MICHELLE H. — My Attack on Stage Zero Cancer
You have cancer… Now what? I decided to do a liquid cancer biopsy a year after having an abnormal mammogram and subsequent breast biopsy. The thinking was that it would be better to know if I had circulating cancer stem cells, rather than wait for any to grow into a tumor. Why not find out early? This was done with trepidation, as what if it was positive? Did I want to know years in advance that I might have cancer, and what would I do about it? No medical system treats potential cancer—only overt tumors. But I proceeded, hoping for a negative result.
Of course, it was positive: malignant melanoma and ovarian cancer. The melanoma wasn’t entirely unexpected, as I had a removal years earlier; follow-up studies were negative. The ovarian cancer was a surprise. After discussing with physicians, I had my ovaries removed. No tumor was found—this was Stage Zero Cancer, detected at the circulating stem cell level. For melanoma, treating an obvious skin lesion was challenging (I’m heavily freckled), but an immune modulator cream applied sequentially helped stimulate my body to attack abnormal cells, eventually producing a response on my chest.
Monitoring
- Nagalase blood tests: Measures an enzyme elevated in certain cancers and viral infections. Not diagnostic but useful for tracking therapy effects.
- Liquid blood biopsies: Assess cancer stem cell count and epigenetic analysis.
Treatment Approach
Based on growth/suppression data from 120 drugs, I began supplements and a ketogenic diet (cancer thrives on sugar). The diet was difficult to maintain, and some supplements reduced Nagalase levels to normal but later increased again. Cancer cells mutated to resist treatment. We concluded a multi-modal rotation strategy was necessary—no single treatment would suffice.
Current Strategy
Continuously test new supplements and therapies, using Nagalase and liquid biopsies to assess efficacy. Live life fully while managing chronic cancer—family, work, and Ironman training.