About four years ago, during COVID, Ben was diagnosed by accident. He was having a pelvic ultrasound to rule out bladder cancer. His father was battling bladder cancer. The ultrasound at that time showed dilated bile ducts. The formal diagnosis was made. It was intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. This is a bile duct cancer that was located within the liver.
A very accomplished hepato-biliary surgeon performed liver resection and tumor resection, and Ben was started on conventional chemotherapy. Unfortunately, Ben developed multiple metastases to the lung, liver, and bone.
Ben did some research and decided to go to Germany for a neoantigen cancer vaccine. The lab in Germany used stored tissue from his operation and normal tissue from a biopsy to produce the cancer vaccine. He received up to 15 injections of the cancer vaccine. A simple 15-minute injection that he got every 2 to 3 months. The lab tests showed that his immune system was highly activated to attack his cancer because of the personalized vaccine.
In addition, Ben was working with a very skilled oncologist who applied his understanding of tumor biology to overcome the cancer’s genetic instability and its ability to evade treatment. The oncologist described how blocking a single oncogene will work in only 10% of patients. The other 90% of patients need to use multiple metabolic and molecular approaches to block the cancer’s various pathways.
Ben’s oncologist used drug-repurposing databases with AI to identify multiple drugs that were selected to block pathways used by the tumor. Ben was on several prescription medications and various supplements to block the molecular pathways of the cholangiocarcinoma. Many of the prescriptions have nothing to do with treating cancer, but their use applies to the biology of his tumor. This approach also works with supplements such as white mushroom powder.
Ben was also doing liquid biopsies with the Signatera lab. The results had shown his biomarker levels for cancer DNA in his blood had come down from 30 to 20 to zero. A zero signifies that there is no circulating cancer DNA in his blood. This is an excellent sign that Ben’s cancer was absent or inactive.
In addition, Ben was exploring RNA/DNA fusion using various specialized labs. If there were a gene fusion, genetic engineering with CRISPR might correct this mutation and stop the cancer from growing.
Ben was a fascinating and courageous patient who was doing all the right things to help himself, even though his local oncologists had been less than supportive as he had explored these new and innovative approaches to treat his cancer.
Well done, Ben.
