A few months ago, Seasid posted a study on doxycyline, however it was all lab studies.
This study is a small "open-window" trial on breast cancer patients indicating eradication of cancer stem cells by doxycycline, an antibiotic. 10.3389/fonc.2018.00452 Prostate and breast cancer have similarities. Could it be worth considering, for a long-shot chance? I can find no more clinical trials on it.
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Background and objectives: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been implicated in tumor initiation, recurrence, metastatic spread and poor survival in multiple tumor types, breast cancers included. CSCs selectively overexpress key mitochondrial-related proteins and inhibition of mitochondrial function may represent a new potential approach for the eradication of CSCs. Because mitochondria evolved from bacteria, many classes of FDA-approved antibiotics, including doxycycline, actually target mitochondria. Our clinical pilot study aimed to determine whether short-term pre-operative treatment with oral doxycycline results in reduction of CSCs in early breast cancer patients.
Methods: Doxycycline was administered orally for 14 days before surgery for a daily dose of 200 mg. Immuno-histochemical analysis of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from 15 patients, of which 9 were treated with doxycycline and 6 were controls (no treatment), was performed with known biomarkers of “stemness” (CD44, ALDH1), mitochondria (TOMM20), cell proliferation (Ki67, p27), apoptosis (cleaved caspase-3), and neo-angiogenesis (CD31). For each patient, the analysis was performed both on pre-operative specimens (core-biopsies) and surgical specimens. Changes from baseline to post-treatment were assessed with MedCalc 12 (unpaired t-test) and ANOVA.
Results: Post-doxycycline tumor samples demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in the stemness marker CD44 (p-value < 0.005), when compared to pre-doxycycline tumor samples. More specifically, CD44 levels were reduced between 17.65 and 66.67%, in 8 out of 9 patients treated with doxycycline. In contrast, only one patient showed a rise in CD44, by 15%. Overall, this represents a positive response rate of nearly 90%. Similar results were also obtained with ALDH1, another marker of stemness. In contrast, markers of mitochondria, proliferation, apoptosis, and neo-angiogenesis, were all similar between the two groups.
Conclusions: Quantitative decreases in CD44 and ALDH1 expression are consistent with pre-clinical experiments and suggest that doxycycline can selectively eradicate CSCs in breast cancer patients in vivo. Future studies (with larger numbers of patients) will be conducted to validate these promising pilot studies.
I usually disregard lab-only studies, but with this glimmer of evidence from doxycycline I took note of the a lab-only combination therapy including doxycycline.
Doxycycline, Azithromycin and Vitamin C (DAV): A potent combination therapy for targeting mitochondria and eradicating cancer stem cells (CSCs) 10.18632/aging.101905
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My Medical Oncologist totally disregards add ons, it’s the impression he gave, in the beginning when my glucose was 280 from Docetaxel Chemotherapy, My wife inquired him, that the Docetaxel Chemotherapy won’t be able to bypass it. She had my primary physician write a script, for Metformin immediately to start while during the docetaxel chemotherapy. I had an amazing response. Although my medical oncologist is interested into radio glands, His reputation. My wife is of the thought combining these therapies would surely bring traction to the many missing components of getting all these spinning wheels, dealing with cell division, attaching to proteins, and hook into the nucleus and DNA genetics of the cell. Causing cancer cell death, apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis.
My medical oncologist is too busy, denying every idea, request and obstructing her and especially me every step of the way. He can’t stand my wife requesting certain blood test or scans. She calls herself Dr. Googleit, he should be happy with the advocacy, in keeping with all things in motion, moving forward and tracked. He won’t be able to dum her down neither will his team, her IQ is too high making her one talented crazy biatch.
Yes I’m adding a new medical oncologist, just expanding my team to 3 cancer excellence centers. My wife feels we are stuck in place, ideas are differentiated, and will revisit with him once passed my diverticulitis and after I get through radiation, once I find a radiologist.
A more thorough search on side effects of these antibiotics, that I should have done before posting, shows some rare but very serious side effects from these antibiotics.I may not have posted had I seen these studies before.
Everything and anything is possible, related to an individual’s care, this is why individual centered care is needed, not standard of care across the board for the masses, SOC is good to hopefully get cancer and disease under control, to move on to individual care, a tailored medicinal and operative plan including add ons. Never rule anything in or out, objective mindset without prejudice is optimal.
That’s the issue with many physicians they are biased in their concrete formed opinions on how their own self history, their trials and errors, medical trials further solidifies their opinion. Clouded with cherry picked studies and the last patient they treated. Trying to get a physician excited enough to have hope and to convince him/her to take a chance, roll the dice in lieu of a possible different outcome is next to impossible. Hopium should be prescribed.
I took 100mg/day Doxycycline for many years as an antimalarial but it didn't save me from prostate cancer. Conclude what you will. Same goes for propranolol, 40mg/day for the last 40 yrs, still got the cancer.
Your experience although just n=1 is unsettling. If that n=9 study holds true, with cancer stem cells apparently being killed in 8 out of 9 patients, you should have been much less likely to get PC.
Doxycycline is prescribed by the care Oncology Clinic (COC) as part of there protocol. You have to pay every 3 months for 4 repurposed drugs, including Metformin and a statin. To be honest Doxycycline is the one I'm not sure about, particularly when it is hot weather as makes you photosensitive. However, it's just throwing something else into the mix which may (or most likely maynot) have an effect and screw up the Cancer. If
Yes, it's a tough call to make on doxycycline. There are those lab studies but clinically I can only find that one nine patient trial. I can't find a follow-up on those patients and have not had any success when trying to get in touch with the author of the trial.
Do you have any idea how the COC protocol basis it's decision on going for doxycycline? Can't find it on their home page.
No I don't know. COC use pretty much the same protocol for all cancers. My gut feeling is that the protocol is aimed more at breast cancer. I will try and remember to ask at my next telephone consultation.
If you remember to ask, please let us know what they say. Including what dosage and if it is recommended in intervals.
I see it as a long-shot chance, but I will go for doxycyline. I am not afraid of the side-effects, at least not for the short time I will be taking it. Either the two weeks of the doxycycline-only clinical study , or the five weeks of the triple-therapy lab study. A small chance of a big pay-off with limited downside. Will add loads of pre- and probiotics to stave off damage to my gut flora.
Will only be taking the doxycycline of the triple-therapy study since there is only lab data on azithromycin and on that substance I am afraid of the side-effects, not the least the increased cancer relapse from long-term use.
Hi. Just reread your last message. I just wanted to make sure that you were meaning Doxycycline and not Docetaxel chemotherapy.
With regards to Doxycycline, I have spoken to the Care Oncology Clinic today. The main benefit of Doxycycline is that it 'helps to decrease protein synthesis '. Another benefit was to do with targeting cancers metabolic pathway. Doxycycline is taken with other repurposed drugs. I take mine, 100mg daily, for 4 weeks then switch to Mebendazol (100mg daily) for 4 weeks before switching back to Doxycycline for another 4 weeks. I take Metformin (2x500mg daily) and Atorvastatin (40 mg daily) continuously as part of the protocol. Sorry I cannot help anymore. Good luck.
Right, it´s doxycycline I will be taking. I will take it five weeks as per that protocol. I am taking Mebendazols cousing Fenbendazole intermittently, just three times per week as per the (in)famous Tippens protocol. If it feels entirely OK to ask them again next time you talk to them, could you ask if M is likely to be better than F? I take the latter because I get without prescription, contrary to Mebendazol.
Is switching between Doxycline and Mebendazol done on a permanent basis, over years? The protocol I would follow is a single five-week regimen, maybe I should reconsider.
Have you noticed any side effects from using Doxycycline, or Mebendazol for that matter, after all this time?
Hi. Yes switching between Mebendazol and Doxycycline every 4 weeks is for years. I've been doing it for way over 2 years now. No side effects with Mebendazol but photosensitive reaction with the Doxycycline when it is hot weather e.g., the top of my head and hands tingle. No side effects with Doxycycline now that sun is not shinning.
I think I have read that there is an argument that Fenben is 'better' than Mebendazol but no Dr can prescribe Fenben as it is for animals. Therefore I stick with the Mebendazol. With all of this information, it is important that you discuss the drugs with your medical oncologist. I have continued with my standard of care treatments throughout and added in the Care Oncology Clinic protocol in addition to ADT and Enzalutamide. You might wish to read Jane McLelland's book for further information on repurposed drugs.
Thanks. I look upon Doxycycline and the Azoles as long-shots, each with a small chance for a huge pay-off. With limited side-effects, why not try?I thought there would be gut / gastro-intestinal issues from long-term use of Doxycycline, the absence of this for you is a good indication. Will research the substance more to consider whether to go for it on more occasions.
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