JANE MCCLELLAND - HOW TO STARVE CANCER

[thomas62]

I have just acquired and briefly read the above named book. Jane is a long term cancer survivor. (not ovarian). I am interested in her "Metro Map". Has anybody else looked into this and created a Metro Map for ovarian?

Thanks Gwen Xx

[Artgreen]

Yes!!! I’m taking the main 3 but going to try to persuade the onc on Friday to have doxycycline. I’m on fenbendazole, Metformin, simvastatin and low dose aspirin as most of these are being trialled for other cancers or they can prescribe them for me because of my bmi and slightly elevated cholesterol( not really bad and I’m not diabetic ). I was told by a nurse I could get doxycycline over the counter if I pretend I’m avoiding or have malaria! I also take some of the other supplements like turmeric, vit e, vit b, ginger powder, green tea (x2 ) and earl grey.

My onc and my husband’s seem familiar if not overtly able to support Jane’s book because NICE don’t.

There’s a good Facebook and some videos on YouTube.

Let me know if I can help

Good luck

Alex xx

[thomas62 in reply to Artgreen]

Hi Alex, Are you under the COC (Care Oncology Clinic) for some of the supplements.? Which hospital are you under? I am under the Christie and when I mentioned the COC for supplements he wasn't keen on me seeing them - he said they had been prescribing now for a few years but had never put any results out! As you seem to have read Jane's book, is she suggesting that if you are stage 4.. you should f ollow her Metro Map except for the PP Pathway as this is for hormone cancers, i.e. you don't have to research and form your own Map? Also, Jane followed her protocol whilst on chemo - do you think the protocol stands with/without being on chemo? Sorry to pose all these questions to you Alex - I'm just trying to get my head around things! How are you - I hope you are doing well on your meds/supps. Best wishes. Gwen Xx

[Artgreen in reply to thomas62]

Hi Gwen, I’m not under the COC as my onc (I’m in Swindon) didn’t like them but I’ve done what research I can and it seems the list I gave is what they usually prescribe.

Im no expert!

The Facebook pages have been very helpful. I didn’t start it till after chemo but as you say Jane suggests they can be taken together although the NHS seems to ask you to stop before hand!

I think if I was stage 4 I’d be taking everything. I’m stage 3a and will find out on Friday if still no visible disease. It’s my 9 month check up.

I’m also looking into melatonin as there are trials with that and my sleep isn’t great.

I need to read it all again but can only seem to assimilate small chunks at a time.

Wishing you the very best

Alex x

[Artgreen in reply to thomas62]

PS I’m doing it as a preventative not waiting for a recurrence. It’s supposed to kill the stem cells which will still be there.

[Hidden]

There is a map from OC on the Facebook group as a PDF you just need to select the alternative medications you can access.

I gave it a try but found the total combined method too full on as I was already in the early stages of recurrence. (Mainly the reduced calories) 😬🤣🐷

Wishing you all the very best with it. X

[thomas62 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Lias66,

Do you know which Facebook group Jane's map is on for OC? Also do you think the method (Map) would be the same for high grade and low grade oc? Yes, Jane's method is very full on and expensive. Do you think you can follow this method whether you are in recurrence or not? I hope you are ok and that recurrence is sorted! Best wishes. Gwen Xx

[Hidden in reply to thomas62]

Hi, I’ll have a look and get back to you. I ended up back on chemo, just finished this week now starting niraporib in January. It just felt a bit much. I’ll check now and post back.

Lisa x

[Hidden in reply to thomas62]

Can you send me your e-mail and I’ll forward. I left the group so can’t search for it. I don’t use Facebook much at all. X

[thomas62 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Lias66,

My e-mail is [e-mail]

Thanks for your help. Gwen Xx

[bluepeterella]

Yes I'm on the Care Oncology protocol - since last December - which uses Jane's 'big guns' drugs, metformin, doxycycline, statin and mebendazole. I pay for them all privately and it is a bit pricey, I just pay as and when and try not to add it all up. I developed an allergic reaction to the doxy so that one has been dropped at the advice of the COC doctor. I also take dipyridamole and a few more supplements. So far so good but I'm aware I'm only as good as my last CA125 result, next one in January. I do feel really good on the drugs, no side effects apart from pain in my hands, but I think that's a leftover from chemo.

Ovarian cancer is usually aggressive so basically you need to block all pathways, or at least as many as you can. I used to be really good with my diet but that has slipped now. You can find details on Facebook pages as has been said, but just a warning you will feel your head is spinning!

[thomas62 in reply to bluepeterella]

Hi bluepeterella,

Thanks for your reply. I am low grade and I don't know if Jane's own Metro Map is relevant to both low grade and high grade oc. And yes, my head is spinning already! I'm pleased you are doing well and hope this remains so. Please keep us in the loop and particularly re. your supps/meds from COC. Best wishes. Gwen Xx

[Artgreen in reply to thomas62]

I’m a low grader too but there’s not much research on it so am trying to be on the main 4 low dose aspirin, Metformin, fenbendazole, simvastatin and waiting to see if I can get doxycycline. I’m also on letrozole and some supplements like glucosamine, calcium with vit d, berberine, vit e and b, omega 3, turmeric, green tea and earl grey, a BB probiotic and powdered ginger. My ca125 was down to 9.2 last week. I’m trying to get an idea of dosage as the letrozole is a pain with so many hot flushes and insomnia so I may add melatonin if I need to.

[Lyndy]

Hello.. gently and with love, I just want to add a note of caution.

I once tried a scheme which guaranteed to cure my RA using vinegar.. it was useless and just gave me stomach ache but it’s author earned millions.

I could claim to be a survivor too since I am 4 years no recurrence after stage 4 hgs .. but if I suggested you eat my favourite food ( mini cheddars) to be healthy you might have some questions! I am not saying don’t do it but think very carefully about a regime that asks you to starve xx

[bluepeterella in reply to Lyndy]

I do agree, especially with you being a 4 year survivor it would be easy to leap on to one thing you are doing or eating and claiming it to be a cure.

I think the title of Jane McLelland's book is very misleading and I have fed this back to her. Although I mentioned diet in my response, the book is not about diet, it's about using drugs to block the pathways the cancer uses to feed itself. So it's the cancer being starved and not the person.

It is very well researched and supported by many many studies, which are easily accessed by using the pubmed medical research site. I have spent hours searching ovarian+metformin etc for each of the drugs and the results are really promising. The COC has recently published the results of their first big study which is focussed on glioma, again for such an aggressive cancer the results are good.

I think as a whole it's a really important piece of the cancer jigsaw and I can see why it's difficult to get pharmaceutical companies' funding when you are talking about already patented drugs rather than a new marvel drug. When you look at the figures for parp inhibitors for someone like me who is brca negative, they are very poor, but they are heralded as a fabulous new generation of cancer treatment and we still jump at these things because it gives us a chance. I know I'm taking a chance but I feel strongly that it's an educated chance x

[bamboo89 in reply to bluepeterella]

I don't think the title of the book is really misleading - yes it's How To Starve Cancer, but it has a secondary add on in the title - 'without starving yourself', or at least my copy has that on the front cover...

[bluepeterella in reply to bamboo89]

It does have the add-on title but it's not used so much. I've heard the book being referred to and dismissed as another diet book several times now on forums and had to step in to explain.

[bamboo89 in reply to bluepeterella]

Weird, isn't it, what people choose to notice and what they don't - I ordered the book because of the 'without starving yourself' that's the bit that caught my attention...

[thomas62 in reply to Lyndy]

Thanks Lyndy. I'm aware of"quackery" and thank you for your comments and advice. Best wishes to you. Keep eating the mini cheddars. Gwen Xx

[Hidden]

I am diabetic and have been taking Metformin for about two years, I had a recurrence of HGS OC in June this year, so I am guessing Metformin does not work on its own, I have however recently read online that there are study's looking into using Metformin and High blood pressure tablets to prevent tumours growing, but more research needs to be done. My Oncologist also told me that different cancers behave in different ways otherwise we would just have one chemotherapy that could successfully treat everyone. I think Jane McMelland has cervical cancer which my surgeon says is not connected to Ovarian cancer. I had pre-cancerous cells of the cervix 35 years ago. I don't think I would rule out the COC protocol if in the future I ever get to the point where traditional medicine can no longer help me, as for Jane McLelland I am not really sure, I have read her book (well most of it) and I assume she spends an absolute small fortune on her supplements and special diet, as I don't have a small fortune and love my food I can't see me ever contemplating her regime but I do wish you luck with whatever treatment you deem will be best for you. x

[bamboo89]

I'm going to COC tomorrow, as much out of interest as anything - I know they will prescribe the usual four drugs already mentioned, but I think the point of Jane's protocol in the book is to do that AND then have chemo. As far as I can tell, the theory is that, because of taking the 4 drugs and doing other things (the green tea and so on), the cancer is already weakened prior to chemo because you've cut off the pathways it uses to proliferate - the chemo then might just finish it off completely, In other words, it is intended to work with the chemo to make it much more effective, rather than just having chemo and then the cancer recurring and having chemo again till you get to the point where chemo's not working either....

In regard to 'quackery', I did ask on the phone about berberine instead of metformin - the nurse told me that yes, berberine did appear to do a similar job to metformin, but the COC only uses medications with a scientifically proven effect, so although berberine may do the same job,its not been scientifically researched in regard to cancer, so they would prefer to give metformin. They only use drugs which historically seem to have a scientifically proven effect on cancer, even if that effect is minor on its own and isn't a cure. Which doesn't sound like quackery to me... though I may actually decide to do berberine and not metformin myself, I'll see what they say tomorrow.

I'm not sure I want chemo even now - I suppose following the regime and taking those 4 drugs may deter the cancer, but I can't imagine it will get rid of it altogether, but who knows? Until someone tries, we aren't going to know, and even then, if a person's cancer does not return, will it be provable that this regime was the reason why? Probably not because no one's scientifically checking... But if chemo is not an option, whether through choice or because it won't work, then following this regime should delay things, though it might be expensive and tedious to do ongoing...

At the moment, I'm a little anxious about taking the statin they prescribe - everyone I know who takes one seems to suffer a lot of body pain... plus doxycycline can be a bit nasty to take!

I should also add that I have absolutely no intention of telling my NHS oncologist that I'm going to the COC; I see no reason too, frankly. I'm still here almost 23 months after my surgery, at Stage 4b with two types of ovarian cancer, and no chemo at all, (though it certainly has not gone away); whilst two surgeons and a couple of nurses have commented how well I've done, not one member of the medical staff has ever asked me if I made any changes to anything since I had my surgery in terms of diet, supplements or anything else. Given that the 19 other women with one of my types of OC who had the surgery and adjuvant chemo all died within 14 months, you'd think they'd be curious, but apparently not. They are obviously not interested... which might be fair enough, but I don't feel the need to share my visit to the COC to them either, it'd probably only cause an impatient tsk or an eye roll or two... They do what they do in oncology, but it ain't quite the only game in town...

Miriam

[bluepeterella in reply to bamboo89]

I took the COC drugs alongside second line chemo. My oncologist doesn't know, I didn't tell her because she said she couldn't advocate their use at the same time. I didn't want her to stop treating me so I kept it to myself.

My response to chemo was excellent with CA125 halving after each infusion and back in normal range after 4 lowered-dose cycles. A scan after 4 cycles showed all the visible nodules and thickening had disappeared. As with yourself, no-one seemed to be interested in why I might have had a good response - it might have been due to the other drugs but it might not, but until this is researched properly we don't know. Now I see myself as a kind of walking research project more or less for my own personal interest. The oncologist said they would expect my next recurrence to appear quicker than the 14 months it took for my first to show, so I see that as a target or measure which I'm some way off at the moment. The COC on the other hand does note positive responses to chemo, and I hope they can use my information some day to the benefit of others.

[bamboo89 in reply to bluepeterella]

Fingers crossed it stays away longer than your oncologist anticipates... don't blame you for not telling her you were following the COC regime either. I understand why they can't say yes its fine, because if anything happened, it'd be their fault because they sanctioned it, but it is tedious that its necessary to lie, either directly or by omission. A lot of us are winging it, really... good luck

Miriam

[OvacomeSupport Partner My Ovacome Team]

Hello All

Following the discussion in this thread, this is just a reminder that we would always advise that you let your oncology team know any other treatment you are taking.

This is so they can be aware of any additional side effects and drug interactions you may experience. They can then take informed decisions when planning treatment in order to minimise risk to you.

I know that many of you will be aware of this and will not have taken the decision lightly to not let your team know. However, we would urge you to pass on all the information regarding any treatments to your teams.

Best wishes

Anna

Ovacome Support

[Artgreen]

I’ve certainly let my onc know what I’m taking and trying to do it with their ok. I am finding that my husband’s onc is as aware as mine of the protocol. There’s such a lot of information to wade through but it is interesting that most of these off label drugs are being trialled as anticarcinogenic but not necessarily for OC and very rarely for low grade Serous carcinoma. My onc is as supportive as he can be within the NICE restrictions. He has said the science looks correct in the book.

I’m also asking him about Trametinib now as it has been shown to prolong time between recurrences for low grade serous but we need to get it approved by the NHS and NICE .

It’s progress but we really need as much support as possible to find a way to stay alive.

[thomas62]

Hi Artgreen, Totally agree with your sentiments but time isn't necessarily on our side. I do think that sometimes it is difficult to talk to oncs abt other meds/supplements and often they are not supportive so it is easier to just do your own thing. I do recognise that we do have to be careful abt side effects and how the drugs interact but also recognise the difficulties in being "up-front" with them. Gwen Xx