hie bro and sis ,

my mum found out that she got lung cancer on june 2016 . stage 3 , sqaumous type .

then she was diagnosed at tung shin hospital . under a old doctor , Dr. tan .

she was given 10 radiotherapy and 6 chemotherapy .

the whole medical course completed at dec 2016 , then the doc perform an x-ray , says the tumor shrink a bit .

ask us to come back after 3 months for checking .

but after a month since the last chemo , she suddenly having severe back and chest pain .

i quickly send her to SJMC , she did a CT scan , doctor said the tumor has grown bigger . and has spread to nearby lymph node .

he said since first line chemo is not effective , he suggested a new tech aka new drug " immunotherapy"

only this can help her ...

but the medical cost is too costly for us , RM20k per session , twice per week .

it will cost us Rm40k per month , and doc say min have to do 4 months , which is 160k ..

if it's 160k . i still can find a way to get it , but the doc said mostly needed 1 year , thats about 480k . which i cant afford really .

i went to IKN (institute kanser negara) , they treated me badly , i ask do they have these drugs , they say no , just simple chemo only here .

i read through the net , there's lots of clinical trial using immunotherapy in U.S .

i wonder is there any clinical trial or what i can do to help my mum .



any help is greatly appreciated , my dad has passed away and i lost my bro on a accident , hence im the only son left to help her , im lost and stressed .

thanks in advance ...

This post has been edited by supermac: Feb 21 2017, 03:49 AM

read about it in the star newspaper on a few locals

below is the article

http://www.star2.com/people/2017/02/12/a-c...-immunotherapy/

thanks for the article bro , i actually research HITV Lab immunotherapy already , i went to their main clinic at bangsar " mahameru medical center "

speaks to the representative there , it cost similar to SJMC , HITV needed 120 k + 65 k + 30 k for the first 2 month , the follow up treatment for a year will cost 300k . so in total also 400-500k per year .

i asked them do they have clinical trial , they said sadly no , UKM might have HITV clinical trial , buts thats for breast or lymphoma cancer only .

It's been a long time, so sorry to hear this. I do remember that you mentioned going through hard time when we last talked few years ago.

This article is published in 2014 by in Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention; Cytotoxicity of Nigella Sativa Seed Oil and Extract Against Human Lung Cancer Cell Line

Spend some time to read the research report thoroughly. After that spend some time to research about these online;

1) Nigella Sativa
2) Black seed oil
3) Kalonji oil
4) Habbatus sauda

All those are the same thing, scientific name, english name, Indian name, Arabic name etc. It's best to read proper research articles (mainly from Google Scholar), because most casual articles (magazines or news) tend to over exaggerate it.

I have the oil & I know where to get the seeds, definitely cheaper than whatever methods you're quoted by the hospitals. But print that article & have a discussion with your doctor & other doctors (especially independent doctors) whether it's a possible solution or not.

Be strong!

This post has been edited by NightHeart: Feb 22 2017, 12:51 AM

First thing first. Run down to your nearest pharmacy and get metformin and albendazole. This should slow it down. It's weird but these drugs have the ability to slow cancer down and they are dirt cheap.
Let's ask Tham he will advise what to do

You can try curcumin by meriva or DIY turmeric + black pepper + coconut oil in boiling water.

thanks for the help bro , i'll try whatever that can help .. i'm already financially stressed out from her previous medical bill .
i'll pm u ya .

i do heard tumeric is good , i'll drop by the pharmacy and get metformin and albendazole. + curcumin later ...

but she's suffering from pain from the back and chest , and very very bad cough and hard to breath .

so i think no matter how , i also need to send her to hospital right ? else look at her suffering like that everyday . heart broken .

Be though bro , your mom will be okay ! I had 2 relatives and friends got cancer virus too, both also the same breast cancer not lung cancer, but they been through the cancer virus because of the E.excel product, Millenium beverage ! Seriously .. it can help to improve your mum immune system and fight against the cancer cell..

This post has been edited by dotaykl: Feb 23 2017, 04:33 AM

Dear mbr, not sure if you remember Supermac from our good ole GC days, its been so many years. But would you be able to shed some lights on immunotherapy or guide him how to go about this better? I've provided him 2 alternative options, but I think it might be useful to better understand the immunotherapy as well since it was suggested to him by his doctor.

somebody sent me this fwded message, not sure is valid or not:-

If you know anyone who needs chemo treatment (化疗）and doesn't have insurance or money, kindly refer them to National Cancer Institute in Putrajaya.

Chemo is RM4k and for seniors citizens it is only RM200 per chemo.

Medication is free. Twin sharing room is RM80.

Someone is undergoing treatment there and he is very satisfied.

Doctors and nurses are competent and it's a new hospital less than 3 years old.

Please share so that our community will benefit out of this information.

National Cancer Institute (Institut Kanser Negara)

Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia
No. 4, Jalan P7, Presint 7,
62250 Wilayah Persekutuan Putrajaya.
Tel : +603-8892 5555
Faks: +603-8892 5588

Email: ncipro@nci.gov.my
URL: http://nci.moh.gov.my

Director: Dr. Asmayani binti Khalib

Thank you very much
My dad is diagnosed with lung cancer as well but more serious than TS... your info really a good help... tq very much Spreeee

Be strong. I do know that there are several immunotherapy clinical trials ongoing for lung cancer, though not sure whether it is feasible to join in as a subject. But at least take a look at the database:

https://www.nmrr.gov.my/fwbPage.jsp?fwbPage...ion=SearchReset

Put in search terms that you need, like "lung cancer" and check out the centres and principal investigators, and get in touch with them for specifics.

Quite surprised when I logged on... I am not that regular on lowyat forum nowadays, and currently doing my doctorate, so kinda away from the hospital for a while. Tham put up some info to consider, and I pray supermac can find alternatives. Immunotherapy are not really used in govt centres yet largely due to high cost.

I'm just helping supermac to reach out to get relevant help. You're back to studies again aye? Your field is like a continuous cycle of studying
A lot of people are gonna need you eventually, all the best in your studies

no problem.. but i aint sure if the info is valid.. do update us if this is useful

Topic cleaned for unnecessary and unrelated quarrels.

Hi buddy,

I lost someone dear to me, to lung cancer as well. Diagnosed Adenocarcinoma Stage IV. She fought and survived for close to 5 years. I'm not going to give you advises on what the course of treatment and what to eat or "cancer preventing food" or anything like that.

What I can share with you is my experience. You/your family should get educated, and know about the drugs that is given to the patient. Get involved in her treatment, and try to read up on the drugs that is suggested before making a decision. Join focus groups and forums, and stay in the know for latest developments in the treatment of your particular kind of cancer. Just so you know, many countries/hospitals offer free clinical trials for newly developed drugs. We've done a few in Singapore General Hospital previously.

While taking advice from people is good and those giving advice often mean well, what you should prioritise is the patient's happiness and general well-being. Do not restrict what the person want to eat or do just because "it will make the cancer worst" or anything that people tell you. What I can tell you that there's nothing worst that can happen to you if you already got the big-C. Maintain quality of life. There's no point surviving if the patient cannot maintain a good quality of life. Take into account the patient's feelings when making major decisions like changing drugs, or second opinions. Remember, happiness and high hopes are often better than the best cancer medication.

This is going to be a trying time for you and your family. You will see true colours of friends, family and strangers. You will find help and support in places you least expect, likewise with rejection. Ignore the rejections/true colour of people, we are only human, and take all the support that you need. These are often given freely. Do not hesitate to ask for help even when its a listening ear.

There will be times when the results are good, there will be more times when the results are not so good. Stay strong, or show that you are strong. Do not be discouraged. Your support means more to the patient than you know. So you have to show her that you are strong for her. Again i stress here, maintain quality of life. Go out and celebrate when you have good results. Pull a strong face, "try again" when its not that good. Moods, feelings, and thoughts have more effects than you realise.

All in all, good luck, stay strong.

IKN Putrajaya is good. My mum had breast cancer in 2014 and went through 6 rounds of chemos and 25 times of radiotherapy. She had her tumour removed in Pantai Bangsar as the Breast Cancer Specialist was based there. This Specialist was the one recommended us to IKN even though my mum has insurance coverage.

My mum was diagnosed when she was 61 years old and that qualified her as a senior citizen. Her chemo treatment was less than RM 50 each round and radiotherapy was free of charge. She was offered with a stronger treatment (I forgot the name as I'm very bad with medical term) after her radiotherapy and this treatment actually needs to go through for one year but not as suffering as chemo. It costs RM 150k in Pantai but IKN offered to my mum the same price we paid for her chemo!

However, my mum didn't accept the offer as the Oncologist and her Specialist in Bangsar told us at our mum's age, this is just an optional treatment and we should respect patient's decision. I could understand my mum's situation at that time because she was eagerly waiting to complete her radiotherapy and suddenly was asked to "lock" for another year of treatment. Hence, she declined.

Right after her first chemo, she was unfortunately bitten by an unknown bug which caused her arm to swell and she had high fever. We quickly sent her back to IKN and and she was hospitalized for a week and they arranged a single room for her. Gave her a strong antibiotic that her hair fell immediately. My sister was pleasantly surprised the bill was only RM 60.++ when she was discharged.

My advice is go back to IKN, Putrajaya again and if possible get a recommendation letter from your mum's doctor. We were very happy with the service rendered by IKN staff, I must say far better than some of the private hospitals we went before. We didn't specifically ask for any discounts as it was already a blessing that my mum managed to get her treatments there but we were very pleased when they auto waived some of the expenses because my mum is a senior citizen. Facilities are good and staff are friendly and competent.

Though it's a government hospital, my mum didn't queue for that long to get her first chemo. Less than 3 weeks inclusive of the time to visit the Oncologist to decide on her drug and treatment.

I think you should give another try for IKN.

I strongly agree with this statement; there will be countless people telling you to take or do this or that, don't bother to argue - listen, nod, smile2 and decide for yourself if you want to follow it.

Don't be swayed by anecdotes eg my colleague's friend's granduncle 3x removed, did this and he was healed.

Anecdotes are not evidence.

thanks for all the support and help from you all , i really deeply appreciated , Yup , maintain the quality of life is very important , after digging into more info on lung cancer , i bet there's no 100% cure for it and my mum it's already at stage 4 .

i'll just try to give her the best medication doctor suggest , and hopefully it will reduce her suffering symptom such as cough , chest pain and short of breath , so that she could live life like a normal person and get back the quality life for the amount of time left for her .

i'm forcing myself not to think about losing her, but it stucks on my head everynight , sad and stressed out . But no worries , i'll try to be as strong as i can .

thanks once again for all the support and help everyone .

BTW, i also suggest you contact Hospis Malaysia

https://www.hospismalaysia.org/

They have lots of experience and very helpful in practical ways.

Hi is there any update on this topic