root in water) recently.  Try adding a little apple cider mix to the tea.  Just a little bit makes it easier to drink.  Beware though if you have upcoming surgery, ginger is an anticoagulant.  I have surgery this Thusday and have stopped drinking until afterwards. I have reoccurrence that appears to be just in one lymphnode.  I will have laproscopy to confirm only in lymphnode follwed by tomotherapy.  If it's elsewhere as well my doctor will try to remove and I'll need more chemo.  Anyone ever had tomotherapy radiation? could you tell me what is tomotherapy, I had ovary cancer stage 4  already debuking hang0100 Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT