By James Arond-Thomas, MD

In January, 2005 it was reported that cancer has surpassed heart
disease - for the first time - as the top killer of Americans
younger than 85. In 2002, the most recent year for which information is
available, 476,009 Americans younger than 85 died of cancer, compared
with 450,637 who died of heart disease. An estimated 1,372,910 new
cancer cases and 570,260 cancer deaths are expected this year.

Paclitaxel, a preferred treatment for lung and breast cancers, has a
cancer-promoting risk as well....

Lung cancer remains the biggest cancer killer, projected to claim
163,510 lives this year. Paclitaxel will be used in the attempt to save
the lives of many of these patients.  However, one little-known effect
of Paclitaxel is that in a subset of these patients there will be up to
a fivefold increase in the production of Interleukin - 8 (IL-8) - a
cellular communication molecule that initiates the growth of new blood
vessels to feed the growing cancer. In other words, if you fall into
this subset of patients, treatment using Paclitaxel alone may not be
effective at preventing recurrence.

NF-kB blockade enhances cancer killing ability of Paclitaxel!

IL-8 is under the control of an inflammatory regulating protein called
nuclear factor-kappa Beta (NF-kB). When the activation of NF-kB is
blocked, IL-8 dries up, much like a faucet that has been turned off.
Thus, blocking NF-kB activation enhances the cancer killing ability of
Paclitaxel. These results were seen with many types of cancer cells,
including lung and esophageal cancer cells.

Paclitaxel is NOT the Only Drug that Promotes Excessive NF-kB

Paclitaxel is but one of a group of drugs that has this unwanted
side-effect of activating NF-kB. Other drugs in this group include
Doxorubicin, 5-Fluorouracil, Cisplatin, VP-16 (Etoposide), ARA-C, and
Methotrexate. In addition, research demonstrates that excessive NF-kB
activity contributes to cancer development in the following types of
cancers: non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic, primary liver, head
and neck cancer, prostate, breast, esophageal, stomach, colon,
Hodgkin's disease, and multiple myeloma.

Supportive treatment that improves chemotherapy effectiveness.....

Paclitaxel, along with the other NF-kB activating chemotherapeutic
drugs, is approved for the treatment of a wide range of cancers. It
appears likely that they will continue to be used for the foreseeable
future. If you are on (or considering using) Paclitaxel or one of the
other drugs in this group to treat cancer, there is a supportive
treatment that you need to know about that improves the effectiveness
of these drugs and reduces your risk of having a cancer recurrence.

We have a Multi-Dimensional Approach to Reducing Inflammation that
Complements and Enhances the Impact of these Drugs!

At the Center for Learning about Healing in Ann Arbor, MI where I
practice integrative medicine and behavioral oncology, I focus on
multi-dimensional ways to empower patients to evaluate and change
patterns of eating, behaving, thinking, and coping that are known to
contribute to inflammatory reactions in the body. These methods
complement the cancer killing effects of Paclitaxel, Doxorubicin, 5-FU,
and other such drugs.

Genomic Testing Can Clarify Your Specific Inflammatory Molecular
Mechanisms that Sustain Your Cancer

Inflammation is present before, and during the life of a cancer. In
cancer, inflammation is a pathological process characterized by injury
or destruction of tissues caused by a variety of cellular and chemical
reactions. It is usually manifested by typical signs of pain, heat,
redness, swelling, and loss of function. However, inflammation is also
essential for tissue repair and tissue rebuilding. Genomic testing
(easily performed with saliva or blood samples) allows us to create a
personalized map of your inflammatory tendencies based on your genomic
predispositions. This method is revolutionary because it allows you to
regulate your genomic capabilities to your advantage, which then allows
you to reduce the expression of your inflammation-related genes.

What Cancer Patients Need to DO is
Reduce the Expression of Inflammation-Related Genes

Once you know your specific genomic blueprint for excessive
inflammation, we work together to develop the tools you need to re-set
the expression of your inflammation blueprint. These tools must be
unique to you, precisely because your genomic expression capabilities
are unique to you. These tools include anti-inflammatory diets
supported by oral and intravenous nutrients that block and
down-regulate NF-kB. Remember, it is this protein that is responsible
for the abnormal rise in IL-8 during Paclitaxel administration. By
measuring markers of cellular inflammation before, during, and after
chemotherapy treatment, and using your unique tools, we compile a
personalized treatment record of inflammatory responses (normal and
abnormal) that serves as a benchmark for your risk of cancer recurrence
after chemotherapy treatment.

With these personalized guidelines, you will have insider knowledge
about choices of foods, behaviors, and interpersonal relationships that
will be conducive to keeping your inflammation-related genes quiet.
Patients with high inflammatory markers during chemotherapy are at
higher risk for recurrence, and thus need to more closely monitor and
modulate their NF-kB expression after the chemotherapy ends.

What is important to understand is that:
- There is an optimal amount of expression of NF-kB consistent with
health;
- Excessive expression contributes to diseases like cancer recurrence,
especially when NF-kB is turned on continuously; and
- You will have the power and the tools needed to regulate NF-kB's
expression.

Become the Captain of Your Healing Team!

As your physician-coach, I recommend that you become the captain of
your healing team, and let me and my team partner with you to clarify
the specific molecular mechanisms driving your specific cancer. We
coach you to learn the skills and to master the tools needed to reduce
the collective contribution of foods, emotions, and behaviors to the
excessive expression of inflammation-related genes. By working
together, you learn to modulate your inflammation blueprint by
modulating the expressive capacity of NF-kB. Modulating your expression
of NF-kB is the inner game of self-discovery, consciousness expansion,
forgiveness, and cell (self) renewal that is what allows healing to
occur.  (To view diagrams describing NF-kB in health and in disease,
visit our website at http://www.arond-thomasonline.com!)

Learn More about How You Can Improve Your Chances of Not Having a
Cancer Recurrence...

You or a loved one can learn more about how you can improve the
effectiveness of your cancer treatments and improve your chances of not
having a recurrence. at http://www.1CancerCoach.com.

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James Arond-Thomas, MD, is Director of The Center for Learning about
Healing in Ann Arbor and West Bloomfield, MI.  Dr. Arond-Thomas
partners with people with cancers and other serious illnesses to
construct a "whole person" roadmap leading to health and well-being. To
find out more about how you can benefit from Dr. James' ground-breaking
research and clinical experience, send an email to
DrJames@1CancerCoach.com, or call us at (734) 995.4999.