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To say that Jane McLelland is lucky to be alive. At just 35, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cervical cancer. Standard treatment failed to break down the disease and had a devastating effect on tumors had spread to her lungs. Even the best medical care, the odds on her pulling is not good: That's a one-in-20 chance of survival. Yet, here she is, in her 50s and a mother-of-two, radiating health and having been in remission since 2004. So, lucky, undoubtedly. But there is another more intriguing story behind Jane's remarkable recovery. When it comes to medical care, it's just a matter of fact that it's starting to work, and it's actually doing it. The medications are some of the most commonly taken in the world: type 2 diabetes metformin treatment, cholesterol-busting statins, and aspirin. She also took dipyridamole, a drug often given to stroke patients for clot-prevention. Foolhardy? Jane, from Fulham, South-West London, says she had exhausted all other options so she had little to lose. Armed with her own research, she asked her oncologists to humor and prescribe the drugs that they thought unnecessary. Remarkably, her case is far from being a one-off. And there is mounting evidence that such 're-purposed' treatments, when used alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy, may be able to halt the progression of cancer and even stop it from returning. Last week a landmark study of more than 50,000 women, published in the British Journal of Cancer, found that long-term use of breast cancer can not be significantly reduced. In the age of eye-wateringly expensive tumor therapies on new treatment, CAR-T, has just been given the green light for NHS funding in the UK at a cost of £ 282,000 per patient. These drugs cost pennies, in many cases. They carry few side effects, and, astonishingly, appear to be effective for all types of cancer – bringing hope to millions. The drugs that starve cancer Aspirin has been used as a painkiller – the active ingredient, salicylic acid, was first extracted from the ancient Egyptians and used as medicine. Now it costs just a tablet. A study of more than 200,000 women published last month found that a 75mg daily dose was almost a quarter (23 percent) less likely to develop ovarian cancer. It is thought this is because of the painkiller's inflammation-busting abilities. And a trial at Vanderbilt University in the United States showed that patients with metformin had a reduced rate of cancer – suggesting that the pills could prevent the disease developing in the first place. Statins, traditionally used for lowering cholesterol, could also dramatically cut the risk of dying from breast cancer by 40 percent by halting tumor growth, say Chinese researchers. These findings are based on 200,000 women analyzed by the National Cancer Center in Beijing. Another drug showing promise in cancer treatment is the 10p-a-day doxycycline antibiotic. According to new British research, these little blue capsules can kill the aggressive cells that cause tumors to return in some people with breast cancer. To confound any sceptics, there are people in the UK still alive today who have been treated with a combination of these old cheap medicines. In some cases, they are more likely to be diagnosed by medical experts than their cancer is incurable and nothing more can be done. And Jane McLelland is just one astonishing example. "If I'd not taken these drugs then I'd have died," says the physiotherapist, whose two children, 12-year-old Jamie and Sam, were surrogate, with her husband Andrew, after chemotherapy radiotherapy left her infertile. "I can never say I'm going to be sick, I am more confident." "Jane's approach to a London clinic. Care Oncology in Harley Street is giving the key to its patients, in addition to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Their prescription includes metformin, the atorvastatin statin and doxycycline as well as mebendazole (sold as Ovex), a treatment for getting rid of threadworms. All of these treatments have a similar positive side effect. The theory is that they are rapidly expanding their cell-energy-making abilities, so the cancer becomes weaker, then stops growing or dies. As Jane puts it, they "starve" cancer by cutting off its fuel supply. Could the scientists be missing a trick? Developing a "game-changer" treatment or drug that is cancer care is an obsession for pharmaceutical giants: it is estimated the industry invests an eye-watering £ 2 billion in each new potential breakthrough to fight the dreaded disease, including on research and bringing medicine to market. Yet about 450 people still die of cancer every day in the UK – around 164,000 a year. Could it be possible, though, that they are missing a trick? Dr. Ndabezinhle Mazibuko from Care Oncology, who is also a clinical research fellow at King's College London, believes so. Conventional cancer drugs work in a variety of ways. Some, like chemotherapy, are toxic, and destroy cancer cells. There is always 'collateral damage', with the body's healthy cells also affected, leading to the treatment of many side effects. Radiotherapy is more targeted, using radioactive blasts of X-rays to kill off tumor cells. Newer therapies target hormonal processes that drive cancer, or reprogram the body's immune system so it attacks cancer cells which are normally adept at hiding and going undetected. But the Care Oncology drug protocol has a different mechanism of action. "The common theme of these drugs is their metabolic approach," says Dr. Mazibuko. "Cancer cells grow faster and consume more" fuel "than healthy ones. These medicines make it easier to destroy by using glucose in the bloodstream for energy. Normal cells do not metabolize energy in the same way so are not harmed. "Other drugs reduce inflammation, which can be triggered for disease and tumor progression. It's not about replacing radiotherapy or chemotherapy or doing anything with your doctor, but having a multi-pronged way of dealing with cancer. "The clinic has treated more than 1,500 patients with cancer ranging from breast to pancreatic, at every stage of tumor development and spread, with incurable cancer requiring end-of-life care. Data on 95 of these who took the four-drug cocktail following surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy has been analyzed by Dr. Mazibuko and his colleagues. All the patients were diagnosed with a type of cancer that was in the form of a tissue called glioblastoma that had spread to other organs. The results shown that average survival rates for some patients were almost doubled (27.1 months) in those patients with cancer currently being considered the best available (14.8 months median). Care Oncology hopes to get a better results for the results of NHS data on similar patients. Other British experts are also convinced of the benefits of re-purposed drugs for cancer patients. The scientist behind the breast cancer trials involving doxycycline is Professor Michael Lisanti at Salford University. A scientist with more than 30 years' experience, his research is based on the fact that the commonly used antibiotic can kill cancer cells. Tumors are made up of many of these types, and only a few of these have the ability to divide and grow endlessly: cancer stem cells. The theory is that many cancers are known to be cancer-free, but they have been discovered, but the cancer can, and can, regrow. Prof Lisanti says: "Scientists have never targeted cancer in this way before with antibiotics. But we've found a way to re-use these drugs with a remarkable therapeutic effect. And we can do this with almost zero side effects and all types of cancers. "Doxycycline works on cancer by suppressing the ability of stem cells to make new mitochondria – the tiny" powerhouse "component in all cells that generates energy. "It's an entirely new way of thinking about cancer," he says. The 70p malaria drug … for colon cancer Professor Sanjeev Krishna, who is studying whether 70p malaria drug could be used to treat colorectal cancer, said 'huge opportunities' exist to re-purpose such as statins and diabetes drugs. Prof. Krishna of St George's University of London says: 'You have to remember, Viagra started as a drug for high blood pressure. Justin Stebbing is involved in studies at Imperial College London, and he is interested in the study of metformin and aspirin. It is emphasized that cancer patients are vulnerable, therefore, re-purposed drugs should be handled with 'enormous caution' outside the context of clinical trials. It is important to point out that Jane's cancer weapons did not include such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which she had in 1994. Doctors gave her another dose of chemotherapy drugs in 1999. In addition, she was enrolled in trials for a new therapy. called dendritic cell vaccine that stimulates the immune system to attack tumors, which she took in 2000. She consumed an extensive list of supplements, including intravenous Vitamin C, and radically changed her diet. Her oncologist, Professor Hilary Thomas, trained at the University of Surrey and now has a medical adviser, described Jane's case as very unusual, adding: 'It's impossible to say what was responsible [for her recovery] As long as it is a patient is not taking anything harmful, then I would support it. "For Jane, cancer no longer has any fear, and she says it is due to her determination to the disease beat her. 'I'm confident that it has come back, I'd know how to deal with it – I'm armed and ready.' Seek the advice of a GP before continuing experimental treatment. For more details of Jane's story, go to howtostarvecancer.com.
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