Have you ever wondered why some cancer patients unexpectedly recover?  

In this episode, Drs. Lemanne and Gordon discuss the cases of four persons who survived a range of cancer diagnoses considered universally terminal. But instead of dying promptly, two left hospice to return to active, athletic lives for several years. Two others defied all odds to achieve apparent cures.  These four patients used radically different approaches.

The four diagnoses include chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), advanced ovarian cancer, metastatic prostate cancer, and metastatic melanoma.

Several surprising ideas that come up in this episode include why having chemotherapy before surgery is often better than rushing to surgery, and how the principles of evolution (as in Darwin) are pointing to lighter, more infrequent cancer treatments as a way to prolong both healthspan and lifespan. 

Links, Episode 1:

 1. MIT research demonstrating the detrimental effect of surgery on cancer metastasis.

2. How Anesthetic, Analgesic and Other Non-Surgical Techniques During Cancer Surgery Might Affect Postoperative Oncologic Outcomes: A Summary of Current State of Evidence. 

3. N of 1,  by Glenn Sabin and Dawn Lemanne, MD, MPH.  The popular book about Mr. Sabin's successful search for a cure for his "incurable" chronic lymphocytic leukemia. 

4. Case report of durable CLL remission without standard systemic therapy: Lemanne D, Block KI, Kressel BR, Sukhatme VP, White JD. A Case of Complete and Durable Molecular Remission of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Following Treatment with Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, an Extract of Green Tea. 

5. Research demonstrating that maximal PSA suppression may be detrimental in advanced prostate cancer.

Dawn Lemanne, MD
Oregon Integrative Oncology
Leave no stone unturned.

Deborah Gordon, MD
Northwest Wellness and Memory Center
Building Healthy Brains