survival rate Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Researchers Admit: Chemo Worsens Quality of Life with No Benefit of Overall Survival in Advanced Stage Cancer

The AHA! Team — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 05:22:16 +0000

Dena Schmidt via NaturalHealth365 – Chemo, as a treatment for cancer, has always been controversial with many patients and healthcare providers doubting its efficacy and safety as a cancer treatment. Bottom line: chemotherapy does trigger more harmful effects than beneficial ones, in many cases. Now, researchers admit that chemotherapy can actually accelerate deterioration in cases of late-stage cancer who still have the mobility and energy for daily activities. Another study published in JAMA Oncology also showed that cancer patients with limited or moderate functioning ability feel worse when undergoing chemotherapy. Is chemo worth the effort? The risks and side effects exposed In the words of the study author and lead researcher, Dr. Holly Prigerson, cancer patients who feel good have “the most to lose and the least to gain” through undergoing chemotherapy. Prigerson is a palliative care researcher at New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York and Weill Cornell Medical College. The side effects of chemotherapy are numerous and include loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, constipation, bladder issues, bleeding, bruising, edema, hair loss, fatigue, infections, neutropenia, lymphedema, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, throat and mouth issues, nerve issues, pain, sexual and fertility issues, insomnia, and more. Other medical professionals have expressed similar concerns regarding chemotherapy administered near a patient’s death. Doctors have long debated whether the strong, toxic chemicals used in chemotherapy bring enough positive effects to justify the debilitating side effects of chemotherapy. Some have referred to this practice of administering chemo to clients with late-stage cancers as harmful at worst and wasteful at best. Cancer patient warning: Chemotherapy hazards outweigh gains and benefits The above study monitored the chemotherapy effects that 312 cancer patients experienced in their final week of life at six oncology clinics in the United States. Within this group, chemotherapy tended to be administered most often to those who were younger, more educated, receiving treatment at a university medical facility, had pancreatic or breast tumors, and presented additional issues besides cancer. They also were able to engage in their normal daily activities. To assess chemotherapy’s impact, caregivers were interviewed shortly after these patients died. Among those who had high functionality in their last week of life, chemotherapy was shown to reduce their quality of life dramatically, even beyond the impact of being in intensive care or on a ventilator. A lower quality of life was reported versus similar patients who didn’t receive chemo. Sound the alarm: Quality of life should be considered in end-stage cancer cases At the very least, clinical guidelines should be reviewed and revised to adjust for this potential harm from chemotherapy near the end of life. After all, quality of life matters in all cancer cases, and areas like pain control, addressing insomnia, and boosting mood, as well as the potential side effects of chemotherapy, should be given greater consideration. Clearly, chemotherapy isn’t helping patients feel better or live longer in many cases. While the objective is often to fight cancer and tumors with every option, terrible side effects and erosion of quality of life are a heavy price to pay. We would hope that medical professionals take a more cautious approach to prescribing chemotherapy, especially in late-stage cases. Editor’s note: Discover the best ways to avoid cancer cell growth naturally, own the Stop Cancer Docu-Class created by NaturalHealth365 Programs. Sources for this article include: NIH.gov Jamanetwork.com Cancer.gov Reuters.com To read the original article click here.

The post Researchers Admit: Chemo Worsens Quality of Life with No Benefit of Overall Survival in Advanced Stage Cancer appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin Therapy at a Higher Dose Improved Survival by Nearly 200% in Ventilated COVID Patients

AHA Publisher — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 07:00:14 +0000

Dr. Liji Thomas, MD via News-Medical – Treatment options have been limited in the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Earlier optimism regarding immunomodulatory drugs such as azithromycin (AZM) and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) seemed to be undermined by results of large interventional trials. However, a fascinating new study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server (not peer-reviewed*), suggests that such disappointment may have been both premature and unwarranted, based on a re-analysis of over 250 patients on invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) during the first two months of the pandemic. Using computational modeling, the use of weight-adjusted HCQ and AZM appears to be associated with a more than 100% increase in survival, without a clear correlation with ECG abnormalities. Study Details In this study, based on a subset of critically ill COVID-19 patients, consisting of patients who required intubation and IMV, data from the medical records were analyzed using several novel methods. This included not only the vital signs and laboratory values but the therapeutic methods. The study was carried out on patients at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, New Jersey, with just over 1% having been clinically diagnosed to have COVID-19. Of the 255 patients, almost 80% died during the study period. Seven patients were transferred to another hospital on the ventilator, mostly after day 40 of hospitalization. Parameters were broadly comparable between survivors and non-survivors, except that all patients with an active malignancy, dementia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and stroke failed to survive. However, sex, race, presentation severity, and blood type had no association with survival chances. A pre-print version of the research paper is available on the medRxiv* server. A preprint is a version of a scholarly or scientific paper that precedes formal peer review and publication in a peer-reviewed scholarly or scientific journal. Laboratory Markers Laboratory markers of inflammation, such as Ferritin, D-dimer, Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), and C-reactive protein (CRP), were above average in almost every patient (96%). While all parameters, except the LDH, were equivalent in survivors and non-survivors, three patients had D-dimer values above 69,000 ng/mL. LDH values were higher in non-survivors by almost 30%. The increase in these parameters over time was characteristically steeper in patients who did not survive. Clinical Complications More than three in four non-survivors developed acute kidney injury (AKI), of which a tenth received renal replacement therapy (RRT). Of this latter group, a fifth survived. Almost 60% of patients were intubated within three days of hospitalization. The time to intubation did not predict survival, but intubation beyond day 15 was associated with survival in only 1 of 16 patients. More than 90% of the patients in this cohort had high blood glucose levels above 140 mg/dL, peak at >200 mg/dL, without corticosteroid therapy. Although none were known to be diabetics, most probably had impaired glucose tolerance before they acquired SARS-CoV-2. This prevalence is higher than in most other studies, probably because the researchers looked actively for hyperglycemia Obesity While half of the patients were obese, and 30% were overweight, the older patients were significantly heavier. That is, 74% of those above 60 were obese, vs 37% of those below this age. The mean body weight was approximately 90 kg, but unlike most antibiotic clinical trials, the range of body weight was extensive. The heaviest patient thus weighed approximately seven times more than the lightest. Notably, blood glucose levels or obesity did not predict a good clinical outcome. Therapeutic Drugs The chief therapeutic classes included steroids, tocilizumab, convalescent plasma, hydroxychloroquine, and azithromycin. Corticosteroids, when given at 6 mg or more, reduced the mortality risk 1.4 times. Meanwhile, the interleukin-6 receptor blocker) tocilizumab had two-fold lower mortality. Convalescent plasma (CP) was used only from week 4, in a fifth of the patients, mostly younger than those who did not receive it. The survival of the group which received CP was almost doubled from CP non-users. HCQ was used in 94% of patients within 48 hours of emergency room arrival, while >55% received 2,000-3,000 mg, cumulatively. Of this number, approximately 63% also received AZM. This combination fell out of favor over the study period based on external recommendations. Effect of HCQ/AZM on Mortality With every log increase in the cumulative dose of HCQ, the mortality rate fell by 1.12 times, such that at 3 g HCQ, survival odds rose by 2.5 times. When given together with AZM, the benefit was still more significant. Chances of survival increased further. Among those who received both > 3g HCQ and >1g AZM, almost half survived, compared to one in seven (16%) among patients who received one of these drugs at the same dosages. This means a 32% absolute difference in survival, or a relative improvement in survival odds of 200%, with the combination of HCQ/AZM at this dosage. This far exceeds the survival benefit cited in any study of any intervention so far. When HCQ/AZM was given at lower dosages, the risk of death was over three times higher relative to the above combination and dosage regimen. When the cohort was divided into patients who received >3g HCQ/>1g AZM and those who did not, overall, the absolute chances of survival were 23% higher for the first group. The 17% survival in the second group would have increased to 39% with the former treatment, predicted the researchers. This indicates that treatment with >3g HCQ/>1g AZM was associated with a more than 130% increase in survival rate compared to any other standard therapy. Weight-Adjusted Cumulative Dosage The researchers also found that when adjusted for weight, the cumulative dose would have a still greater effect. In fact, the average treatment effect (difference in mean survival, in this case) shows a steep increase between 40-50 mg/kg to peak at 46% for a dose of 82 mg/kg. Thus, patients receiving HCQ above 80 mg/kg of HCQ with >1g AZM had 14 times higher survival odds compared to those who did not. If HCQ dosage was fixed at >3g, the odds of survival were 7 times higher, or less than half of that achieved with the weight-adjusted cumulative dosage. “The fact that weight-adjusted cumulative dose has an even greater effect on survival than cumulative HCQ dose is strong confirmation of the causal relationship between this treatment and improvement in survival rate.” Age was another major factor since those older than 60 were five times more likely to succumb than younger patients. Hyperlipidemia was the single comorbidity linked to approximately four times higher odds of death. Interestingly, there was no correlation between the cumulative dose of HCQ (or AZM) and the occurrence of QTc prolongation. In fact, the QT interval began to fall during the period when the cumulative dose of HCQ increased. None of the patients showed torsades de pointes. What Are the Implications? These findings indicate that a steeply rising ferritin, D-dimer and LDH over time predict poor survival, the rate of rise being several times greater for non-survivors. This should be validated to help provide a better prognosis for COVID-19 patients. The extensive range of obesity among critically ill patients indicates that weight-adjusted dosage is critical in achieving the correct therapeutic levels. Moreover, AZM is an independent contributor to improved survival. Most importantly, this is the first clinical study to demonstrate the remarkable benefit of using cumulative doses of HCQ>3g/AZM>1g, compared to those not treated with this combination. Why did such a large effect miss observation? For one thing, HCQ produces its benefit by cumulative effects on the target cells, which is weight-dependent. The failure to treat patients with weight-adjusted doses leads to ineffective treatment and outcomes biased towards lighter patients. HCQ is both safe and tolerable at higher doses, as shown in studies of rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Such high doses for such long durations have not been used to treat COVID-19. The earlier studies claiming prolongation of the QTc duration with HCQ in COVID-19 treatment are shown to be flawed. Indeed, available data suggests that this finding is due to the underlying illness itself. The investigators also point out: “On April 24, 2020, the FDA issued a warning about the possible effects of low HCQ on QTc interval (47). Since 2010, the FDA has approved over 150 clinical trials, which include HCQ treatment. The FDA did and does not require monitoring for cardiotoxicity. In each of these trials, the total HCQ dose and expected tissue levels are markedly higher than used or seen in Covid patients. This discrepancy lacks logic or explanation.” In this startling study, the investigators carefully re-examined the data, showing that among critically ill COVID-19 patients on IMV, less than 4% “walk out of hospital.” In contrast, the survival benefit of combined HCQ/AZM at a cumulative dosage of >80 mg/kg and >1g, respectively, is shown to be both clear and significant. The safety at such doses is obvious, since survival is increased by almost 130% in this very high-risk population. Moreover, it appears that AZM is an important component of this therapy in terms of mortality reduction. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. To read the original article click here.

The post Hydroxychloroquine + Azithromycin Therapy at a Higher Dose Improved Survival by Nearly 200% in Ventilated COVID Patients appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.

‘No Lockdown’: Doctors Warn Shutdowns Unleashing Massive Health Crises and Upheaval

AHA Publisher — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 07:00:53 +0000

Paul Strand via CBN News – A growing number of doctors are trying to show why they believe lockdowns and shutdowns are doing more harm than the coronavirus itself. More than 1,200 have banded together in the group A Doctor A Day, and at SecondOpinionProject.com, they are presenting their case for why the lockdowns have been a medical disaster. “We’re looking at an increase in tens or hundreds of thousands of just suicides alone from the increased unemployment,” explained Dr. Paul Fronapfel, a pediatric anesthesiologist. ‘Every Town, Every City’ Dr. Simone Gold, who helped found A Doctor A Day, said, “Cases of depression or of drug abuse that were in check have gotten worse. We’re seeing that all over the country – every town, every city.” Addiction specialist Dr. Molly Rutherford added, “The morbidity and mortality from joblessness and from mental health crises and relapse and suicides, homicides, shootings – all these things – are just going to continue to get worse.” The doctors in this Second Opinion Project warn the coronavirus has been overhyped. 99.7 Percent Survive “The message has been disseminated that this is some terrible infection that’s a killer; that everybody is at risk of dying,” said cardiologist Dr. Daniel Wohlgelernter. But he pointed out, “We know that 99.7 percent of people that get infected with COVID survive.” Fronapfel added, “Ten times as many people die from other things on any given day.” Dr. Mark McDonald, an adolescent and adult psychiatrist, brought up children, saying, “The risk of death to children from flu, seasonal flu, is 20 to 30 times higher than that of the coronavirus. And yet we have never closed schools. We have never asked children or teachers to wear masks, to play separately, to eat separately, to arrive and leave separately from schools because of the flu. And now we’re doing that for the coronavirus.” ‘This Is Child Abuse’ “In my opinion, this is child abuse,” he said of the fear being infused in kids. “I am absolutely appalled and I think it makes no scientific or rational sense whatsoever.” Gynecologist Dr. Olga Swanson suggested, “We cannot lock up our young generation in the house for the next 12 or 18 months while we’re waiting for a vaccine.” That could be a vain hope, according to plastic surgeon Dr. Joel Singer, who pointed out, “There has never been a successful coronavirus vaccine. The last one they tried was the original SARS epidemic. They tried a vaccine. It killed all the (trial) monkeys.” ‘Nothing That Can Replace a Childhood for a Child’ So instead of waiting around for a vaccine, Swanson insisted, “The kids need to go back to school. They need to go back to school for the main reason that they need social interaction. And there’s nothing that can replace a childhood for a child.” “We’re talking about not only social isolation, depression, boredom, but we’re also talking about a strategic loss in education,” said ophthalmologist Dr. Jane Hughes. “If you take a look at Boston and some of the other places where they had online schooling, 20, 30, 40 percent of students didn’t ever log in.” Swanson added, “There are plenty of children in poverty who rely on schools for meals, who rely on the schools for safety.” Hughes concluded, “So I think we’re going to see the ripple effects, psychologically, socially, emotionally for a long time to come.” ‘Pure & Unadulterated Hysteria’ “What is driving the current response to this coronavirus is pure and unadulterated hysteria,” McDonald said. “This is actually a full-on societal anomaly that has infected virtually everyone in the country to some degree.” He said of this COVID obsession and terror, “We have to understand that it’s nonsense. Otherwise, we’re going to be locked into that in perpetuity.” “It seems that people think it’s more contagious than it is,” addiction specialist Rutherford said, adding it takes more than a casual passing by of an infected individual. “People who catch this virus are in close proximity for several minutes, possibly even an hour or two with the infected person.” Sunlight Kills It in a Second The best place to be is not inside, but in the great outdoors, according to plastic surgeon Dr. Joel Singer, who said, “When you’re outside, the sun is shining, the chances of spreading this disease are practically zero. If this virus gets hit by sunlight, it dies in a second.” So after all the guff people have taken for being outside, Rutherford commented, “This virus is very unlikely to spread outside, so it doesn’t make any sense that parks and beaches are closed at this point.” People Afraid of Dying from COVID-19 Are Dying From Other Things Many of doctors involved in the Second Opinion project tell of people who’ve died because they were too scared of COVID-19 to go to the hospital. Cardiologist Dr. Steven Hearne said of one man suffering heart pain who refused to go, “He declined because he was afraid he’d catch the virus. He basically waited till the last minute. 9-1-1 was called. EMS showed up and he arrested right there, had CPR, and didn’t make it.” Dr. Lionel Lee, a specialist in emergency medicine, spoke of another man and his family. “As he got weaker and weaker, they didn’t know what to do because they were getting constant bombardment from the news, saying ‘stay home, don’t go to the hospital: you’re going to get COVID,'” Lee noted. When his family realized he was dying, they got him to Dr. Lee, who reported, “We coded him for about 30 minutes and he passed away.” “I have had several colleagues who have told me that they have had patients die on them,” Lee added. ‘They’re Afraid They’re Going to Catch It on the Street’ Rutherford said of her own recent experiences, “I’ve had several patients who were worried about going to the Emergency Department when they clearly needed to go.” And cardiologist Hearne added, “I still have several patients who are afraid to come to my office. They’re afraid they’re going to catch it on the street walking down the road. And that’s just not the case.” For anesthesiologist Dr. Andrew Zak, this is personal. He said on SecondOpinionProject.com, “The example that really hits home the most is my own mother. She became ill, and she’s also very debilitated and has dementia. Her caregiver was very concerned. However, my relatives, they were very afraid to bring her into the hospital. And now it turns out, two weeks later, she indeed did have a stroke, which went undiagnosed and untreated. And at this point, she is now in much worse condition, and it’s just been devastating.” ‘Patients Are Getting Tossed Aside Right Now by Bureaucrats’ But there have also been people kept from getting absolutely necessary medical care because that care was labeled non-essential. That led plastic surgeon, Dr. Alina Sholar, to say, “Patients are getting tossed aside right now by bureaucrats focused on the virus with a total lack of consideration for the future care and the future health of everyone else.” Even Dr. Anthony Fauci recently warned on CNBC that the lockdowns could cause “irreparable damage.” Rutherford explained, “The consequences in terms of mental health for many of my patients and many people throughout this country are devastating. And it’s going to get worse the longer we keep our economy locked down.” ‘This Is a Lives-for-Lives Situation’ Sholar declared, “This is not a money-for-lives situation. This is a lives-for-lives situation.” Dr. Alfonso Di Carlo said of the government figures clamping down on citizens, patients, and physicians, “We need to start rising up and telling these officials, ‘look, we respect you, but you’re not a doctor.” He went on, “In this country we have rights. All our people in this country, we’re endowed by our Creator; we have rights and civil liberties. And we get to choose what we want to do, not have government dictate medical health care issues on us.” The doctors involved in the project represent more than 21,000 years of medical practice have even written to the White House, warning, “The millions of casualties of a continued shutdown will be hiding in plain sight, but they will be called alcoholism, homelessness, suicide, heart attack, stroke or kidney failure. In youths, it will be called financial instability, unemployment, despair, drug addiction, unplanned pregnancies, poverty, and abuse.” To read the original article click here. For more articles from CBN News click here.

The post ‘No Lockdown’: Doctors Warn Shutdowns Unleashing Massive Health Crises and Upheaval appeared first on Amazing Health Advances.