Lymphoma, what to do

[Songwriter]

A friend has lymphoma cancer. Noticed lump in groin. A bone biopsy showed it is in the bone. 20%. Whatever that means. Maybe it means it's in 20% of her bones? Anyway, what to do? I do not consider this woman to be one who uses supplements. She has no insurance, it will be state hospital.

She is considering not doing chemo and just aiming for a couple of years left of decent life. She's a beautiful woman, about as happy a person as I have ever met. What a shame.

Any knowledge of what one can do? Diet, supplements? Anyone know the scoop on carbs and cancer?

I have another friend who has cancer, it's prostate cancer. He bought into the alkaline / acid diet thing. It's lower carb than the SAD but I don't think it's strictly low-carb.

~ ~ ~

EDIT: I found this googling, I know nothing about the validity...

Studies with human cancer patients and laboratory animals show that reducing the calories of carbohydrates (glucose) in their daily diet by only 10 percent reduced the size of cancerous tumors. When carbohydrate (glucose) calories were reduced 40 percent, the cancers disappeared.

This page describes using fructose and other talk about carbs. They mention 20% of calories from carbs. That doesn't seem low enough but I'd have to study the whole page in depth.

http://www.apjohncancerinstitute.org/cancer/lymphoma-non.htm

[LessLiz]

Songwriter, check the cancer and starvation thread in the media section.

[kaypeeoh]

A friend has lymphoma cancer. Noticed lump in groin. A bone biopsy showed it is in the bone. 20%. Whatever that means. Maybe it means it's in 20% of her bones? Anyway, what to do? I do not consider this woman to be one who uses supplements. She has no insurance, it will be state hospital.

She is considering not doing chemo and just aiming for a couple of years left of decent life. She's a beautiful woman, about as happy a person as I have ever met. What a shame.

Any knowledge of what one can do? Diet, supplements? Anyone know the scoop on carbs and cancer?

I have another friend who has cancer, it's prostate cancer. He bought into the alkaline / acid diet thing. It's lower carb than the SAD but I don't think it's strictly low-carb.

~ ~ ~

EDIT: I found this googling, I know nothing about the validity...

Studies with human cancer patients and laboratory animals show that reducing the calories of carbohydrates (glucose) in their daily diet by only 10 percent reduced the size of cancerous tumors. When carbohydrate (glucose) calories were reduced 40 percent, the cancers disappeared.

This page describes using fructose and other talk about carbs. They mention 20% of calories from carbs. That doesn't seem low enough but I'd have to study the whole page in depth.

http://www.apjohncancerinstitute.org/cancer/lymphoma-non.htm

My wife has had cancer twice: Hodgkins Lymphoma 18 years ago and breast cancer 3.5 years ago. This thing about "considering not doing chemo and just aiming for a couple of years" sounds exactly like my wife during the early period of fear. If she had gone that route 18 years ago....

Fear of chemo is ridiculous. The modern drugs take away nearly all of the side effects like nausea. Ellen enjoyed the baldness. It was her badge of courage during both cancer treatments.

I remember her talking to her oncologist about me being on the Atkins diet. The doctor remarked, 'well he'll never have to worry about getting cancer'.

[PS Diva]

Early stage lymphoma is often treated with just radiation. Some lymphomas are not treated with chemo, depending on the type and stage. And chemo is not the horror it used to be. Your friend needs to get all the facts and recomendations before a decision is made. It is a pretty important decision to make just on the basis of fear.

[Squid]

Songwriter,

Your friend can get financial assistance to help with cancer treatments. Universities will also generally help too. Cancer centers often have a charitable organization associated with them that will help with financial assistance. Call the largest one in the town near you (most oncologists) and talk to them. Talk to the oncologist. He/she will certainly be able to point you in the right direction.

It sounds like she doesn't know yet what kind of treatment she might be facing. It's worth learning all the options before making any decisions. Chemo is tolerated better in the past, but to be honest, it does still kick your butt. A few lucky people seem to skim through it ok, but it depends on the kind of chemo and each person. But it is eventually over, so it's tolerable. I finished chemo about Christmas time, so it's survivable :-)

No supplement or diet (not low carb either) is going to cure her cancer by itself. Sure, someone can post a statement from the internet, but where's the studies behind it to back the statement? PLEASE go mainstream with treatment - it's the best shot for your friend to stay alive. The US has the best cancer cure rate in the world. If these alternative treatments worked, no one would be dying from cancer.

If your friend decides to forgo treatment, I think that is a sad option, but I can see why someone would choose it. My choice was to go through the treatment once but I will refuse it the second time if my cancer comes back.

I am sorry your friend is going through this and sorry for the pain you must be feeling too. I hope that things go well for your friend.

[PS Diva]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20080404/hl_hsn/mostcancersurvivorssaychemofearsunfounded;_ylt=ApuXDDwEvBPlN2uU_hKAN5AE1vAIMost Cancer Survivors Say Chemo Fears Unfounded By E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporter
Fri Apr 4, 7:02 PM ET



FRIDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Although most cancer survivors polled in a recent survey said they had been fearful of undergoing chemotherapy, most also said the treatments were much less trying than they had expected.


In fact, 94 percent said they would advise others to undergo chemotherapy if their doctor recommended it.


"Like most people, I was filled with fears about chemotherapy, particularly about the possible side effects," said award-winning broadcast journalist and author Linda Ellerbee, 63, who underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy after being diagnosed with breast cancer 16 years ago.


Ellerbee spoke at a recent news briefing in New York City, convened to announce the results of the survey.


"It wasn't fun -- no one will tell you that chemotherapy is fun. But it wasn't as bad as I expected, either," Ellerbee said. "The reality is that I believe that I am here today, partly because that treatment worked."


Ellerbee, for decades a renowned journalist at CBS, NBC and then PBS, is also the author of a number of books for both children and adults. The mother of two, she now writes and hosts Nick News for Nickelodeon.


The survey -- which polled 326 U.S. adults who had undergone cancer chemotherapy within the past five years -- was sponsored by the nonprofit National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS) and drug maker Sanofi-Aventis, who together have created the Surviving With Confidence campaign to help patients gain a better understanding of cancer care.


Some of the survey's findings:

Around eight out of 10 cancer survivors said they had been fearful prior to starting chemotherapy, with most (76 percent) worried primarily about side effects such as hair loss, nausea and fatigue.
Looking back, almost two-thirds (62 percent) said those fears were unjustified. Just 14 percent described their side effects as "very difficult," and about a third (32 percent) had a "somewhat easy" or "very easy" experience with treatment.
Almost all (87 percent) of survivors said that new supportive care products made the side effects that they did experience much more manageable than they had expected.
Eighty-seven percent of survivors who had experienced side effects said that chemotherapy was worth going through, and 90 percent said the treatments had given them real hope for survival.

Anne Willis, 25, is NCCS' director of survivorship programs and a 10-year survivor of Ewing's sarcoma, a rare malignancy that attacks the bone or soft tissue. She told conference attendees that when she first knew she would be undergoing chemotherapy, she "was too scared to ask the nurses what to expect. I never had any conversations with anybody, so I was absolutely terrified."


But, like many of those polled in the survey, Willis said she soon realized that her fears of chemotherapy were exaggerated. Her attitudes toward her health-care team changed, too. "I became much more of an active participant in my care," Willis said. "I never hesitated if I had a problem. One time I had a full-body rash that did not make me very popular, and I immediately told my doctor about it. We treated it and took care of the problem."


Too often, patients remain mum about their fears and the side effects that they do experience. Ellerbee said she was lucky, because her training as a journalist had taught her to ask questions.


"If you are living with cancer, talk to your doctors and other health professionals about these issues," she advised. "If you've got fears, tell them. If you have questions, ask them. Side effects -- tell them. Ask what they can do to help you."


The NCCS strongly advises that patients also get written "Treatment Plans" from their health-care team before they begin chemotherapy -- a document that outlines the interventions they will receive; potential side effects; and ways to manage those side effects.


"I know personally that having that piece of paper would have encouraged me to open up that dialogue with my health-care team," Willis said.


Everyone agreed that, if anything, cancer care has gotten both easier and more effective in the decade or more since Willis and Ellerbee received their care.


"Things are dramatically different now in the 10 or 12 years since [Willis'] treatment, in terms of what we can do for patients to improve their care," said oncologist Dr. Howard Burris, who is chief medical officer and director of drug development at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, Tenn. "It's really made cancer care an outpatient business."


Ellerbee agreed. "Since my diagnosis, there have been many advances in cancer care, and more people survive every year because of new treatment options," she said. "In other words, it is more possible today to live life as you know it -- and to have that life as you know it go on -- while you are undergoing therapies that can potentially extend your life or save your life."


"It has been 16 years since I was diagnosed with cancer," Ellerbee added, "and every morning that I wake up on the right side of the grass, I am a grateful woman, because I did not let my fears keep me from getting the treatment that I needed."

[Squid]

Thanks for posting that PS Diva. Good one.