Only about five years ago, every patient of mine who finished chemotherapy was given a vitamin cocktail to further reduce colon cancer risk. It was calcium, selenium, vitamin E and folic acid.

Over the last three years, folic acid has been shown to increase growth of polyps, and in patients with metastatic disease  it may shorten life. The protective value of vitamin E has been questioned, and there was evidence that it might increase prostate cancer risk. Selenium did not show benefit. Read the rest of this entry »

We had a couple of patients in our clinics which developed ice craving. They loved to crush and chew on ice chips all the time. When they saw their physician for another reason, blood tests showed low level of hemoglobin, known as anemia.

It turned out that these patients had iron deficiency coming from blood loss from colon cancer. These iron deficiencies can lead to a craving to chew or eat ice chips. Iron deficiencies can affect the mucosa in the gut and mouth, and ice chips may relief some of the discomfort caused by iron deficiencies. Read the rest of this entry »

Fennel

There are interesting remedies available for gas and bloating.

In Europe most babies get fennel tea in their bottles to reduce the risk of bloating and gas. There have been many reports showing that when you use one teaspoon of fennel seeds, brew a tea, and sweeten it with honey two to three times a day you can reduce your symptoms. It is no accident that many digestive drinks contain fennel.

Another helpful remedy is caraway seeds. If you combine caraway seeds and fennel seeds you may have additional benefit. We usually recommend one teaspoon each to make a cup of tea and use honey to sweeten it up. Caraway seeds are often used when sauerkraut is prepared, not only for the taste but also to reduce the gas associated with sauerkraut consumption.

Patients who have had a pancreas surgery may also consider using digestive enzymes. Foully smelly stools which float, associated with a lot of gas and cramping, can be a sign of pancreas insufficiency. The pancreas does not produce enough enzymes to help to digest food which leads to incomplete digested fat which makes stools stinky and able to float in the toilet bowl. Pancreas enzymes taken together with food can completely correct this very fast.

In my practice, almost every day patients ask me how long we continue doing chemotherapy?  These are patients with metastatic disease who think that chemotherapy is only given for a very specific time.

I often ask them if they had diabetes or hypertension how long would they expect to take medication for that disease, and there is no hesitation answering that you take it for a long time, if not forever. So I try to explain that we give chemotherapy as long it works and is tolerated. Read the rest of this entry »

A news release from last Wednesday stated that the clinical trial of NSABP C-08 was negative.

This was the clinical trial testing whether the addition of Avastin to FOLFOX would increase efficacy in reducing recurrence for patients with stage II and III colon cancer.  FOLFOX was given over 6 months compared to FOLFOX in combination with Avastin for 6 months, followed by additional 6 months of Avastin. There was a great hope that this anti-VEGF therapy would further decrease tumor recurrence. Read the rest of this entry »