Pancreatic Cancer Case Study
Patient LR, like so many of my patients, has an unusual background, with a graduate degree, study abroad, and expertise in art. Before we first met, he had worked successfully in business for many years. His very devoted wife had a Ph.D. and had, before retirement, worked as a college professor.
He had been in good health when in July of 1991, at age 70, a routine chest x-ray at the time of his yearly physical revealed a small right lung nodule suspicious for possible malignancy. A repeat x-ray in August 1991 again demonstrated “a parenchymal nodule in the right mid lung…” CT scan studies of the chest in late August 1991 confirmed a “6 millimeter nodule in peripheral lateral aspect of right upper lobe. It is consistent with bronchogenic carcinoma, …show more content…
After surgery, an ultrasound revealed the liver lesions most likely represented metastatic cancer:
Areas consistent with metastatic involvement of the liver, the largest of which is approximately 3.4 to 4 cm in maximal dimension near the hilus. The second is just under 2 cm in the right lobe and possibly a third smaller one in the right lobe.
With the testing done, LR was told he had metastatic pancreatic cancer, perhaps two months to live, and that neither chemotherapy nor radiation would be of benefit. But, instead of giving up and getting his affairs in order as the doctors suggested, he and his wife decided to take the situation into their own hands. They both began reading voraciously about cancer, nutrition, and alternatives. He began ingesting large numbers of supplements, including vitamin C, vitamin E, even pancreatic enzymes
I first saw LR in December 1991. Despite his prognosis, he seemed determined to fight his disease, and talked as if he had absolute faith that he could get well on my therapy. He subsequently proved to be a very compliant patient, and the results, though gradual in coming, were gratifying. Within a year, his general health had improved substantially, and a CT scan of the abdomen in February 1993 – some 15 months after his initial diagnosis - showed no change in any of the lesions. Technically, the cancer hadn’t improved, but it hadn’t advanced, and he was still
He had been in good health when in July of 1991, at age 70, a routine chest x-ray at the time of his yearly physical revealed a small right lung nodule suspicious for possible malignancy. A repeat x-ray in August 1991 again demonstrated “a parenchymal nodule in the right mid lung…” CT scan studies of the chest in late August 1991 confirmed a “6 millimeter nodule in peripheral lateral aspect of right upper lobe. It is consistent with bronchogenic carcinoma, …show more content…
After surgery, an ultrasound revealed the liver lesions most likely represented metastatic cancer:
Areas consistent with metastatic involvement of the liver, the largest of which is approximately 3.4 to 4 cm in maximal dimension near the hilus. The second is just under 2 cm in the right lobe and possibly a third smaller one in the right lobe.
With the testing done, LR was told he had metastatic pancreatic cancer, perhaps two months to live, and that neither chemotherapy nor radiation would be of benefit. But, instead of giving up and getting his affairs in order as the doctors suggested, he and his wife decided to take the situation into their own hands. They both began reading voraciously about cancer, nutrition, and alternatives. He began ingesting large numbers of supplements, including vitamin C, vitamin E, even pancreatic enzymes
I first saw LR in December 1991. Despite his prognosis, he seemed determined to fight his disease, and talked as if he had absolute faith that he could get well on my therapy. He subsequently proved to be a very compliant patient, and the results, though gradual in coming, were gratifying. Within a year, his general health had improved substantially, and a CT scan of the abdomen in February 1993 – some 15 months after his initial diagnosis - showed no change in any of the lesions. Technically, the cancer hadn’t improved, but it hadn’t advanced, and he was still