A fellow forum member, ko1300cc, let us know in this thread the sad news that his mom passed away, and the circumstances of her last days/ treatments at a certain private clinic in Hallwag, Germany.
I gave him my condolences and as part of it, I've commented: "It makes me so upset to read about this clinic in Germany. It's not the first case I found related to it, on different boards, this past year. That they call 'immunotherapy' that, what they do (chemoembolization and Remobav), makes me angry beyond words."
This prompted a post from pete43lost_at_sea, addressed exclusively to me, not to our mourning fellow, so I have to reply -just didn't want to do it in that somehow personal post.
Pete, you don't need to guess the reason of my anger ("you may be angry for whatever reason") because I've said it, explicitly: it makes me angry the way they use the word 'immunotherapy' for what they do.
Explanation: yes, they do use Removab (catumaxomab), which is a monoclonal antibody and, thus, indeed, an 'immunotherapy'. Also, yes, they hook up patients with some dentritic cell vaccine development (they don't disclose that at their site, but the from-person-to-person testimony, as you do on the boards, says so), which is an 'immunotherapy'. *But* they do also, for example, chemoembolization (TACE, transarterial chemoembolization), which is chemotherapy directed to the liver (irinotecan, mytomicin, Avastin, as you had)), and many more things that are not immunotherapy. (Of course it's fine to do surgery, TACE, HAI pump, Theraspheres, RFA, CyberKnife, plain ole Folfox, to get you to NED! -but, then, *that* is not 'immunotherapy' in the way the scientific community is using it to designate new developments in cancer immunotherapy. Just don't call it that way. Otherwise, all the fellows here who had Avastin (bevacizumab, which is a biological agent, a monoclonal antibody) along with Folfox, Folfiri and RFA (for example), could be claiming 'we did immunotherapy!'.
Bottom line: my problem is they use the word 'immunotherapy' inexactly; in the context of the expensive prices they have, it works as a commercial 'hook', in my opinion.
But I also said: "It makes me so upset to read about this clinic in Germany. It's not the first case I found related to it, on different boards, this past year."
I'm referring to the cases of Ren and Tedd (also http://csn.cancer.org/node/260412 ), fellows from other colon board, who have passed away.
Ren was an extremely intelligent, educated man; I followed his blog until the end. For me, it's simply heartbreaking that someone who wanted to stay away from chemo (his first post "My view is that if there is a cure, it does not lie with traditional chemo, but with the immune system") because of its horrible side effects and the little hope it offers, ended up undergoing the 4 TACE procedures he underwent under Hallwag's clinic partner, prof. Vogl ("aka Dr. Pain", per Ren's words: http://www.mcrc4.com/?p=4649 ). Please, read the procedures.
#1 TACE To Hell and Back
Chemoembolization Aftermath
#2 TACE Chamoembolization Round 2
#3 TACE TACE #3
#4 TACE TACE #4 Aftermath
Specially, the #4: Ren arrived to Hallwag (back from Frankfurt, where Dr Vogel operates) and felt like dying; only going over the report they found the reason; without Ren's knowledge
"Prof. Vogl added a new chemo drug into the chemo embolization cocktail mix. Gemcitabine joined Oxaliplatin, 5FU, Mitomycin and Avastin. He did not skimp and used double the standard dose. I am sure he meant well in light of my aggressive cancer, however it seems he fried my immune system and damaged my bone marrow in the process." http://www.mcrc4.com/?p=4755
Read also the removab procedures:
http://www.mcrc4.com/?p=4617
http://www.mcrc4.com/?p=4622
http://www.mcrc4.com/?p=4654
http://www.mcrc4.com/?p=4695
http://www.mcrc4.com/?p=4710
http://www.mcrc4.com/?p=4761
The following one, almost the last entry, makes me specially angry. Immunotherapy in the set of the clinical trial, chemotherapy, monoclonal antibody off-label use, CAM... whatever a doctor is doing, the imperative is 'First, do not harm'. There is a point where it is patent you have to stop and just accompany the patient. This was last week of Ren in Hallwag: He went for a "just a gentle week of liver and immune therapies to prepare my body for the complex liver surgery". They ended up doing IV EDTA chelation therapy to a patient with full blown jaundice; wrong antibiotics proposed... http://www.mcrc4.com/?p=4796
Peter, I'm happy you're feeling well, getting success, being cured. Some of the things they do at Hallwag probably helped you big time, but also many other things you did/do. I'm glad you posted this disclaimer here:
DISCLAIMER I now work at some of these clinics and get subsidised treatments due to necessity. I have personally benefited significantly from all there treatments and some friends have have tried have died.
By all means, I believe in freedom of information and I also have faith in people's intelligence to discern information. Because of that, I do encourage people to read Peter's blog: http://petertrayhurn.blogspot.de/ All of it, complete, as I've read it and I do, since years ago.
Also, I encourage people to read *all* Peter's posts in this board: search.php?author_id=34839&sr=posts
and also the posts Peter did at the CSN CRC forum: https://www.google.com/#q=%22pete43lost ... cancer.org
Also, please, read Ren's blog, complete; you'll learn a lot, it's his legacy: http://www.mcrc4.com/
Nothing more to add to this : )
(Edited to correct links -they work after one insists on them!- and various spelling/ grammar mistakes)