Lung Cancer: Chemo, chemo – cancer spread to bone and brain

Dear Dr. Chris Teo,

First of all I would like to introduce myself, my name is Fab, from Jakarta, Indonesia. I am sending you e-mail to consult on my dad's condition. I would like to first give you his medical history up to now as mention below.

Medical History

During a regular check up in April 2007, his chest x-ray revealed a mass in the left upper lobe of the lung, but he was completely asymptomatic. At that time, he has biopsy and was told to be negative for any malignancy. He had also subsequent follow up in August 2007 and January 2008, yet the mass lesion in the left upper lobe of the lung remain the same.

However, in June 2008 he got hospitalized due to pain in the abdomen and also back pain. On 29 June 2008, he had MRI of the spine and was told that he had compression fracture of T11 with possible spinal cord compression. Chest x-ray showed the mass in the left upper lobe was much bigger and he also had pleural effusion. He had re-biopsy and it showed ADENOCARCINOMA. He received accelerate radiation 400 cGy for 5 times to the spine for the spinal cord compression and his back pain got better after he completed the radiation on 8 July 2008.

He used to smoke 1.5 to 2 packets of cigarettes per day for over 45 years. He stopped smoking 5 years ago.

After seeing his condition is not getting too well as he also develop new pain in his pelvis which radiates to both legs and he is weak and unable to move around himself, we decided to admit him to Johns Hopkins Singapore IMC on 12 July 2008. Then he underwent decompression laminectomy on 16 July 2008 and tolerated the procedure well. He also had left sided effusion and was drained on 13 July 2008 with re expansion of the lung. Histology of the pleural effusion showed degenerative malignant cell, likely subtype is adenocarcinoma. He underwent talc pleurodesis on 27 July 2008.

He was started on chemotherapy with Avastin, Paclitaxel and Carboplatin on 14 August 2008. After 2 cycles of chemo a CT scan on 23 September 2008 showed mass in the left lung is smaller, likewise with the pleural masses and effusion with the lytic lesion in the thoracic spine, and left ilium appearing more obvious. He completed 6 cycles of Avastin, Carbo and Taxol in 27 November 2008 and repeat CT scan on 16 December 2008 showed partial responses was maintain on Avastin with last chemo on 7 January 2009.

He was again admitted in hospital on 28 January 2009 due to increasing fatigue and somnolance and imbalance on ambulation. Cranial MRI on 29 January 2009 showed multiple cerebellar and cerebral metastases and started on steroid and RT on 3 February 2009. CT Thorax and abdomen showed disease progression with new findings of ground glass opacity in the lateral segment of the middle lobe and multiple nodules in the left upper lobe suggestive of infective changes however metastases cannot be ruled out. New hypodense nodules in the left lobe of the liver, left adrenal and pancreas are suspicious of metastases. Multiple bony metastases. He was also started on ceftriaxone and prophy latic clexane. He start to feel better and able to recognize us and started to ambulate with assistance. He was also noted to be coughing while eating and was seen by a speech therapist. He underwent videoflouroscopy and showed silent aspiration. He was advise NGT feeding but the was pulling his NGT several times, therefore the doctor change it to PEG insertion on 10 February 2009.
He again felt week and withdrawn while on whole brain radiation. A repeat Cranial MRI on 9 February 2009 showed stable brain metastases with decrease in perilesional edema. Chest x-ray showed an opacity is projected over the left cardiac border with interstitial thickening and nodularity in the left and upper and middle zones. His antibiotic was changed to ceftazidime, clindamycin and azithromycin. He continues to feel week and staying mostly in bed, but we try to sit him up everyday for 2 hours each morning and afternoon and also give some excercise to make his muscle not stiff. A repeat chest x-ray showed persistent of the lung inflirtrates with the left pleural effusion and his antibiotic was change again to Tazocin.

We bring him back to Jakarta yesterday after the completed his radiation on 14 February 2009, and at this moment he is quite calm eventhough every 4 AM in the morning he starts to get cough a lot.

Consultation

With the above medical background, I would like to have your advise on his condition and whether the Typhonium Flagelliforme/Rodent Tuber that you have found can be used to treat my dad. Is there any possibilities, knowing his present condition that Typhonium Flagelliforme/Rodent Tuber can benefit him.

It is really hard for the family to see him in this current condition, therefore when I read about your story, it struck me that I need to consult with you. In a sense that your medicine is somewhat natural product not a chemical one, and I think he got enough chemical running in his body and I know that chemo will never cure cancer, it can only stabilize the cancer.

Please kindly help us doctor, and hope that my dad can be the next person cured by Typhonium Flagelliforme/Rodent Tuber. I hope to hear at least better news from you.

Thank you so much for your kind assistance. Best regards.