Hi Elaine, It's Nicole B., in remission from Graves' disease since 2003, with your help. I hope you've been having a good summer and improvement with your cancer.


Last December I was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian/tubal cancer with ascites in the abdomen and around the lungs. I responded well to four rounds of chemo (carboplatin, taxol, and avastin--a biologic), followed by a complete hysterectomy and stomach debulking, and then three more rounds of chemo.


Genetic testing showed no mutated genes. After the final three rounds of chemo I've been feeling quite good, lots of symptom improvement. I was started on just the avastin, infused every three weeks as maintenance. But my cancer AG 125 has been rising consistently since stopping chemo and I assume I will advised to have more.


Cancer AG 125 (normal <30): 1200 at diagnosis, 160 three weeks after stopping treatment, 360 six weeks after, and 480 nine weeks after.


Do you see any problem with a careful introduction of LDN, perhaps avoiding three days before and after chemo? I'm not sure I can find a practitioner to endorse it. There are a number of good practitioners involved in my care but I doubt any are knowledgeable about LDN.


I do have a wonderful functional medicine practitioner who got the oncologists' OK to keep monitoring my menopause replacement (still allowed to take bioidentical estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone) and also my thyroid replacement (currently 75 mcg T4 and 5 mcg T3 puts my FT4 and FT3 at the middle of the normal range with a slightly suppressed TSH). But I'm sure if I asked her about LDN she would want the oncologists' OK.


Thanks for your help, Elaine--I am so grateful!
Nicole B. in Maine

Hi Nicole,
I read your newest post first. I got my CA125 down from hundreds to 2.5. I think mainly due to the olaparib although it fell a little with chemo. I didn't start olaparib in the trial til after chemo ended.
You probably heard of the protocol using the dog dewormer febendazole. I bought mebendazole and the other drugs in the protocol (atorvastatin, metformin, vitamin E) and then ended up being prescribed atorvastatin, only 10 mg was allowed due to the trial. Apparently it was enough to improve my lipids and it may have helped the CA125 fall. I'm keeping the other drugs on hand in case of a recurrence, which is likely since I have serous endometrial cancer.
I'm not on any hormones as my tumor was Estrogen and Progesterone +.
I'm all for any supplements that can help. I did take Omega 3 oil with EPA and DHA during chemo since I'd heard it made chemo work better.
I read a book by Patrick McQuillan (sp?) on nutrition in cancer and follow his advice on diet and supplements too.
Exercise helps although I definitely need to up my game.
Prayers help too so I'll add you to my prayer list. Best, Elaine