The best strategy is one that can remove tumours partially without damaging the body’s immune functions and the functions of vital organs but, in the contrary it can enhance the immune system against cancer. After thousands of practical cases, we discover three treatments that basically meet the above requirements which play complementary and supplementary roles with one another.
Cryosurgical Ablation (CSA)
Cryosurgical ablation (CSA): A cryo-surgical probe is inserted into the tumour and a refrigerant is passed through the probe to lower the temperature within the targeted tissues rapidly to -160 degrees Celsius. Later, a heating agent is passed through the probe and the temperature is raised to thaw the frozen tumour. This process is repeated two to three times to lead to complete ablation and thawing of the whole tumour. CSA can be carried out with the help of surgery, endoscope, ultrasound or CT- guided. Percutaneous cryosurgical ablation is a minimally invasive technique with little side effects. It will not cause pain instead it can stop pain rapidly. CSA is suitable on cancer patients with unresectable tumours or patients that cannot tolerate surgery. Besides killing cancer cells in-situ which has the same effect as surgery, after tumours and their cancer cells have been destroyed by CSA, they are left intact. Dead cancer cells will release antigens which will stimulate the immune system to produce anti cancer immunological response to eradicate any remaining cancer cells in other parts of the body due to metastasis and to reduce recurrence of cancer. That is to say, besides its local effects on tumors, CSA can bring about systemic therapeutic effects which are not found in surgery.
Cancer micro-vascular intervention (CMI)
In CMI, one or several types of chemotherapy drugs are embedded into nano particles (100nm or less in diameter) or sealed in them. Through an image-guided micro-catheter, these nano particles are then inserted into tiny blood vessels or capillaries supplying blood to the tumor. The effects and benefits of CMI are: (1) the nano particles block tiny arteries or capillaries and cut off blood supply to cancer cells, leading to apoptosis or necrosis; (2) as there are cracks at the blood vessel walls of tumours, it results in leakage; hence nano particles can penetrate into tumours and accumulate within the tumours. The concentration of chemotherapy drugs within the tumours can be 40 to 50 times the concentration of chemotherapy drugs in conventional chemotherapy. Hence, cancer cells can be easily killed. It has been reported that a concentration of chemotherapy drug 20 times that of conventional chemotherapy can kill cancer stem cells. (3) The walls of normal capillaries are intact; hence nano particles carrying chemotherapy drugs cannot pass through the walls and will not cause damage to normal cells. Furthermore, the dosage of chemotherapy drugs used in CMI is only 1/10 to 1/20 of that used in conventional chemotherapy; hence CMI has minimal side effects on the body.
Combined immunotherapy for cancer (CIC)
There are three kinds of relationship between the immune cells and cancer cells, namely, (1) Immune Monitoring: Immune cells are very strong. They will eliminate any cancer cells once they appear. This is very much like the strong city police force which will apprehend any criminals once they emerge. (2)Immune Balance: Immune cells and cancer cells are in a state of “No war and no truce” with mutual restrain and peaceful coexistence. (3) Immune Escape: the amount of immune cells may be either too little or too weak leading to proliferation of cancer cells. This leads to cancer metastasis and spread of cancer. In treating cancer, it is ideal to maintain immune monitoring or at least, immune balance. There is a variety of clinical immunotherapy, including stimulation of immune cells by drugs or factors or extraction of patient’s own immune cells for culture in vitro and reinforcement before they are transfused back to the patient, or other’s immune cells can be adopted and used. However, cancer cells are not monolithic; they mutate incessantly and keep on changing from time to time. As such, immune cells have to mobilize all their forces and be ever ready to change in accordance to existing condition. That is to say, the immunotherapy used must be of various types and kinds. The combination of a variety of immunological methods, their simultaneous or sequential application to form an allied immunology system can play a systemic role in the control or eradication of cancer cells. This is mainly for the prevention of cancer recurrence and it is very safe for the body with very little or almost no side effects.
The combination of CSA, CMI and CIC constitutes what we call the “CCC Treatment Model” or the 3Cs Model. The 3Cs model enables the implementation of humane, rational, individualised and minimally invasive treatment on majority of advanced cancer patients. Many cancer patients in the previously cited cases were given the 3C’s Model treatment.
Of course, during clinical practice, other therapy can be incorporated based on patient’s actual condition. For each patient, cautious and extensive evaluations on conventional treatment (surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy) and the value and feasibility of application must be done. For patients with inoperable tumours in cavities such as oesophagus, stomach, rectum, bile duct etc,photodynamic therapy is applicable. Radioactive seed implantation, brachytherapy, radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation and chemical ablation are good treatment for tumours with size limitations or cancer metastasis,
With the rapid technological advances, it is expected that within the next few years, there will be a revolutionized change in cancer treatment. Recently, Dr. Niu Lizhi and I attended the 2010 World Congress on Interventional Oncology held in Philadelphia. There were one hundred and nineteen special reports, fifty eight papers and thirty three poster presentation papers. Vascular intervention (microsphere, nano particles) and ablation (cryoablation, radiofrequency ablation or microwave ablation) are the most popular topics. We had three papers accepted by the congress. Two of the papers were presented in the congress on the topic “Percutaneous cryoablation for the treatment of lung cancer and pancreatic cancer”. It seems that our current therapies used are in line with the world trend.
China Anti-Cancer Model
China may have an added advantage over other countries in war on cancer. Yao Zhibin, the director of Guangdong Provincial Health Department and a specialist in basic medical research once said, “Cancer treatment must be innovative with special Chinese characteristics. Professor Tang Zhaoyou, a renowned oncologist, proposed the China Anti-cancer Model He said, “Western medicines look at a part of a person while Chinese physicians look at the whole person. Both have their own inadequacies. When the two are combined, they constitute the Chinese characteristics.”
Natural therapy is the trend today. It has been estimated that for cancer patients in Western countries, 1/3 of them will go home and wait for their days to come, 1/3 will go to hospital for treatment, and 1/3 will look for natural therapies. The concepts and contents of natural therapies in all countries differ from one another. However, the basic principle is to regulate and support the whole body; the methods include coffee enema, visceral therapy, fruit therapy, detoxification therapy, energy therapy, fever therapy and qigong etc. I will not judge whether these therapies can cure cancer, but the concept to mobilize the overall functions of the body is worth exploring
Chinese medicine is in fact natural therapies. Chinese medicine has anti-cancer ingredients. For example, indirubin extracted from natural indigo is effective for treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia, 3-harringtonine extracted from cephalotaxus is effective against acute leukemia. Camptothecin which is effective on solid tumours is also extracted from plants. However, relying solely on traditional Chinese medicine to cure cancer is not practical. Making use of the conditioning strength of Chinese medicine in adjuvant therapy for cancer is the right scientific attitude. It has been confirmed that the application of the law of rectification and strengthening in Chinese medicine has the effect of regulating and enhance body’s immune function. Chinese herbs such as astragalus, ligustrum lucidum and faerie card can promote immune function. In the application of modern, conventional or contemporary techniques in cancer treatment, the simultaneous and routine application of Chinese medicine can improve patient’s general condition, improve physical fitness, improve appetite, and rectify side effects due to other treatment such as reduction of white blood cells as a result of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.