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Cancer Treatment Alternatives (3 level Outline)

Thesis: Alternatives to chemotherapy and radiation for the treatment of cancer should be made
readily available due to their harmful effects, high cost, and the availability of effective
alternatives.

I. Harmful effects of Chemo and Radiation

A. Early stages/development of chemotherapy

1. Chemo was first originated in WWI as mustard gas in Chemical Warfare!

2. Soldiers affected by this would die in a period of 6 weeks

3. They would have a low immune systems, bloody nose sore throat,

abdominal pain and vomiting

B. Later Development of Chemotherapy

1. Weakend mustard gas effects

2. Some of the effects mustard gas had still remained (Low immune system,

vomiting, blood clots

3. The effects can still cause dangerous effects on the body but it would

take a longer time.

II. Treatment should Be a reasonable price

A. Treatment should start picking up on sales

1. Make sure after the use of it the price goes down instead of up

2. Patients Income should be taken into consideration

3. If income is highly low insurance should pay all

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B. If treatment isn't in USA treatment plan should be made

1. Allows money to be calculated

2. Makes sure that patient would be covered in case of an emergency

III. Treatments should cause patient little to no pain

A. Administration Methods
1. Should find a way to administer treatment that won't cause pain
2. If possible should be able to sedate or numb patient if it has to be given
through a needle
B. Post Pains
1. (If APPLICABLE) there should be a sub drug
2. If there are temporary pains to the treatment there should also be another
smaller study done on how to maintain the balance of the pains.

IV. Alternative Treatments do not work

A. Proof that Alternative Medicines work
1. There is no actual list that what alternatives comprise
2. Some Alternatives fall under the umbrella effects
B. Why people use Alternatives
1. People want to Feel in Control
2. They have concerns about side effects
3. The symptoms aren't fully controlled by conventional medicines
C. Response
1. I think this is false because there are proof of herbal medicines and other
treatments can help cancer
2. Some conventional BIO medicines can make a patient's condition worsens
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Dishawn W Terry

Cullen

English 3

11/13/2018

Cancer Treatment Alternatives

In the modern world, 52% of the people diagnosed with cancer are deemed cancer free

after treatment. According to the American Cancer Society ​“chemotherapy drugs (chemo)

have successfully treated many people with cancer. Long-term remissions and even cures of

many patients with Hodgkin disease and childhood ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia)

treated with chemo were first reported during the 1960s. Cures of testicular cancer were

seen during the next decade. Many other cancers can be controlled with chemo for long

periods of time, even if they are not cured” (American Cancer Society 2014) ​For some

cancer patients, this is not true. These patients have to sit day by day, being injected with very

lethal chemicals that harm them in many ways people without cancer cannot fathom. The effects

that chemotherapy and radiation has on the body during and after treatment is inconceivable. The

patients with low incomes and no insurance have bills that are high that will put then into major

debt if not maintained. Most patients ask “Is there a cure?”Or some ask “Are there any

alternatives?” There has not actually been a cure found for cancer. Most alternatives are made for

specific types of cancer and some doctors do not know about some of the alternatives out there.

One of the main concerns is the fatigue and pain from cancer treatments. According to American

Cancer Society “​The fatigue that comes with cancer, called cancer-related fatigue, is

different from the fatigue of daily life. Cancer-related fatigue is not the tired feeling people
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remember having before they had cancer.” (American Cancer Society 2014) ​ The cancer

patients have to deal with fatigue pains that the doctors and nurses will try to keep at a minimum.

Without enough research they will never find a way to actually do away with the original way of

fighting cancer. Not just that but after the treatment they have to deal with the loss of their hair,

their tongue’s taste becoming numb to anything that they try to consume, and they watch their

flesh turn to a darker pigment. Now their body has to adapt to the chemicals (sulfur, alchlade,

and mustard gas derivatives) making their body sensitive to everything known in the book and

their immune systems weakens. They become fatigued and very tired due to the results from both

life-changing chemicals. As a result of this, Alternatives to chemotherapy and radiation for the

treatment of cancer should be made readily available due to their harmful effects, high cost, and

the availability of effective alternatives.

Chemotherapy treatments have a very unusual origin. According to Dr. Manda​l

(Cancer.org, Mandal 2018)​​“Chemo was discovered in the 19th century and it was never

intended to be used as a treatment but it was used as a way to kill enemy soldiers in the

20th century in WWII”​​. The chemical was called Nitrogen mustard and it reduced the white

blood cell by 75%, making the target weaker and weaker later on killing them.By then the

person lost all their strength, burned the parts of the body that was contacted by the gas, affected

their eyesight, and blistered there skin and lungs. The soldiers would die in a period of a week.

What made the doctors notice that mustard gas had cancer-fighting abilities was when some of
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the patients that had developed cancer from radiation exposure the cancer cells in the body were

halted by the exposure to the mustard gas. When this happened scientists started to look into this

and started to find ways to slow down the effect and halt the other effects of mustard gas. To use

the chemicals in the lab, the scientist had to substitute the nitrogen molecule for sulfur which

made it more stable for lab usage. During the first test, the scientists ran through a various

amount of animals but the animals only lasted one week. This version of chemotherapy really

was not suitable for injections into humans, but the doctors made the decision of injecting it into

the first cancer patient and with this being such a lethal drug the patient died in less than a

month. This shows how lethal chemo is even after reducing some of the lethal chemicals

contained in the chemical makeup of this potent drug which leads me to my second point about

modern-day chemotherapy and radiation.

A few years after researching this they developed chemotherapy. According to

MedicineNet “​​(MedicineNet, 2018)”​​ the modern version of chemo had the mild effects of

mustard gas but not the life-threatening effects”​​ symptoms would include: Fatigueness of the

body, Low white and Red cell blood counts, loss of appetite, nausea, shortness of breath, loss of

body hair, insomnia, higher stress rates, darkening of the skin, and fevers. These are all

symptoms of the modern era treatment of chemotherapy. With this being said modern

chemotherapy has better results but with the results and effects it has its still not good on the

body and there is a 5% risk of the body not accepting the chemical due to its chemical makeup.
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According to the american cancer society, “Chemotherapy (chemo) is treatment that uses

drugs (either alone or in combination) to treat cancer. There many different kinds of

chemo drugs. Some can make you sick while others may not.” (A.C.S 2018) ​Also, the effects

are still similar to the effects of the original chemo but the only thing that has changed in the

formula was the halting of the horrible side effects. Again Mustard gas was never meant to be

injected into the body and it can change a person internally. Internally means the change of

memory, slower reaction times, longer delays on recalling information, more nights without

dreams due to the chemos effect on the brain. Chemo also has been connected to stages of later

on in life. Chemotherapy also affects the reproductive organs. For a female, while on chemo your

eggs will be destroyed and you will not be able to reproduce for an estimate of 1.5 years due to

the lethal effects of chemo on a woman's reproductive system. A male reproductive system will

also be affected. After the body has contact with a lethal dose of chemo, the chemical will kill his

sperm and he will not be able to have any offspring for 5 months (depending on if another dose

of chemo has been administered to the patient.

According to ABC News”​​ ​(ABC NEWS, 2018),​​” ​Dr. Brian Dru states that “Doctors are

breaking through with a new cancer treatment. It is called molecular target therapy. It is

also known as STI571 and it is active against leukemia. These doctors are also trying to

find a similar way to use this drug to cure cancers that are affecting millions of families

with cancers other than leukemia. Their plan is to make this drug universal and the drug

will be presented at the American Society Of Clinical Oncology in May. They also plan to
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make their drug highly affordable than the standard Chemo and Radiation.”(Tracy 2017)

with treatments being highly stable with only one side effect of a person being sleepy due to the

herbs found in this alternative is a great progression in science. Also they stated they will be

making their alternative a fraction of the price of chemo due to the demand for treatment and as

he stated” the prices are just too high people fight such a battle shouldn't have to worry

about cost but they should worry about if they will be living to the next day or not. As well

as without having any side effects and not having to go through long drawn out hours of

treatment a single small session for that week and you recover and go about your

business”. (Tracy 2017)

A treatment that does not attack the bodies but envita according to ENVITA Medical

center ​“ this year we developed a new treatment and it is another way of treating cancer it

is a way cheaper and a better type of alternative. This treatment uses biomarker and also

targets similar areas that are flagged as cancerous. The can freeze this cell without

affecting other cells and it hurt them. This process will cause more than the standard

treatments and it is still very experimental but has very great results so far” (ENVITA

MEDICAL CRP. 2017).​​ This is a great thing in the field of cancer due to its ability to target

only the bad cells instead of the good cells this is one thing that chemotherapy lacks. These

treatments make makes sure that they are affordable for everyone because if it - was not

affordable for everyone it would not make progress on the market also it would not be a good

thing for the patient due to high cost, it would put more stress and more problems that the

patient would have to try and balance and also this would put pressure on some patients family
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knowing that it would be a problem with money. With this being said there should only be a

10-20% profit on any treatment

Some alternatives cannot be issued in the USA due to it not being able to the rules and

regulations of the FDA. When this happens a person should consult a doctor for a plan so they

can get treated at the specific place. They will need a specific amount of money for living,

treatment, and travel. According to travel abroad “Prices for cancer treatment in Europe are

highly competitive and European hospitals offer a full range of surgical alternatives and

radiotherapy treatments as well as chemotherapy, which can sometimes be the only course of

treatment for some types of a tumor. Due to the troubles of FDA passing there alternatives,

Alternative places feature cancer treatment clinics and hospitals in countries such as Austria,

Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, and Spain which allow doctors to practice after proving their

practices work.

According to cancer treatment abroad, they state ​“There are more than 200 types of

cancer affecting different parts of the body and correspondingly there are many different

types of cancer treatment available including surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, as well

as a number of newer innovative treatments in some European cancer

centers.”​​(Sciencecenter, 2018)​​” ​With this information, it shows there would be more benefits

and also the patient will have a guide translator and 24/7 support the whole time in case there

was a problem while traveling abroad to get healed. This will ensure the patient's, comfort,
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protection, and will make sure the patient knew everything that is and will be done to their body

in case of a communication error due to being in a foreign country for treatment.

Administration method is the way the treatment will be administered to the patient. This

is the first question a patient has before they receive treatment is will it hurt? This is highly

important in fighting cancer and also to a patient due to the pain you can have while the drug is

being administered to you. The alternatives take much time and effort to study was to use the

smallest but durable needle they will need to use so they can fight cancer and also help the

patient and make sure they are comfortable and the procedure is painless as possible. The

scientist at the moment is making a needle thinner than the injection butterfly needle for the

treatment and this will allow the patient to feel less pain as possible and also save the doctors that

buy this type of needle for administration money due to its size. Another administration worry is

how long it will take them to administer the medicine. Chemotherapy takes up to four hours but

with alternatives, they can just target the bad cells and it will be over in around a few hours or

two and the procedure be over. This is a great evolution to treatments due to the usual amount of

time it used to take to administer treatments and this will allow busy patients to get back to their

everyday lifestyle and they can recover from the pain they might in counter from cancer with the

allotted time that they have now saved by using an alternative treatment. With this being

implemented into the creation of an alternative this will give them 25% higher sales due to fewer

pains and also more money for their needle patient. The studies of better needles and equipment

this can also help a patient cope with pain. Also if a patient is still feeling pain after the
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alternative treatment they should be given a pain reliever to reduce painful swelling or anything

else that will come as a minor side effect from taking this medicine.

One thing that every cancer patient has to go through after each treatment is a pain due to

hours of sitting in a chair while being injected with a lethal chemical. Post pains is a bad thing.

According to Kathy Human article, there is a lot of people with post pains from chemo and

radiation ​“She experiences pain from lymphedema, which sometimes radiates from her

right chest all the way to her fingers. She has back pain from breast reconstructive surgery,

which involved a muscle from her upper back. And she feels a deep bone ache from the

hormone therapy that keeps her estrogen-positive cancer at bay.I’m fortunate, really,

Canfield says​​.”​​(Sciencecenter, 2018)​​“There are a lot of soldiers who have experienced things

worse than I have. Although she received excellent care for her cancer and surgeries,”

(Sciencecenter, 2018) ”​​she says, she’s often had to do her own research and seek out other

experts to get help for her chronic pain. Many cancer patients and survivors experience

pain as a result of their treatment or because their cancer has metastasized. It may be

persistent, intermittent or breakthrough pain, and often subsides when treatment ends, But

about one-third of cancer survivors continue dealing with pain long after their treatments

have ended. For them, chronic pain can be a daily struggle. Chronic pain may be mild,

moderate or severe, and can last several months to many years.” “​​(Sciencecenter, 2018)”

Even though they aren't taking chemo anymore they still experience the burns and pains

from it and this is where alternatives come in. Most alternatives do not give a patient any

after pains and with all of the results and check-ups from alternative remission patients
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they say”​​(Sciencecenter, 2018)​​”​ they feel better than ever and they do not feel any pain and

haven't felt any since before they were diagnosed with cancer’.

In conclusion, most people use alternatives because they know they can use that as a safe

haven from chemotherapy and the results from the most alternative company and patients even

show that they will be better off using these”miracle drugs”. Most use alternatives due to the

cheaper prices and also the way you will not feel any post pains. Some may argue that

alternatives don't work but the data shows that most alternatives have a 90% success rate than

chemo and radiation. With this being said Alternative cancer treatments can play a direct role in

curing your cancer, but they may help you cope with signs and symptoms caused by cancer and

cancer treatments. Common signs and symptoms such as anxiety, fatigue, nausea and vomiting,

pain, difficulty sleeping, and stress may be lessened by alternative treatments. None of this is to

imply that mainstream medicine has no problems or failings – it does. We should, however, be

working toward keeping and improving what works and fixing what doesn’t, not discarding

science and reason to embrace fantasy as an alternative. Alternatives can help a cancer patient

majorly but the science research needs to keep being made to find the universal cure/treatment to

cancer. Scientists need to make sure that alternatives keep progressing month by month so,

cancer can be easy to fight, The pain from the treatments will not cause a patient major pain, The

recovery time will be shortened allowing the patient to go and do the things they need to do,

They will not be affected by high bills and they will get to live a long and happy life with family

and loved ones without the crucial effects and pains of chemo. Alternatives will ensure the future
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lives of patients and will not allow them to be affected by the harsh effect of chemo and

radiation.
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Works Cited

“Cancer Treatment Abroad.” ​The Healthcare System in South Korea,​

www.treatmentabroad.com/cancer-treatment-abroad.

“Chemotherapy Side Effects.” ​American Cancer Society​,

www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/treatment-types/chemotherapy/che

motherapy-side-effects.html.

Envita Medical Center. “Cancer Treatment - The 2nd Opinion That Is Saving Lives.” ​Envita

Medical Center,​

www.envita.com/cancer/cancer-treatment-the-2nd-opinion-that-is-saving-lives.

“Evolution of Cancer Treatments: Chemotherapy.” ​American Cancer Society,​ The American

Cancer Society Medical and Editorial Content Team, 12 June 2014,

www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-basics/history-of-cancer/cancer-treatment-chemo.html.

Grady, Denise. “F.D.A. Approves Second Gene-Altering Treatment for Cancer.” ​The New York

Times,​ The New York Times, 30 Oct. 2017,

www.nytimes.com/2017/10/18/health/immunotherapy-cancer-kite.html.

Hazell, Sarah. “Mustard Gas – from the Great War to Frontline Chemotherapy.” ​Cancer

Research UK - Science Blog,​ 27 Aug. 2014,

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e-chemotherapy/.

Kamath, Suneel D. “Cancer Is 'Natural.' The Best Treatments for It Aren't.” ​STAT,​ STAT, 15

Sept. 2017, www.statnews.com/2017/08/29/cancer-treatment-alternative-medicine/.

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“Life After Cancer.” ​American Cancer Society,​

www.cancer.org/treatment/survivorship-during-and-after-treatment/be-healthy-after-treat

ment/life-after-cancer.html.

“Resources for Researchers.” ​National Cancer Institute​,

www.cancer.gov/research/resources/search?from=0&toolTypes=clinical_research_tools.

Terranella, Scott. “Doctors Excited by New Cancer Treatment.” ​ABC News,​ ABC News

Network, 4 Apr. 2017, abcnews.go.com/Health/DrJohnson/story?id=117508&page=1.

UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, UPMC HILLMAN CANCER CENTER. “The Difference

Between Chemo and Radiation | Cancer Treatment Types.” ​UPMC HealthBeat,​ UPMC

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