Doctor, if you had my cancer, what would you do to fight it?

Tagged cancer; Comments 3 ; Posted 8 years ago by Andreas Obermair

“What can I do to help with my recovery to increase my chances of survival?” is what patients diagnosed with a life-threatening cancer often ask.

Typically, patients are overwhelmed by the huge offerings on supplementary medicine in adverts in newspapers and online. Even neighbours and friends suddenly volunteer information about additional medication patients can buy to help with fighting her cancer.

Virtually all patients with ovarian cancer will require postoperative chemotherapy, patients with high-risk uterine or cervical cancer will require radiation treatment or a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Recently, one of my patients asked me what choice I would make. If I – the doctor - were to be a patient - what would I take in addition to the conventional treatments? What would I do to improve my prognosis if it was me who is the patient?

“Doctor, if you had my cancer, what would you do to fight it?”

While I am the doctor, I think about what it would be like to be on the other side of the fence regularly. Here, I will share my top favourite cancer killers; what I would do if I had to fight cancer.

For me, the most important thing would be to maintain or generate a high level of general health.

Diet 

I would eat a healthy and balanced diet. As little junk as possible. Only things that taste nice and are worth eating. I would stay away from a dedicated diet because a diet is typically not sustainable. I avoid processed sugars or sweeteners such as sweet yoghurts, sweet white bread, dried fruit, etc. Research has shown that it is easier to lose weight by eating a protein-based diet but longevity is achieved with a focus on low-GI carbohydrates http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/  I would stay away from taking vitamins or supplements.  High-quality research has shown that certain vitamins can actually cause cancer.

Unfortunately, there are so many foods on the shelves of the big markets that are branded as “healthy” but they are not. If you have difficulties understanding what a healthy diet means, you can see a dietitian and they will assist. I normally compare the amount of sugar in the different brands of food which assists with making a choice.

I would also record the calories that I eat to get a sense for my caloric intake. Many people are surprised how many calories they actually ingest in comparison to how much we actually need to live.

Exercise 

I would exercise as if it was for my survival. Evidence is emerging that physical exercise will boost the immunity, will assist patients tolerating treatments better and could improve survival outcomes. From my practice I noticed that some of my surprise or unexpected survivors (patients with very poor prognosis to start with) were or became physically fit during their treatment.

Some patients notice that after exercise they are not as hungry, which is the consequence of one of the hormones (leptin) that gets produced during exercise and reduces hunger. The scientific evidence for physical exercise is emerging. At the Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer we are taking part in a trial with ovarian cancer patients and hope to see results soon.

These are some tricks to include physical exercise into your daily life:

• I started using a stand-up desk in one of my offices to avoid sitting for extended periods. Standing burns more calories than sitting.
• I use the Health app on my iPhone to record the steps I take every day. It’s great to measure activity similar to calorie intake.
• I often do a fun run/walk on the weekend. Walk briskly to sweat.
• Instead of having lunch hunched over the computer, I might wish to break for 30 minutes and go for a brisk walk.
• On the weekend I had tickets for an event. I parked the car 20 minutes from the venue so I could walk.
• Some people don’t drive to work but they walk or cycle. Again, others leave the car at a parking lot at a distance from the office and walk the rest.
• Swap the TV on the weekend for an outdoor activity. Throw a Frisbee or kick a ball.
• When sitting in the car or lining up, you can activate your core and pelvic floor muscles, which no one will notice.
• At work, take the stairs on even days and the elevator on uneven days.
• Buying groceries, you can make it a habit to walk to the shops once a week and carry a backpack and carry bags.
• Wash the car by hand instead of taking it to a car wash.

For an ABC story on physical exercise in cancer watch this: http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4459555.htm

Sleep

Sleep is increasingly gaining recognition as extremely important to maintain or restore health. Research suggests that sleep deficit is not only associated with bad mood and temper but also with health issues, such as heart disease, stroke and more. During sleep the body’s nerve cells regenerate, which means that they restock their energy carriers, a process located in the cell layers surrounding nerve structures.

Research suggests that people who sleep well are more productive, which is what I would want if I was in trouble and less hungry. There are times when sleep is scarce. Once I correct my sleep deficit my life is richer and I enjoy living more.

On sleep, physical exercise and eating I recommend the book “Eat, Move, Sleep” by Tom Rath (2014).

Aspirin

Aspirin is an anti-inflammatory medicine and a powerful blood thinner. There is some evidence that patients who are on Aspirin have better survival chances than patients who are not. The risk of a cancer recurrence following primary treatment was 15% to 25% reduced.

I acknowledge that these studies are not on gynaecological cancer and may be skewed by the lack of a good study design. However, a proper study on the subject is unlikely to be conducted because Aspirin is cheap and industry will not fund a clinical trial without the prospect of making a profit. Unfortunately, governments increasingly withdraw from clinical research due to budget constraints.

If it was me who is the patient, I would take an Aspirin a day because it is cheap, low-risk and likely beneficial. Aspirin is not suitable for patients with an allergy to Aspirin, with bleeding disorders or for pregnant women.

Green Tea

Green tea has been shown in a couple of small clinical trials to be associated with survival benefits in cancer patients. Additionally, some research suggests that green tea might prevent the development of cancer.

However, some of these clinical trials involved a low number of patients and were not conducted to quality standards we would expect from a well-regulated clinical trial.

Again, and similar to the Aspirin example above, a proper clinical trial would be almost impossible to complete. Drinking green tea in reasonable amounts is almost certainly harmless and I would be comfortable to drink a couple of cups of green tea a day for a potential benefit.

At the Queensland Centre for Gynaecological Cancer we take part in the OPAL study that should give us an answer in the not too distant future.

Disclaimer - I accept that my selection is rather personal and biased. While I am a rather scientific person and I make the majority of my decisions based on data and information, I must admit that the scientific evidence for some of these “interventions” is weak. By contrast, the harm of those “interventions” is negligible also.

In no way I recommend that all cancer patients shall take up my suggestions. The above is simply an attempt to share with you what measures I would take personally in addition to scientifically proven treatments if I was diagnosed with cancer.