Since 2007, investigations into whether dichloroacetate sodium (DCA) could be used as a metabolic therapy for various cancers have been underway. Under the RECIST standards, if imaging shows a reduction or disappearance of cancer, it is known as a “response”. As a cytostatic drug, both in vitro and in vivo, DCA does not lead to the programmed cell death of apoptosis. We describe how an oral DCA therapy kept a 57-year-old woman’s advanced-stage colon cancer in check for four years without too many side effects. This is not the usual approach towards using DCA as a cytostatic drug as stage 4 colon cancer often steadily gets worse eventually leading to disability and death.
In this instance, a 57-year-old female’s stage 4 colon cancer was kept under control for over four years through the ingestion of oral dichloroacetate sodium (DCA) without notable adverse effects. RECIST guidelines were used to assess how successful the treatment was in terms of how much the tumor shrunk or vanished. DCA might additionally induce programmed cell death, otherwise known as cytostasis.
Since 2007, an in vitro/in vivo rat study has demonstrated the efficiency of sodium dichloroacetate (DCA) in treating human lung, breast, and brain malignancies by inhibiting mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase. Stacpoole et al. have further proven its effectiveness in treating congenital lactic acidosis, leading to the understanding that there were no adverse effects on the heart, lungs, kidneys, or bone marrow, with peripheral neuropathy being the only treatable side effect, disappearing when DCA was discontinued. The only other observed side effect was slight liver enzyme elevations in a small fraction of the patients. Because of its success in treating congenital lactic acidosis, DCA has become an increasingly popular metabolic treatment for various cancers, with four clinical trials further revealing its rising efficacy. Unfortunately, most studies tend to focus on late-stage patients, with only short-term treatments being described.
A 2007 study by Bonnet and colleagues found that Dactylcysteinol (DCA) is capable of killing cancer cells and this phenomenon is associated with the Warburg effect and mitochondrial potassium ion channels. It has been shown to be effective against colon, prostate, ovarian, neuroblastoma, lung carcinoid, cervical, endometrial, cholangiocarcinoma, sarcoma, and T-cell lymphoma. This has led to speculation that DCA might possess anti-tumor effects. The influence of cell survival is believed to be linked to changes in HIF1, pH-regulating enzymes V-ATPase and MCT1 and other genes, including PUMA, GLUT1, Bcl2 and p53. In vitro studies have often used much higher levels of DCA than would be suitable for therapeutic purposes. Generally, low-dose DCA has a cytostatic effect and a more significant effect is observed when taken together with other drugs. Sun and colleagues’ in vivo breast cancer study revealed that DCA was able to stop tumor proliferation without causing apoptosis. In addition, DCA was observed to reduce metastasis in a rat model of breast cancer. The study indicates that DCA could be used in a similar way to anti-angiogenic treatments to control cancer. However, there is no proof that using DCA in the long term would sustain the disease state.
Since 2007, being a naturopathic doctor, Dr. Khan has utilized Dietary Complementary Ascorbate (DCA) to treat cancer patients who did not answer to regular therapies. To prevent nerve toxicity, this included using acetyl L-carnitine, R-alpha lipoic acid, and benfotiamine. Data display that DCA was beneficial for over 300 individuals with advanced cancer. 20-25 mg/kg of natural neuroprotective drugs taken two weeks in a row, with a week break in between, decreased symptoms of neuropathy by 20%. Although 2% of patients had elevated liver enzymes, the state was reversible.
 A particular case is that of a patient with terminal colorectal cancer who, despite having a median survival time of only 9-12 months taking aggressive traditional palliative chemotherapy, saw long-term cytostatic effects from oral DCA when prescribed by Dr. Khan along with natural neuroprotective drugs provided by Dr. Andrews.
A 57-year-old female patient with advanced colorectal cancer arrived in the author’s medical office in March. The individual had experienced recent constipation and lower back discomfort in the prior year. Upon examination, the doctor recognized rectal malignancy, making it hard to conduct a colonoscopy. Tests found a differentiated colon cancer. A CT scan discovered 3 cm malignant lesions in the liver, miniscule tumors in the lungs, and an annular rectal carcinoma, placing the patient in stage 4 illness (it was hard to differentiate the boundaries of the malignancy from the tissue tehat was contiguous according to the CT scan). The patient underwent a loop ileostomy due to an obstruction, leaving the rectal tumor in place. Following the surgery, they began a course of FOLFIRI and bevacizumab medication. There was an initial decrease in the patient’s CEA marker, dropping from 260.9 ng/mL to 3.5 ng/mL prior to DCA treatment. Ultimately, the response to the chemotherapy leveled off; by the time the patient got to the author’s clinic, it had only achieved stability.
Prior to 20 years ago, the patient was healthy but did consume alcohol on occasion. Colon and stomach cancer were seen in incidents. Hydromorphone-ER 32mg twice a day, 2-4 mg orally, was provided for extra distress in combination with chemotherapy, hydrogen peroxide enemas, oral vitamin C, and occasional oral vitamin D. There were no intolerances recorded. Small mouth ulcers due to chemotherapy, minor diarrhea (predicted with ileostomy), and moderate intermittent rectal bleeding were present. Upper right shoulder pain reached a 3, with lumbar and sacrum ache reaching a 6 (thought to be related to liver metastases).
It was determined that the current chemotherapy was successful for the patient and brought minimal side effects, so it was decided to add to that with more treatments. A health professional was chosen to work out a plan for the patient: orally given 10,000 IU of vitamin D, 50 g of vitamin C to be delivered intravenously, and 49 mg/kg of sodium dichloroacetate (TXCI, United States). He was also prescribed natural supplements like R-alpha lipoic acid (150 mg taken 3 times a day), acetyl L-carnitine (500 mg taken three times a day), benfotiamine (80 mg taken twice daily) and racemic alpha Lipoic acid (500 mg with each dosage of DCA) in the hopes of reducing bad effects brought on by DCA. Timing of these infusions was organized to avoid any potential medication interactions and was planned to be at least 2 days apart from chemotherapy. Due to its antioxidant properties, lipoic acid extract (licorice extract) was not administered on, or the day before or after, chemotherapy days. In March 2012, a rigorous procedure was implemented. Since no negative consequences had occurred, the flux of weekly i.v. DCA dosage was elevated to 4000 mg (66 mg/kg). Surprisingly, when taken in hefty doses, DCA barely caused drowsiness.
The dosage of Metformin given to the patient varied from 500mg a day to a maximum of 500mg three times a day in an effort to make the patient’s cancer more receptive to chemo. To treat the pain from sacral neuropathy, Pregabalin was administered, starting with a dose of 50mg per day and increasing up to 50mg taken three times daily. Due to the side effects of chemotherapy like feeling sick and throwing up, the patient had to miss doses of Metformin to avoid dehydration-related complications.
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