Breast cancer is a “survivable disease” for most women, although when there is a metastasis, the prognosis is poor.
The relative survival rates are 89% at five years, 82% at ten years, and 77% at fifteen years. Most are for postmenopausal women whose tumors are node-negative, estrogen-receptor-positive, and HER-2/NEU-negative. After cancer patients have survived five years, they are thought to be cancer-free.
However, breast cancer is a late-recurring disease due to circulating tumor cells and circulating cancer stem cells. Twenty percent of women who are disease-free five years post treatment, are still at risk of recurrence at ten years. Most of this is due to circulating tumor cells. Most of the late-recurring cases had estrogen-receptor-positive tumors and their oral hormone modification medication tenure is only five years. This leaves a significant gap in the conventional treatment of breast cancer. I think it is very important to measure the circulating tumor cells in all patients with cancer. This is important in prognosis as well as remission rates. When circulating tumor cells are high, the chance of relapse is high.
After conventional cancer treatment removes the manifestations of the body’s underlying state of imbalance, the process of facilitating healing begins. I treat my patients with a complementary approach to help breast cancer survivors heal.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS:
These are extremely important in cancer prevention, and in a chemo-sensitive and natural supplement test test that I perform, they have been shown to kill cancer in many patients. This is a genetic test, and cancers have many genes, and these natural extracts are tested. These things include tumeric, melatonin, Q-10, and green tea, as well as mushroom extracts, etc. There are many other things tested. I feel that if vitamin C kills your cancer, it should be taken, either orally or intravenously. The test is personalized, genomic, and is available now.
DETOXIFICATION:
Detoxification refers to the risk of malignant transformation from breast toxicity in an individual whose genes inhibit metabolism and elimination of toxins.
To evaluate the ability of the patient to detoxify, I perform the single nucleotide polymorphism (SMP) testing. This evaluates hormone metabolism, detoxification of specific environmental toxins, and medication metabolism. Other testing involves metabolism of estrogen metabolites into a 2-hydroxy estrone, 16-hydroxy estrone, or 4-series. Other testing involved is for inflammation, heavy metals, amino acids, and fatty acids, as well as vitamin levels. Free radicals and mutation rates are also obtained.
SUMMARY:
If you had breast cancer and are a breast cancer survivor, you need to know what your chances are of the cancer returning. To do this, I perform a circulating tumor cell analysis. This was recently written about in the New England Journal of Medicine, March 28, 2013. In this article, there was a 97% sensitivity in detecting breast cancer after treatment. If the tests for the circulating tumor cells, I then proceed with testing to see which natural substances will kill your cancer, or which chemotherapy will work. I first start with natural substances and then add low-dose chemotherapy if indicated. We need to now look at cancer as a chronic disease. I know of patients that continue to be disease-free, using this approach. I believe testing is indicated, as well as diet, mind-body, and other natural therapies. If you are interested in healing after breast cancer treatment with a more integrative, natural approach, please call my office for an appointment.
Best in Health,
Dean R. Silver, M.D.