Lung Cancer
NATUROPATHIC TREATMENT

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General Information

This is primarily a discussion of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) which is the most common type of lung cancer.

More than 80% of primary lung malignancies are associated with and probably caused by cigarette smoking. Smoking cessation is important for all patients with primary lung malignancies.

Screening

Canadian Task For on Preventative Health Care suggests low dose computed tomography (LDCT) for adults aged 55-74 years with at least a 30 pack-year* smoking history who currently smoke or quit less than 15 years ago. Chest x-ray not be used to screen for lung cancer.

Surgery

In early stage disease we always encourage patients to undergo surgery: surgery has the chance to be curative if done early enough. Our Naturopaths often support lung cancer patients pre-operatively with various infusions to both target the cancer and improve healing and immune function post-surgery (IV therapy discussed below). We always include Vitamin D prior to or just after lung cancer patients have undergone surgery. There is evidence that Lung cancer patients that have surgery in the summer have dramatically better survival rates than patients where surgery is done in the winter elucidating a strong role for Vitamin D.

Hyperbaric Oxygen will likely be of post-operative benefit as it has been used to treat complications arising from lung transplant surgery. Furthermore, Hyperbaric Oxygen's use in wound healing especially management of ischemic, infected, and nonhealing wounds is well known. Jain (2017) suggests "The use of supplemental oxygen is recommended for all patients considered to be at high risk of infection who are either undergoing or recovering from surgery...It is now established that HBO treatments in selected patients can facilitate healing by increasing tissue oxygen tension, thus providing the wound with a more favorable environment for repair." 

Radiation

Radiation therapy is indicated in the following circumstances: patients who are not suitable candidates for surgery, after incomplete resection, significant lymph node spread (N2) and unresectable patients.  There is limited evidence for the use of postoperative radiation therapy in the treatment of resectable NSCLC.  There is evidence for the use of radiation therapy in the treatment of advanced NSCLC.

Preliminary data exists for Hyperbaric Oxygen sensitizing non-small cell lung cancer to radiation treatment (Shen et al. 2015). 

There is evidence that concomitant curcumin administration sensitizes lung cancer cells to radiation therefore we suggest oral curcumin consumption with a highly bioavailable extract during radiation therapy to our Edmonton patients. Although the mechanism of action is potentially complimentary, we do not administer IV vitamin C  concurrently with radiation treatments; we wait a minimum of two weeks until after radiation is over before IV Vitamin C Therapy administration. 

Chemotherapy

Unresectable/advanced disease (stage IIIB/IV) platinum-based chemotherapy regimens are employed. We’ve seen cisplatin commonly used as a first line therapy. Cisplatin is associated with reduced blood counts, nerve toxicity, and kidney damage; we employ a number of natural therapies to augment these side effects however care is taken because a few common natural agents (Milk thistle, Black Cohosh, N-acetyl-cysteine, B6) can actually adversely interact with Cisplatin. For instance, our Naturopathic Doctors often add Vitamin E to Cisplatin because it can offset the Cisplatin induced nerve damage as evidenced in clinical trials.

Our Naturopaths offer Edmonton IV Therapy with glutathione which has been shown to be a safe and non competitive addition to Cisplatin infusions to reduce Cisplatin neuropathy. Oral Astagalus root can offset the drop in blood counts from Cisplatin, which is  a good low cost intervention; there’s evidence that Astragalus can survival rates in lung cancer patients when administered alongside platin based chemotherapy so it’s almost always an addition to our patients’ natural lung cancer protocols. 

Advanced Therapies: Mistletoe

In a 2013 clinical trial patients with advanced Lung Cancer were randomized to receive chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy plus Mistletoe (Iscador – three times weekly). Chemotherapy consisted of 21-day cycles of carboplatin combined with gemcitabine or pemetrexed.

Median time to progression was longer in the Mistletoe group. More control patients had chemotherapy dose reductions (44% versus 13%) and severe non-haematological side-effects (41% versus 16%) and hospitalisations (54% versus 24%). This trial is a proof of concept that Mistletoe can be combined with Carboplatin and Gemcitabine which are often used in Ovarian and Pancreatic Cancer respectively.

The results mirror what our Naturopaths have seen in practice which is less chemotherapy dose reductions for patients that persist with Mistletoe which is a primary reason why patients taking Mistletoe during chemotherapy often have improved outcomes.

Advanced Therapies: IV Vitamin C and wormwood

We no longer offer IV Vitamin C as a standalone treatment for lung cancer; observations in multiple patients suggests to us that it is not an effective standalone treatment. A 2015 case report mirrors our observations, however, there appeared to be synergy with gefitinib and IVC in Lung cancer and a 2017 trial demonstrated synergy of IVC with Platinum based chemotherapy. 

A 2017 trial combined IV Vitamin C and electrohyperthermia in Stage III and IV hyperthermia. The authors did not comment on efficacy but simply mentioned that plasma levels of vitamin C were greatest when the two therapies were applied simultaneously. Quality of life improved over the four week study period.  Lower levels of blood Vitamin C was correlated with more advanced stage of disease. 

In two review studies by Takahashi (2012) and Bazzan (2018) IV Therapy with Vitamin C was administered to a group of cancer patients, which did include lung cancer, with improved quality of life demonstrated in both studies.

However, we would consider its administration if Artemesinin (an off label anti-malarial medication) is administered prior to its administration as these are synergistic therapies and Artesunate has definite activity in Lung cancer. 

A clinical trial demonstrated clear synergistic compatibility of Artesunate with vinorelbine and cisplatin in lung cancer patients. 120mg Artesunate doses were usedin the study. The disease control rate in the Artesunate + Chemotherapy group was significantly longer than the chemo alone. We work with the parent compound Artemesinin. Artemesinin and IV Vitamin C are thought to be enhanced by Hyperbaric Oxygen as they are oxidative therapies. 

With regards to IV Vitamin C, the initial results on 14 subjects from a phase II clinical trial assessing the efficacy of IVC with double platinum chemotherapy in advanced-stage Non Small Cell Lung Cancer achieved a disease control rate of 93% and a confirmed objective response rate of 29%, compared with historical controls with 40% disease control rates and 15%–19% confirmed objective response rates. So, although we prefer not to administer IV Vitamin C as a standalone treatment, there is a clear superiority regards to IVC co-administration with Platinum chemotherapy.

We are occasionally asked about Shark Cartilage and Lung cancer. The evidence for this therapy in Lung cancer is weak, with a slight survival advantage in a high dose shark cartilage group. However, we have rationale to support its use in Prostate and Kidney Cancer where the responses were more robust.

Time to progression curves of the patients in artesunate group and control group.

Advanced Therapies: Metabolic treatment

A 2010 journal article outlines a metabolic cancer approach in 10 advanced metastatic cancer cases: two of which were lung cancer. In the first patient, she failed four consecutive drug therapies and then with a 3 month prognosis began IV alpha lipoic acid, oral Hydroxycitrate and oral Low Dose Naltrexone. Within four months her next scan showed stabilization of disease and then she was switched to a chemotherapy again and was alive 11 months after beginning the metabolic approach. The second lung cancer patient failed three chemotherapies and radiation and passed away seven weeks after starting the metabolic treatment; however the patient was fairly far gone prior to starting metabolic treatment.

Metabolically supported chemotherapy "MSCT" is the administration of chemotherapy following insulin induced hypoglycemia plus a ketogenic diet, and the addition of Hyperthermia and Hyperbaric Oxygen.

In a 2019 study, 44 lung cancer patients with distant metastasis received MSCT. Hyperbaric Therapy and Hyperthermia were given the same day or the next day sequentially after chemotherapy. The overall response rate was 61.4%. Mean overall survival and progression-free survival was 42.9 months and 41.0 months respectively. 

Our Naturopathic Doctors offer intravenous alpha lipoic acid "IV ALA" as a standalone treatment and in conjunction with oral metabolic treatments like HCA and CoQ10. The metabolic approach is strongly synergistic with Hyperbaric Oxygen treatment which we offer at our Edmonton clinic.

 
Through our referral relationships with prescribers we make LDN available for a range of cancers as an immunomodulator.

Do You Have Questions?

Call Us 780-757-8378