Lung Cancer Is On the Rise Among Nonsmokers

But new treatments dramatically improve outcomes…

Timothy Burns, MD, PhD

Published Date: May 1, 2016  Publication: Bottom Line Health

People who have never smoked often assume that they’ll never get lung cancer. But they can—and the prevalence of these cases is increasing at a troubling rate.

Update: Two important recent studies show that rates of lung cancer among so-called “never-smokers” (less than 100 cigarettes smoked in a lifetime) are mysteriously skyrocketing—in one study, from 9% to 20% of all such malignancies.

But it’s not all bad news.

The recent discovery of genetic mutations called “oncogenes” that drive lung cancer in never-smokers has fueled the development of powerful medications that are often more effective and have fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy. 

Bonus: These new drugs are taken orally rather than intravenously, as is more common with conventional chemotherapy.

TESTING FOR MUTATIONS

If you’re one of the roughly 24,000 never-smokers diagnosed with lung cancer each year in the US, it’s crucial for you (as well as current and former smokers) to be tested for a genetic mutation that might be driving your disease.

Shockingly, many of these patients are not tested despite the recommendations of national cancer organizations. This is due, in part, to the lack of awareness of many community oncologists in the US.

The most accurate test uses a tissue biopsy to screen for a handful of critical mutations that predict a more than 70% chance of responding to FDA-approved drugs. If the size and location of the tumor make a biopsy impossible, the oncologist should order a blood or urine test to check for mutations.

Important: If possible, get your genetic testing at one of the 45 medical institutions designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a “Comprehensive Cancer Center” (check Cancer.gov/research/nci-role/cancer-centers/find). You will get the most accurate testing at one of these centers and the most reliably up-to-date information on the latest cutting-edge medicine and clinical trials. A medical oncologist near you can administer the treatment. If you’re not able to travel to an NCI-designated center, a tissue sample from a biopsy performed at your local medical facility can be sent to certain institutions (such as the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins) that offer molecular testing.

KEY GENETIC MUTATIONS

If you have a genetic mutation, a targeted medication can be used to treat the lung cancer. (Patients who do not test positive for a mutation receive standard cancer care, including conventional chemotherapy and/or radiation.)

Genetic mutations may include…

• Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This is the most common mutation in never-smokers with lung cancer, occurring in about 40% of these patients. Several FDA-approved drugs called EGFR-inhibitors can counter this mutation, including gefitinib (Iressa)…erlotinib (Tarceva)…and afatinib (Gilotrif). Additionally, icotinib (Conmana) is in clinical trials.

• Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). About 5% to 8% of lung cancer patients (most of these never-smokers) have this genetic mutation. The FDA-approved drug is crizotinib (Xalkori) for ALK-positive patients who have never received lung cancer treatment.

TIME FOR A DIFFERENT DRUG

Even when a genetic mutation is identified, eventually a new mutation is generated and the tumor starts growing again—a phenomenon called acquired resistance. This typically occurs after about a year of treatment. Therefore, patients on these therapies undergo regular CT scans at two-to-three-month intervals to make sure their disease is not growing.

Best approach: When your tumor develops acquired resistance, it’s important to have another biopsy so that your doctor can determine which drug is right for you. Two months after starting a second-line drug, the patient will undergo a new CT scan to make sure it is shrinking the tumor. Important: The patient should alert the physician if he/she is taking any over-the-counter supplements—some can have life-threatening interactions with the targeted therapies.

EARLY DETECTION

The cause of lung cancer in never-smokers is unknown, but it is believed that up to 50% of cases are due to exposure to radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, and/or secondhand smoke. A distant third is indoor air pollution, such as particles from wood-burning stoves and cooking fumes from stir-, deep- or pan-frying. Main risks…

• Radon. Get your home tested. If levels are high (4 pCi/L or above), hire a state-licensed “radon mitigation contractor” to reduce levels to 2 pCi/L or below by installing a pipe that vents the gas outdoors.

• Secondhand smoke. Avoid it whenever possible.

• Indoor air pollution. If you have a wood stove, get a high-efficiency particle arresting (HEPA) air filter…if you fry food, vent the fumes—they may contain harmful carcinogens.

Important: If you are a never-smoker who has one or more of the symptoms of lung cancer—a persistent cough, chest pain, shortness of breath and/or sudden weight loss…or if you’ve had pneumonia that’s persisted for months in spite of several rounds of antibiotics—ask your doctor to test for lung cancer.

Unfortunately, never-smoker lung cancer often has no (or only vague) symptoms that doctors may not immediately suspect as a malignancy. For this reason, it is usually diagnosed when the cancer has spread to the bone, brain, liver and/or other organs. At that point, the most that can be done is to control the disease, giving the patient as much as three to five or more extra years of life if the disease is treated. As new therapies continue to emerge, the goal is to make never-smoker lung cancer a chronic disease and to someday provide a cure.

https://bottomlineinc.com/health/lung-cancer/lung-cancer-rise-among-nonsmokers

Breakthroughs in Lung Cancer

The newest treatments are extending life…

Timothy Burns, MD, PhD

December 1, 2018

Lung cancer kills more Americans—both smokers and nonsmokers—than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined. But the good news is, treatment options are now extending the lives of many people affected by this formidable disease.

Latest development: Recently announced treatment breakthroughs provide new hope for people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)—the type of malignancy responsible for 85% of all lung cancers.

THE NEW HEAVY HITTERS

• Immunotherapy. Some of the newest treatments for NSCLC are immune checkpoint inhibitors—drugs that energize the immune system to kill cancer cells by blocking one of two cancer-promoting proteins, PD-1 and PD-L1. These drugs include pembrolizumab (Keytruda), the immunotherapy treatment credited with saving the life of former President Jimmy Carter when melanoma spread to his brain…nivolumab (Opdivo)…atezolizumab (Tecentriq)…and durvalumab (Imfinzi).

Typically, these drugs are used only as second-line therapies for patients with advanced disease who haven’t responded to other types of treatments, such as chemotherapy. But several studies presented at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research show that immunotherapy can work as a first-line therapy for people with advanced NSCLC, improving survival.

New scientific findings: A combination of the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab and chemotherapy worked better than chemo alone as a first-line treatment for patients with metastatic NSCLC—69% were still alive after one year in the combo group, with only 49% alive in the chemo-only group, according to a one-year study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

In a similar one-year study, patients with stage IV lung cancer were given either chemotherapy or two immunotherapy drugs—nivolumab and ipilimumab (Yervoy), which blocks CTLA-4, a protein similar to PD-1. Those treated with immunotherapy were 42% less likely to have their disease progress than those who received other treatment.

Meanwhile, research focusing on the use of immunotherapy without chemotherapy as a first-line treatment—reported at a recent meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology—also delivered positive results. The stage IV NSCLC patients getting pembrolizumab lived four to eight months longer than those getting chemo. Only 18% of the immunotherapy patients suffered severe side effects, such as inflammation of the lung, liver or colon, versus 41% of those in the chemo group.

Takeaway: With the impressive results of these studies, first-line treatment with an immunotherapy drug with or without chemotherapy is now the standard-of-care for most cases of advanced NSCLC. If a test of your tumor tissue shows that you have a high PD-L1 activity—and one-third of patients with NSCLC do—then single-agent immunotherapy might be the best first treatment for you with or without chemotherapy. Patients whose tumor does not express high levels of this marker still benefit from the combination of immunotherapy with chemotherapy in the majority of cases. Talk to your oncologist.

• Gene-modulating drugs. This type of therapy uses drugs to turn off one of several genetic mutations (oncogenes) that can drive lung cancer. An estimated 10% to 20% of NSCLC patients have the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation, which is treated with drugs such as erlotinib (Tarceva), afatinib (Gilotrif), gefitinib (Iressa) and osimertinib (Tagrisso). An estimated 5% have the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutation, which is treated with drugs such as crizotinib (Xalkori), ceritinib (Zykadia), alectinib (Alecensa) and brigatinib (Alunbrig).

These oral drugs are so powerful that they can, in rare cases, extend life by five years or more. However, the newer and more effective of these drugs—such as alectinib for ALK—has been used as a second-line therapy. Now this treatment paradigm is changing.

New scientific findings: In a study published earlier this year, more than 500 NSCLC patients with an EGFR mutation got either osimertinib as a first-line treatment or the previous standard therapy (erlotinib or gefitinib). After 12 months, those taking osimertinib had a 54% lower risk for disease progression or death. In April of this year, the FDA approved osimertinib for first-line treatment of metastatic NSCLC.

In a study of more than 300 metastatic NSCLC patients with the ALK mutation, the disease progressed or death occurred in 41% of those receiving alectinib (a newer more effective drug) compared with 68% receiving crizotinib, an older drug, after about a year and a half. The alectinib group also had fewer side effects. Patients receiving alectinib had control of their tumors for almost three years, on average.

Takeaway: If you are diagnosed with NSCLC, get tested to find out if you have a genetic mutation driving the disease. If you do, talk to your oncologist about the best gene–targeting drug for you—patients with these mutations often do not benefit from immunotherapy.

THE LIQUID BIOPSY OPTION…

The gold standard for biopsies in NSCLC is a tissue biopsy—removing a portion of the tumor and testing it—to identify the specific type of cancer and genetic mutations that inform treatment decisions.

Problem: In many cases, a tissue biopsy isn’t possible—for example, the position of the tumor in the lung or other organ may make it too difficult to biopsy, or the patient may have emphysema.

Solution: A liquid (blood-based) biopsy can be used when a tissue biopsy is not an option. The FDA approved liquid biopsy for lung cancer in 2016. A recent study published in JAMA Oncology suggests that combining liquid biopsies with tumor biopsies can improve the chance of finding a targetable mutation. Ask your oncologist if this is right for you. FoundationOne and Guardant360 are the two most widely used liquid biopsies.

https://bottomlineinc.com/health/lung-cancer/what-it-means-when-your-doctor-finds-a-spot-on-your-lung

Game-changing cancer drugs which can attack all tumours will be fast-tracked by NHS

Game-changing cancer drugs which can attack all types of tumour will be fast-tracked by the NHS, the head of the health service will today announce.

•  Laura Donnelly, health editor

19 JUNE 2019 • 12:01AM

A revolutionary class of treatments could offer hope to thousands of patients in cases which were previously untreatable CREDIT: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Simon Stevens will say that a revolutionary class of treatments - known as “tumour agnostic” drugs - could offer hope to thousands of patients in cases which were previously untreatable.

They work by targeting tumours according to their genetic make-up, rather than where they originate in the body.

As a result, they can be used to treat a range of type of diseases - shrinking tumours in up to three quarters of cancers tested.

Today Mr Stevens will tell a conference of NHS leaders in Manchester that preparations are underway to ensure the next generation of treatment can be quickly made available to patients.

Two of the first drugs are expected to be licenced later this year, and could be approved by NHS rationing bodies soon after, depending on price negotiations.

Earlier detection and treatment of cancer is a central part of the long-term plan for the health service.

Mr Stevens is expected to tell the NHS Confederation conference: “This exciting new breakthrough in cancer treatment is the latest example of how the NHS can lead the way in the new era of personalised cancer care.

“The benefits for patients, in particular children, of being able to treat many different types of cancers with one drug is potentially huge, helping them to lead longer, healthier lives.”

It follows a decision last year to make England the first country in Europe to fund another pioneering treatment, called Car-T, which programmes the body to attack rogue cells, for children.

Today Mr Stevens will say that children should also be among the first to benefit from the new generation of drugs, which target tumours with the genetic variation which accelerates growth.

With such treatments, testing the tumour’s genes or other molecular features assists in deciding which treatments may be best, regardless of where the cancer is located.

The advances are possible because of the NHS national genomic medicine and testing service, launched last year, which allows patients to be tested to see who can benefit from access to targeted treatment, often when no other options are available.

The genetic flaw - known as neurotropic tyrosine receptor kinase, or NTRK - is most commonly found in rare cancers such as  salivary tumours and infantile fibrosarcoma but is also in low levels in more common cancers.

Two drugs - Larotrectinib, produced by Bayer, and entrectinib, from Roche, are expected to be the first drugs to be licenced, later this year.

Health officials said around 850 patients a year could benefit from the frontrunners while many thousands a year are eventually expected to benefit from other treatments on the horizon.

The drugs work by blocking the NTRK enzyme, effectively shrinking the tumour. Early clinical trials showed the tumour responded in two thirds to three quarters of the cancers tested.

Existing cancer drugs need to be approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for each individual type of cancer they treat such as breast or colon cancer.

However, when approved, the new drugs would be available to treat all types of tumour without individual approval.

Mr Stevens will urge health leaders to prepare to introduce the drugs, ahead of meetings next week about how to ensure speedy adoption of the drugs.

Today he will also say that manufacturers need to set fair and affordable prices for the treatments. In recent months, a number of deals have been agreed between the NHS and manufacturers, allowing the rollout of drugs for rare disease, but they remain at loggerheads about the pricing of a treatment for cystic fibrosis, which the NHS refuses to fund.

Mr Stevens will today say: “Preparations are underway to make sure the NHS can adopt these next generation of treatments, but manufacturers need to set fair and affordable prices so treatments can be made available to those who need them.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/06/18/game-changing-cancer-drugs-can-attack-tumours-will-fast-tracked/

Dr. Burzynski's Cancer Treatment

Dr. Burzynski the Movie Part II

July 13, 2013

Story at-a-glance

• Burzynski—Cancer is Serious Business details the struggles and victories of Dr. Burzynski and his groundbreaking cancer treatment, and explores the current status of Antineoplastons’ clinical testing
• Antineoplastons are peptides and derivatives of amino acids that act as genetic switches. They turn off the oncogenes that cause cancer, and turn on or activate tumor suppressor genes—genes that fight cancer
• Dr. Burzynski’s treatment holds the first cures ever for brainstem glioma, a fatal type of brain cancer that typically affects children and young adults
• Japanese researchers have spent 27 years independently testing Antineoplastons and reproducing Dr. Burzynski’s findings, leading them to conclude that the effectiveness of Antineoplastons is “obviously not anecdotal anymore”
• A group of patients and patient advocates have launched a campaign to have Antineoplastons accepted worldwide as a “standard of care” for the treatment of cancer

            

Mercola.com is proud to announce that Burzynski: Cancer is Serious Business Part II will be shown exclusively for FREE on Mercola.com now through July 20th, 2013 only! Click HERE to purchase the film!

Visit the Mercola Video Library
 

By Dr. Mercola

Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski received much deserved publicity with the release of the 2011 film, Burzynski—The Movie. 

Eric Merola’s award-winning documentary showcased Dr. Burzynski’s remarkable cancer discovery for all the world to see, and explained how he won the largest and possibly the most convoluted and intriguing legal battles against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in American history.  

Dr. Burzynski’s story now continues in the compelling follow-up film:  

Burzynski—Cancer Is Serious Business, Part II. This second film details his continued struggles and victories, and explores the current status of Antineoplastons’ clinical testing—now (finally) sanctioned by the FDA.

Dr. Burzynski's Cancer Treatment

Dr. Burzynski, trained as both a biochemist and a physician, has spent the last 35+ years developing and successfully treating cancer patients suffering with some of the most lethal forms of cancer at his clinic in Houston, Texas.  

The treatment he developed involves a gene-targeted approach using non-toxic peptides and amino acids, known as Antineoplastons. I personally interviewed Dr. Burzynski about his treatment in the summer of 2011.  

He coined the term ”antineoplastons” and defines them as peptides and derivatives of amino acids that act as molecular switches. However, as genome research blossomed and science progressed, Dr. Burzynski discovered that antineoplastons also work as genetic switches.  

They actually turn off the genes that cause cancer (oncogenes), and turn on or activate tumor suppressor genes—genes that fight cancer. His treatment strategy, which he refers to as “Personalized Gene Targeted Cancer Therapy,” includes mapping the patient's entire cancer genome.  

This involves analyzing some 24,000 genes in order to identify the abnormal genes. Once they've determined which genes are involved in the cancer, drugs and supplements are identified to target those specific genes.  

Antineoplastons work on approximately 100 cancer-causing genes, but traditional oncology agents (including chemotherapy) may also be used, typically in combination with antineoplastons. This expanded direction of “personalized gene-targeted treatment" has permitted people who would otherwise be denied access to the still-unapproved antineoplastons to benefit from his treatment.

The War on Cancer Cures

As the first film in this series clearly revealed, the FDA began scheming to eliminate the threat Dr. Burzynski and his discovery posed to the cancer industry as early as 1977, when Dr. Burzynski first tried to get antineoplastons approved.  

The reason he was (and still is) considered a significant threat to the cancer industry is because he’s the sole patent holder of the treatment, which means he’s the sole beneficiary, should the FDA approve Antineoplastons—not a pharmaceutical company and the bosses thereof.  

As a matter of fact, Dr. Burzynski is the first and only scientist in United States’ history to enter the federal drug approval process for a proprietary cancer therapy without any financial support from the American government, the pharmaceutical industry, or the cancer establishment. 

Vast amounts of money are at stake, since FDA approval of Antineoplastons would not only threaten conventional chemotherapy and radiation, it would also result in billions of dollars of cancer research funds being funneled over to the one single scientist who has exclusive patent rights—Dr. Burzynski.  

The sad fact is, as stated by Dr. Julian Whitaker in the featured film, that true medical breakthroughs are suppressed these days because they “put at risk the entire financial underpinnings” of medicine.  

If a medical breakthrough replaces failing therapies, the cash flow and profits of those failing therapies are lost forever, and the industry simply chooses profits over cures... Instead of investing in actual cures, medicine, over the past five decades, has invested in awareness campaigns. But, as Dr. Whitaker points out, awareness does not cure the disease, and will never lead to a cure, no matter how much money is raised by these campaigns, for the simple fact that there’s too much vested interest in therapies that fail and perpetuate a money-making disease.

Cancer Is Serious Business

In recent years, the focus for cancer therapy has increasingly shifted toward individualized gene-targeted cancer treatment, such as that provided by Dr. Burzynski for the past decade. So it’s no wonder, really, that the industry has tried so hard to get rid of him, in order to protect their own profits and access to research funds. Burzynski—Cancer is Serious Business, picks up where the first movie left off, detailing Dr. Burzynski’s continued struggles and victories, and explores the current status of Antineoplastons’ clinical testing, now sanctioned by the FDA. It also follows the progress of several of his patients. As described in the film’s synopsis:¹

“For most patients undergoing Burzynski’s treatment, their advanced cancer itself runs secondary to the constant barrage of skepticism coming not only from their local oncologists, but also from friends and family who feel their loved ones are making suspect treatment decisions—even though mainstream oncology has already left many for dead.

As the story unfolds, you will observe a real-time change of hearts and minds from many of these doctors and families. Unlike the first documentary, Part II showcases interviews with board-certified oncologists, surgeons and neurosurgeons, who witnessed patients leave their care, soon to return in great health after opting for the Burzynski Clinic.”

National Cancer Institute Acknowledges Antineoplastons’ Success

Incredibly, in August of last year, America's National Cancer Institute (NCI) finally acknowledged and cited some of Burzynski's peer-reviewed Antineoplaston studies, as well as findings by Japanese researchers who have been independently reproducing Antineoplaston clinical trial studies since the 1980's, without any involvement by Dr. Burzynski. One of the most remarkable admissions by The National Cancer Institute is the following:²

"A Phase II study also conducted by the developer and his associates at his clinic reported on 12 patients with recurrent diffuse intrinsic brainstem glioma. Of the 10 patients who were evaluable, two achieved complete tumor response, three had partial tumor response, three had stable disease, and two had progressive disease."

What’s truly remarkable about this is that a brainstem glioma has simply never been cured before in the history of medicine—Antineoplastons hold the first cures ever! In the featured film, you will also learn how a Japanese team, consisting of pathologists, oncologists and surgeons, has conducted the first-ever independently-run randomized controlled human clinical trials on Antineoplastons, and the results thereof. According to Dr. Hideaki Tsuda, MD with the Kurume Medical University in Japan:

"After 27 years of independently testing Antineoplastons—including randomized clinical trials, we found that Dr. Burzynski was right. It's obviously not anecdotal anymore.”

The Story Everyone Needs to Know

Dr. Burzynski has developed a cancer treatment that surpasses all other treatments on the market today, and the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry knows it. They also know his treatment threatens the entire paradigm of the cancer industry, which is based on expensive treatments with a high rate of failure and retreatment. 

For the past 15 years, they’ve harassed him, tried to take away his medical license, and even tried to put him in prison for life—all in order to protect the status quo. Adding insult to injury, you and I have been paying for the brutal opposition to Dr. Burzynski’s cancer treatment this whole time. The US government spent $60 million on legal fees for just one of his trials alone. 

Still, Dr. Burzynski has prevailed, and the truth about his gene-targeted treatment is finally receiving some well-deserved acknowledgment. After all, Dr. Burzynski has published over 300 articles on Antineoplastons, many of them peer-reviewed. And more than 100 independent Antineoplaston studies have been published, including those from Japan.

Support a Cancer Cure, Not Merely the Awareness of the Condition

Earlier this year, a group of patients and patient advocates launched a campaign to have Antineoplastons accepted worldwide as a “standard of care” for the treatment of cancer.³ For more information, please see www.iwantanp.com:

“Unlike all other cancer research campaigns which rely 100% on awareness alone, we realize that awareness itself does not cure the disease. Medications such as Antineoplastons are what can lead to the cure of the disease of cancer.

If the United States still refuses to allow Antineoplastons into its marketplace, we will then make sure another country will be properly funded to set up the proper channels for Antineoplastons to be approved for their marketplace. Another avenue would be simply opening up a massive Antineoplastons clinic allowing the cancer patients of the world to seek treatment using Antineoplastons.

Upon gaining either market approval—or the funding the construction of an Antineoplaston clinic overseas, our funds will then go to make sure everyone who cannot afford to travel overseas to receive Antineoplaston therapy—can do so by requesting money through this organization.

Either way, whether the market or its government's regulatory agencies want Antineoplastons available to its citizens or not—Antineoplastons are here to stay, and the members of our global human family deserve the right to have access to them.”

[-] Sources and References

• ¹ Burzynskimovie.com, Press Kit
• ² NIH Antineoplastons Human clinical studies
• ³ www.iwantanp.com

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/07/13/burzynski-cancer-film.aspx

Case Against Dr Burzynski Dismissed!

Treats Cancer Without Chemo - And It's Not a "Crime" After All...

This newly accepted cancer treatment forces cancer cells out of hiding so your immune system recognizes them as an enemy, then selects and kills them - but not your healthy cells. Way smarter than chemo, which kills everything in sight. Read on to find out more...


Case Dismissed!
Texas Ends 15-Year Fight Against Cancer Doctor Burzynski

January 19, 2013 | 234,085views

Story at-a-glance

• After a 15-year long battle, the Texas Medical Board has officially ended its crusade to revoke Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski's medical license in an effort to end the use of his pioneering personalized gene-targeted therapy for cancer
• Evidence has shown in the past that the FDA has pressured the Texas Medical Board to revoke Dr. Burzynski's medical license—despite the fact that no laws were broken, and his treatment was proven safe and effective
• The Texas Medical Board (TMB) has a long history of harassing doctors. The entire Board was sued by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) in 2007, citing an “institutional culture of retaliation and intimidation.” Legislation was also drafted in 2009 in an effort to clamp down on the abuses by the TMB, but the bill failed to be passed into law
• Dr. Burzynski’s treatment also includes antineoplastons, which are peptides and derivatives of amino acids that act as molecular and genetic switches. They turn off oncogenes that cause cancer, and activate tumor suppressor genes
• Once they've determined which genes are involved in the cancer, after extensive third-party genomic testing on both the cancer tissue obtained during biopsy as well as the patient's blood, a custom formulation of FDA-approved gene-targeted drugs are then meticulously chosen to target that patients genes specially related to their cancer. Antineoplastons by themselves work on nearly 100 cancer-causing genes, while traditional gene targeted oncology agents like Avastin, are only proven to target a single gene. Typically, patients who participate in Burzynski's personalized gene-targeted regimen also receive Phenylbutyrate, a metabolite of Burzynski's original Antineoplaston invention.

Visit the Mercola Video Library

 

By Dr. Mercola

After a grueling 15-year long battle, the Texas Medical Board has officially ended its crusade to revoke Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski's medical license in an effort to end his use of Antineoplastons, as well as his combination gene-targeted therapy for cancer.

The Texas Medical Board’s case against him was dismissed¹ on November 19, 2012, just in time for Thanksgiving. According to Dr. Burzynski’s attorney, Richard A. Jaffe, Esq:²

“Early on, two medical board informal settlement panels found that the use of these combination drugs on the advanced cancer patients involved was within the standard of care.

However, the Texas Medical Board refused to drop the case and instead filed a formal complaint³ against Dr. Burzynski alleging the same standard of care violations previously rejected by the board settlement panels.

After two years of intense litigation, the case was set for trial in April 2012. However, a week before trial, the administrative law judges dismissed most of the charges against Dr. Burzynski which forced the Board to seek to adjourn the case to do some reevaluation.

After the judges denied the Board’s attempt to reverse the previous partial dismissal of the case, the Board did more reevaluation and moved to dismiss the entire case.”

In 2010, Texas Medical Board staff charged⁴ Dr. Burzynski with prescribing and administering drugs not yet approved by the FDA for the treatment of cancer in two patients. They also claimed he had overcharged for the drugs, and, in one case, that he had failed to inform the patient that the treatment was having an insignificant impact on her cancer, delaying her ability to make an informed decision about whether to continue her treatment.

On both counts, the Board determined that the treatments did not violate the standard of care, and that patients had been appropriately billed. They did however agree he failed to inform the patient that the treatment was ineffective, and in the other case, they determined he had failed to maintain adequate medical records.

Dr. Burzynski to Make History Yet Again

Dr. Burzynski received much-needed publicity two years ago with the release of Burzynski — The Movie, a documentary about Dr. Burzynski’s remarkable cancer discovery, and how he won the largest and possibly the most convoluted and intriguing legal battle against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in American history.

This year, a second film detailing his continued struggles, and victories, is scheduled to be released. As announced in the trailer (see above), Dr. Burzynski is now doing the unthinkable... He is “the first and only scientist in United States history to enter the federal drug approval process for a proprietary cancer therapy without any financial support from the American government, the pharmaceutical industry, or the cancer establishment.”  

After it was revealed that the FDA had pressured the Texas medical board to revoke Dr. Burzynski's medical license — despite the fact that no laws were broken, and his treatment was proven safe and effective — the obvious question was “why?” In 1982, Dr. Richard Crout, Director of the FDA Bureau of Drugs, wrote:

"I never have and never will approve a new drug to an individual, but only to a large pharmaceutical firm with unlimited finances."

The answer to this has to do with money. Lots and lots of money... See, Dr. Burzynski owns the patent for this treatment, and should it actually gain FDA approval, not only would it threaten conventional chemotherapy and radiation, it would also result in billions of dollars of cancer research funds being funneled over to the one single scientist who has exclusive patent rights — Dr. Burzynski.  

When Medical Harassment Becomes Standard Practice

As Burzynski — The Movie revealed, it became clear that ever since 1977, when Dr. Burzynski first tried to get antineoplastons approved, the FDA had begun scheming to eliminate the threat he and his discovery posed to the cancer industry. With that in mind, the mistreatment dished out by the Texas Medical Board (TMB) against Dr. Burzynski becomes easier to understand.

The situation becomes even more enlightening once you take into account the fact that, for years, the TMB has cultivated intimidation and harassment of doctors to the point that the entire Board was sued by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) in 2007, citing an “institutional culture of retaliation and intimidation.” The suit specifically pointed out misconduct by then Board president, Roberta Kalafut, who was accused of enlisting her husband to file anonymous complaints against targeted doctors, including her own competitors, who then faced losing their license and other punitive disciplinary actions based on fraudulent charges. (She resigned from her post in December 2008.)⁵

The situation was so bad that legislation was drafted in 2009 in an effort to clamp down on the abuses by the TMB.⁶ Unfortunately, the bill, HB3816, failed to get a House vote and didn’t make it into law. The bill would have prevented anonymous, unsworn complaints from ruining the careers of doctors, and given physicians a right to jury trial before license revocation, among other things. It seems not much has changed in the years since. In an AAPS blog dated September 22, 2011, Jane M. Orient, MD, Executive Director of AAPS stated:⁷

“Complaints from our members have identified the TMB as probably the worst in the country. It’s bad for patients when their doctors are afraid that doing the right thing could result in licensure action.”  

Summary of Dr. Burzynski's Cancer Treatment

Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, a Polish immigrant, was trained as both a biochemist and a physician. He's spent the last 35 years developing and successfully treating cancer patients suffering with some of the most lethal forms of cancer at his clinic in Houston, Texas. The treatment he developed involves a gene-targeted approach using non-toxic peptides and amino acids, known as antineoplastons. I personally interviewed Dr. Burzynski about his treatment in the summer of 2011.

  

His strategy includes studying the patient's entire cancerous genome; analyzing some 24,000 genes in each cancer patient, in order to identify the abnormal genes. Once they've determined which genes are involved in the cancer, drugs and supplements are identified to target those genes. Antineoplastons work on approximately 100 cancer-causing genes, but traditional oncology agents (including chemotherapy) may also be used, typically in combination with antineoplastons.

Antineoplastons are peptides and derivatives of amino acids that act as molecular switches. However, as genome research blossomed and science progressed, Dr. Burzynski discovered that antineoplastons also work as genetic switches. They turn off the oncogenes that cause cancer, and turn on or activate tumor suppressor genes — genes that fight cancer. The antineoplastons were initially obtained from blood. For a time they were then extracted from urine, but they've now been using synthetic antineoplastons since 1980.

Burzynski — The Movie features several case stories of people who were successfully cured of cancer, and reveals for example clinical trial data of conventional therapies versus antineoplastons in Phase II FDA-sanctioned clinical trials for a type of brain cancer called Anaplastic Astrocytoma, Grade III. When stacked against each other, the benefits of antineoplastons become quite obvious:

Radiation or Chemotherapy Only	Antineoplastons Only
5 of 54 patients (9 percent)	5 of 20 (25 percent)
were cancer free at the end of treatment	were cancer free at the end of treatment
Toxic side effects	No toxic side effects

Gene Targeted Cancer Therapy is the Future 

In recent years, the focus for cancer therapy has increasingly shifted toward individualized gene-targeted cancer treatment — such as that provided by Dr. Burzynski for the past 10 years. A description of how the patient’s individualized treatment plan is devised is given in the second video above, starting three minutes into the video. So, is it any wonder the industry wants to get rid of him in order to protect their own profits and access to research funds?

As an example, in January 2011, the Khalifa Foundation gave a $150 million grant to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center⁸ “to support genetic-analysis based research, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.” In short, personalized cancer treatment is the future of oncology, and the US government has spared no expense in trying to make eliminate Dr. Burzynski from the race — including patent theft...

In October 1991, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) conducted a site visit to Dr. Burzynski's clinic and verified that "anti-tumor activity was documented by the use of antineoplastons."⁹ Seventeen days after this visit, the United States of America as represented by "The Department of Health and Human Services," filed a patent for antineoplastons AS2-1 — one of the two antineoplastons Dr. Burzynski had already patented. The inventor listed on the copycat patent was Dr. Dvorit Samid, a former research consultant of Dr. Burzynski’s. The patent states:

"The invention described herein may be manufactured, used and licensed by or for the government, for governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalties thereon." 

In November of 1995, the US Patent office approved the first US Government patent for antineoplastons. Between 1995 and 2000, the US Patent office approved 11 copycat patents on antineoplastons AS2-1. Incredibly, In August of 2012, America's National Cancer Institute has begun to finally acknowledge and cite some of Burzynski's peer-reviewed Antineoplaston studies, as well as Japan's studies who have been independently reproducing Antineoplaston clinical trials studies since the 1980's. One of the most remarkable admissions by The National Cancer Institute is where they quote¹⁰:

"A Phase II study also conducted by the developer and his associates at his clinic reported on 12 patients with recurrent diffuse intrinsic brainstem glioma. Of the ten patients who were evaluable, two achieved complete tumor response, three had partial tumor response, three had stable disease, and two had progressive disease."

A brainstem glioma has simply never been cured before in the history of medicine — Antineoplastons hold the first cures ever. Kudos to the National cancer Institute for finally giving credit where credit is due! 

Is the Cancer Industry Really Interested in Finding Cancer Cures?

To summarize Dr. Burzynski’s story: He developed a cancer treatment that surpassed all other treatments on the market, and the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry knew it. They also knew he was the sole owner of the patents for this therapy, and these two facts combined, threatened the entire paradigm of the cancer industry.

So they decided to steal his invention. The problem is, they cannot actually use the stolen patents as long as Dr. Burzynski walks free and has the ability to defend his rights to them.

So, for the past 15 years, they’ve thrown everything but the kitchen sink at him in an effort to tuck him away in jail for the remainder of his life, or at the very least, make sure he doesn’t have a license with which to practice any kind of medicine. Without a profitable career, making and raising the needed cash for patent defense would be tricky. Sadly, you and I have all been paying for the brutal opposition to his cancer treatment this whole time. The US government spent $60 million on legal fees for just one of his trials alone...

Still, Dr. Burzynski has prevailed against enormous forces so many times it’s enough to make one believe in a higher power. Certainly, many of his patients would call him a God-send. Now, with the TMB finally dismissing their case against him, let’s hope that’s the end of the absurd witch hunt against Dr. Burzynski.

Part 2 of the documentary will be released sometime this year. Until then, you can show support for Eric Merola and his film by purchasing the first one, Burzynski: The Movie.

[-] Sources and References

• ¹ SOAH Docket # 503-11-1669.MD, Motion to Dismiss, November 19, 2012 (PDF)
• ² Burzynskimovie.com November 19, 2012
• ³ Texas Medical Board Complaint against Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski 2008 (PDF)
• ⁴ Texas Medical Board Agreed Order July 2011 (PDF)
• ⁵ AAPS Press release December 12, 2008
• ⁶ AAPS Press release April 2, 2009 (PDF)
• ⁷ AAPS News of the Day Blog September 22, 2011
• ⁸ University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Press release January 19, 2011 (PDF)
• ⁹ NIH, National Cancer Institute Memorandum November 15, 1991 (PDF)
• ¹⁰ NIH Antineoplastons Human clinical studies

 

• ¹ SOAH Docket # 503-11-1669.MD, Motion to Dismiss, November 19, 2012 (PDF)
• ² Burzynskimovie.com November 19, 2012
• ³ Texas Medical Board Complaint against Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski 2008 (PDF)
• ⁴ Texas Medical Board Agreed Order July 2011 (PDF)
• ⁵ AAPS Press release December 12, 2008
• ⁶ AAPS Press release April 2, 2009 (PDF)
• ⁷ AAPS News of the Day Blog September 22, 2011
• ⁸ University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Press release January 19, 2011 (PDF)
• ⁹ NIH, National Cancer Institute Memorandum November 15, 1991 (PDF)
• ¹⁰ NIH Antineoplastons Human clinical studies

[+] Comments (199)

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/01/19/cancer-doctor-burzynski.aspx?

Curing Cancer Without Chemotherapy

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Uploaded by burzyn on Nov 19, 2010

Curing Cancer without Chemotherapy

Is it possible to cure cancer without using chemotherapy or only using low doses of chemotherapy? FOX 7's Loriana Hernandez spoke with a Houston doctor who says that is possible and that he has done just that.

Dr. Stanley Burzynski runs a clinic in Houston where he treats cancer with a medical discovery he made in the 1970's.

Instead of traditional treatments, he targets specific affected genes and not the entire body. He said that his research showed that people with cancer are missing peptides in their blood. He uses peptides, derivatives, and mixtures to make a drug he calls antineoplastins to treat the cancer.

LINK: Burzynskiclinic.com



Suzanne Somers Visits the Burzynski Clinic in Houston - FOX26



Uploaded by burzyn on Jul 6, 2009

Fox 26 News report on Suzanne Somers visiting the Burzynski Clinic in Houston. Suzanne Somers will be featuring Dr. Burzynski in her new book to be released this fall.

www.burzynskiclinic.com
www.myfoxhouston.com



Burzynski Clinic, Tomorrow's Cancer Treatment Today.



Uploaded by burzyn on Feb 4, 2011


Growing from a small clinic in 1977 to a major, international cancer treatment center, Burzynski Clinic is a unique organization providing a wide variety of advanced cancer treatments, including Antineoplaston treatment and personalized Gene Targeted treatment plans.

For over thirty years, Dr. Burzynski's cancer research has been inspired by the philosophy of the physician, Hippocrates, to "First, do no harm." True to this philosophy, the treatment regimens developed by him are based on the natural biochemical defense system of our body, capable of combating cancer without harming the healthy cells.

Burzynski Clinic offers a variety of Personalized Treatment options - advanced gene-targeted medications custom-selected for a patient, based on the identification of the oncogenes involved in their particular cancer.

The Burzynski Clinic services include oncology consultations, genetic markers testing, oncogene testing, health information services, in-house pharmacy for formulary management, nutrition counseling, medication training and patient treatment monitoring



Patients of Dr. Burzysnki on CBS This Morning (1997)



Uploaded by burzyn on Jan 12, 2011

Patients of Dr. Burzynski appeared on CBS This Morning in 1997 with Harry Smith to share their experiences with the alternative cancer treatment they received at the Burzynski Clinic in Houston.



Dr Burzynski movie (FULL VERSION)



Uploaded by videogangstar on Jun 12, 2011

i wanted to share this video with the world to show what sort of world we live in, where money comes firstGroundbreaking, non-surgical, non or low-toxic cancer treatment regimens, some available within clinical trials
Customized nutritional programs to ensure balanced diet complementing the treatment
Excellent medical care centered around the patients and their families, in a friendly and supportive environment
Medical expertise based on over 40 years of clinical experience and research in developing cancer treatments
Personalized treatment regimens for every patient
Over 50 different types of malignancies are treated with cutting-edge technology and FDA approved gene-targeted medicines
.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7CKUmqXFVc&feature=fvst