Testimonials

"Ovarian Cancer Survivor Elizabeth Panke Celebrates Cancer Free Thanks to Chemosensitivity Testing"

Elizabeth Panke
(Ovarian Cancer)

In 1999, I had an extremely aggressive form of ovarian cancer and my life expectancy was measured in weeks to months. Today, I am cancer free. When all other physicians wrote me off for dead, Dr. Robert Nagourney gave me life. Here is my story…

During the first half of 1999, I was in the prime of my life. My youngest child just graduated from college. I had a successful career as a practicing physician, as a research scientist, and as a medical director of a national DNA laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio. In July of that year, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. But that was not the worst news. Within two months of my diagnosis, I discovered that the chemotherapy effective in treating most ovarian cancers had no effect on the growth of my tumor. The second line chemotherapy treatment was also ineffective.

My tumor continued to grow extremely fast. I developed malignant ascites (fluid in the abdomen containing malignant cells). By October 1999, more than two quarts of malignant ascites were removed from my abdomen every five days. My life expectancy was measured in months.

My physicians and I did not know what chemotherapy treatment we should try next. My husband, a medical director of several hospital laboratories in Cincinnati, and I turned to several highly respected national Cancer Centers for treatment consultations. The experts agreed that there were several chemotherapeutic drugs available for treatment. Each of these drugs potentially had a small chance of producing a treatment response. However, no one knew which one of these drugs had a best chance of treatment response so my treatment could only be dictated through shear trial and error. Was my body strong enough to test out several chemotherapy regimens? There was clearly no chance that I would live long enough to test all the various treatment options.

Could tumor chemosensitivity testing help determine which of several possible drugs should be used? The oncology experts at the national Cancer Centers I contacted throughout the country were aware of the tumor chemosensitivity testing assays. But, they were quick to add that, in their experience, tumor assay results did not correlate well with clinical response and that these assays would not be useful.

In desperation, I decided to perform two separate chemosensitivity tests. My doctor collected malignant ascites from my abdomen. We sent these collected tumor cells simultaneously for two separate tumor chemosensitivity studies using different methods. We did not know if these different methods would produce the same or different results, but time was of the essence.

One laboratory we sent the cells to is called Oncotech in California. Their method of testing used "cell proliferation" as the endpoint of testing. This method cultured my tumor cells in the presence of single chemotherapy drugs and observed which drugs prevented the tumor cells from growing. In my case, the report generated by this method showed that the three drugs that best prevented the growth of my tumor were the same three drugs I just failed in chemotherapy! Needless to say, this type of assay method did not provide me with clinically useful information. The results from this method of testing certainly confirmed the belief of physicians who informed me that tumor chemosensitivity studies do not provide clinically useful information.

The other laboratory that we sent my tumor cells to was Rational Therapeutics™ of Long Beach California. They used a different method to perform tumor chemosensitivity studies on my tumor cells. They used " tumor death (apoptosis)" method of testing. Rational Therapeutics™ exposed my tumor cells to chemotherapy drugs and observed which drugs actually killed my tumor cells. In my case, they identified a combination of drugs that were able to kill my tumor cells in the laboratory. Based on their recommendations, I immediately received treatment. My ascites completely resolved within 3 weeks of receiving their recommended chemotherapy regimen. Following 6 cycles of this chemotherapy, I had no evidence of tumor by CT scan, by PET scan, by ultrasound, and by physical exam. Today, 5 years later, I continue to be in complete remission.

Kathy Leach
(Stage IV Breast Cancer)

In January of 2003, Kathy felt a lump in her right breast. After seeking medical advice, a biopsy was performed and her worst fears were confirmed. Kathy, a 45-year-old mother of three, had aggressive breast cancer. When she went for surgery, however, things went from bad to worse. Kathy had metastatic disease with documented involvement of the liver.

Despite advances in breast cancer management, metastatic disease is still considered incurable. For that reason, the doctors who were managing Kathy faced a serious dilemma. Should they use strong combinations of chemotherapy to hope against the odds that they could eliminate the disease in the liver, or recognizing the low likelihood of cure, manage Kathy with mild treatments, hoping to preserve the quality of the time she had left?

Having known of the work of Dr. Robert Nagourney, Director of Rational Therapeutics™ in Long Beach, CA, Kathy asked her physicians in Cincinnati to send a portion of her cancer to the California based laboratory. She then traveled to California for an opinion with Dr. Nagourney. After a lengthy review of the options, Dr. Nagourney explained that her highly favorable drug sensitivity profile measured in the test tube offered a rationale for strong drug combinations. Dr. Nagourney reiterated to Kathy at the time of their meeting that many physicians would prefer “milder” therapies. When asked whether she wanted to try for the best possible outcome with stronger combinations, Kathy said, in no uncertain terms, that she wanted to “Go for it!”

Working in close collaboration with Kathy’s Cincinnati based oncologist, with whom Dr. Nagourney had previously shared patients, a series of treatments incorporating the best possible drugs and combinations for Kathy was administered. The response was dramatic, with complete resolution of all detectable disease. Today, two years later, Kathy remains in complete remission on a mild maintenance therapy with the monoclonal antibody, Herceptin.

Shannon Watson-Iezzi
(Stage IV Breast Cancer )

In Her Own Words...

I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer at 25. Shocking and traumatic as it was I underwent chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy and was pronounced in 'remission' the next year.

My remission only lasted 1 1/2 years and I was re-diagnosed with stage IV (metastatic) breast cancer one month before my wedding. My cancer was back and it spread. I had 2 tumors on my liver, one in my abdomen, and about 6 in my hip bone. I knew the liver was no place to have cancer so I forced my doctor to tell my how long she expected me to live. She said 12-24 months. (I no longer go to this oncologist) I sat there and my stomach has never dropped so fast and hard. All I could think was 'you mean I most likely won't make it to 30?'. Not even a day after I spread the news to the family, my Uncle David called me and we had a conference call with Dr Nagourney. The next day I was flying out to stay at his house in Encino and meet with Dr. Nagourney.

Here is what I thought was interesting about the chemo sensitivity assay report: It said I was chemo resistant (doesn't work) to one of the drugs I had on my first diagnosis. Obviously this drug didn't work. It also said I was chemo sensitive to the drug Taxol. This is the drug I was told to not take because the side effects were "not worth it". Today there are studies that say Her II negative cancers (like mine) do not benefit from this drug. I think this just goes to show that all cancers, like people, are not created equal. So I decided to take Taxol and Avastin for my chemotherapy.

I started treatment one week before I got married. I am very pleased that things have only gotten better since I started.

My liver tumors measured 3.8 x 4.5cm and 2.3 x 2.8cm when I started. They shrunk to 2 x 2.1cm and 1.3 x 1.4cm after less than 3 months of chemotherapy. I am very excited to get my next scan to measure them because they should be even smaller. The abdominal tumor is nowhere to be seen now. I recently had a PET scan. PET scans find cancer cells by seeing if they pull glucose. If they don't pull glucose, then they are not acting like cancer cells. This showed that the liver tumors were not even acting like cancer cells. Yeah!! They are more like scar tissue now. Also only 2 of the 6 bone tumors are still pulling glucose.

Even more impressing is the tumor marker blood test I have. The test is called the CA 2729 test. The normal (you don't have cancer) range is 5-35. When I was diagnosed mine was 2,679. After two chemotherapy infusions my results went down to 1,451. Then they went down to 992, then 795, then 408, then 336, then 316, then 286 and the last test I had was 249. My doctor is talking about possibly doing 3 more months of chemotherapy and then maintaining me on hormone therapy if things keep going as good as they are.

I remember looking at Dr. Nagourney's web site and reading all the testimonials and just wishing I had a chance to tell a success story like they had. I have only been in treatment for 5 months now, but I expect my story to get better every year that passes. I am going to have one HUGE 30th birthday party I want to thank Dr. Nagourney, My Uncle David, and Dr. Nagourney's staff for being such great people and making a HUGE difference in a young girl's life.

Best Regards,
Shannon Iezzi (Watson)

"Life in Remission, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma"

Terry Gallant
(Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma)

I was diagnosed with indolent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in August of 1999. My disease was minimal, and I was advised against any chemotherapy unless it became problematic. I was referred to Dr. Nagourney repeatedly by several patients and medical doctors, and I learned about the chemosensitivity assay. But, there was no reason to do an assay before treatment was needed.

Over the next several years, I searched many cancer facilities and oncologists trying to determine where I wanted to be if and when I might need treatment. Many doctors I didn't like, and very few were at all satisfying. I took one non-toxic clinical trial at Stanford University where I was given an idiopathic vaccine upfront without chemo preconditioning. Unfortunately, my cancer appeared to only progress. It quickly developed to bulky disease and symptomatic with pain. Delaying further treatment was no longer an option.

September 2002, I went to Dr. Nagourney. By then, I had seen twenty separate oncologists in my battle with cancer. There was no doubt in my mind that Dr. Nagourney was the one I wanted to treat me. He did an assay on my malignant tissue. The chemosensitivity assay is just a test, a tool to be used by a skilled oncologist in selecting protocols for his patient. Dr. Nagourney offered to treat me any way I liked -- toxic chemo toward a fast remission or slower less toxic therapies. He said whichever I chose; he knew he could succeed at getting me into a long-term remission.

I already knew that less toxic treatment meant a better chance of longer life. I asked for the least toxic protocol. Dr. Nagourney advised full dose Rituxan, a monoclonal antibody specifically designed for lymphoma, combined with partial doses of Fludarabine and Cytoxan. Within three cycles, I went from bulky disease to full remission. But, three more cycles were advised to maintain that remission.

My platelet count was too low after round four. Dr. Nagourney told me another choice was needed. I could continue the same protocol at a much lower dosage. I could quite the chemo and hope the remission would hold. Or, I could change the protocol. The choice was very easy because I asked what he recommended. Dr. Nagourney said, if I finished round five and six with CHOP in a lower than normal dose, I could have just as good a treatment as planned in the beginning. That's what I did.

February 19, 2003, was my last chemo. My remission is dramatic, and my former strength is returning to near normal. Most of Dr. Nagourney’s time is devoted to his lab work on the chemo sensitivity assays. He only sees private patients two afternoons a week and rarely accepts new patients. But, he’ll do a chemosensitivity assay for anyone.

I guess I just don't understand the reluctance of others not to use this great tool. It's here and available to us. Dr. Nagourney saves and extends lives with his work. It's my hope to extend my life with lymphoma until the day we all hope for, the day of the cancer cure.

RTI Assay… Don't do Chemo without it!

Barby Crear, Before
(Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma)

My health has never been my best asset … from polio and severe allergies in my youth to chronic digestive trouble, immune weakness and inflammations through most of my fifty years on the planet. Almost all of the medical treatments I received during my life didn't work, and many of them did more harm than good. Over the years I'd found some natural treatments that helped these physical problems somewhat. I used trial and error and read books by open-minded medical practioners. In short, I knew enough to know that I didn't know much, but I did know enough to know when I ran up against someone who knew even less than I did!! Thankfully I had found out, by the time I was diagnosed with cancer in June 2000, that not all doctors know everything and that not all treatments work for each person. This belief saved my life.

After a biopsy it took four weeks for me to receive a diagnosis. The pathologist said my tissue had been sent to three experts and that they were having difficulty in trying to classify the cancer. (Later I obtained their reports … they all reported finding both Hodgkins and non-Hodgkins lymphoma cells, and that none of them were acting the way they should be.) The pathologist I spoke to was honest with me and admitted that classification of cancer cells is the most difficult thing to do. Further, he said, cancer classifications are changed often so it's hard to keep up. "In your case," he said, "it was four weeks and we knew we had to come up with a diagnosis, so we're pretty sure…" (Yikes! Pretty sure???) They decided to call it "atypical diffused mixed non-Hodgkins lymphoma, large and small cell, intermediate grade." To me, that translated into "we really don't know."

The first oncologist I went to was simply horrible ... she didn't answer a single question, and said I needed to do CHOP at once or I would die. Next I went to a well-known cancer hospital for a second opinion. This doctor understood my concerns and wanted to do re-testing. I was accepted as a patient until I told her I was going to an immune specialist first and wanted them to confer. I received a FAX saying she was sorry I wasn't going to be her patient and that I should do CHOP treatments.

Although no one was sure what kind of cancer I had, they sure didn't waste any time at all deciding what treatment I should use …the strongest standard treatment, CHOP. I had active infections and my body had a history of extreme sensitivity to chemicals … but no one gave this any consideration! This made no sense to me. It seemed as if these doctors had put me on the" cancer conveyor belt" and my individual body meant nothing to them. And despite my lumpy appearance, I was planning to survive this cancer and live to a ripe old age. Therefore I was going to need my organs, mucous membranes and so on! I had no intention of doing "trial and error chemotherapy."

Now understand me … I know that it isn't easy being a doctor. Decisions must be made. There are no guarantees. Medicine is not an exact science. But if I have a diagnosis of cancer that needs to be treated with poisons … then let's at least use the right poisons!!! I met a lot of people while searching for my cancer cure … and too, too many of them had tried two or three kinds of chemotherapy, each wearing them down and leaving them with more damage. Why use guesswork when there is a method to pinpoint the right chemicals for a specific cancer in a specific person?

So after over a year of harrowing experiences I ended up finding my genius oncologist, Dr. Robert Nagourney. He listened. He understood. He explained what he does … an assay process that all cancer patients need. He takes some of the cancer out of your body and tries chemo drugs on it in a lab. This method pinpoints the drugs that work to kill that specific cancer, whatever it is. With this method it doesn't matter if your diagnosis is correct or not. I repeat: with this method it doesn't matter if your diagnosis is correct or not! Since pathologists admit that the most difficult part of cancer is deciding what classification to give it … and since the classification is what determines which drugs they'll "try" on you … well, then, doesn't it make better sense to forget about what to call it and, instead, find out what will kill it!??!

I thought so, too! I'm telling you these many details because almost all of us have friends or family who have or will have cancer … this assay method gives you two to three times better chance of having chemotherapy work! I'd have done chemo a year sooner if I'd felt they knew what poisons would work, and I almost died waiting to find some treatment method I could trust. I'm glad I waited, though. Guess why. Because my assay showed that CHOP would not have been effective against my cancer cells. Did you hear me???

I now tell everyone to go to the website and to call RTI … I tell doctors about it. I think it should be on every news program in the world. People need to know about this before they are in the position of needing it … because too many doctors rush a newly diagnosed patient into a chemotherapy treatment without giving information about options. And when you're scared and pressured, you'll do whatever you're told. If I hadn't had a "touchy" body, hadn't faced the fact that doctors and medicine are not perfect, and hadn't read so much about medicine, I'd have sat in a chair and put out my arm for an IV filled with CHOP one minute after being diagnosed. Because of ignorance. I don't want that to happen to anybody! Ever!!!

"Living life cancer free, 3 years after being diagnosed with SCLC."

David Hanbidge
(Small Cell Lung Cancer)

My name is David Hanbidge. I am 57 years old and proud to say that I am reaching the three-year remission mark in my journey to be cured of small cell lung cancer. Here is my story:

I first noticed that something was wrong in the spring of 1999. I was having trouble breathing without wheezing and coughing. Initially, I just attributed my symptoms to my yearly allergy condition and thought nothing more of it. After a few months, I started coughing up traces of blood and decided to see my doctor. X-rays didn't show anything unusual but the doctor thought I might have had pneumonia recently. When the condition just persisted and the traces of blood became more apparent, I went to see a pulmonary specialist, Dr. Cameron Dick. He performed a bronchoscope procedure on my lungs and discovered evidence of cancerous cells. I'll never forget the day when the doctor took my wife and me to a small back office and told us the horrible news…I had the very worst kind of lung cancer - small cell lung cancer. I remember Dr. Dick had tears in his eyes when he told us the news. He had to tell us that the outlook of surviving this kind of cancer was very bleak. The news stunned us - nothing really prepares you to get this kind of death sentence.

The doctor told us that I needed to get under the care of an oncologist immediately and told us about a special one named Dr. Robert Nagourney, who practiced locally in Long Beach. He told us that he had a reputation of being a bit of a renegade in the way he treated cancer - using non-traditional approaches and chemotherapy medicines. However, he was earning some notoriety for the positive results that he was achieving. Dr. Dick told us that if he or his father were in the situation that I found myself in, that he would choose Dr. Nagourney for his physician. I'll never forget that we were so shaken by the news that we had just heard that neither my wife nor I could even enter Dr. Nagourney's phone number in my cell phone. Dr. Dick observed our shock and offered to make the call for us. We overheard him speaking on my behalf to Dr. Nagourney, persuading him to add a very difficult case to his already heavy patient load. My wife and I were praying in the next room that Dr. Nagourney would see me.

One of the luckiest days of my life was when Dr. Nagourney agreed to meet with me. He explained the basis for his approach to treating cancer was to obtain a sample of the cancerous tissue and test a wide variety of chemo medicines against it. The chemo(s) that responded the best to eliminating the cancer were then to be used to battle it. I was scheduled for surgery to obtain the tissue sample immediately. My cancer seemed to be isolated in one area of the lower left lobe of my lung, so the surgeon decided to remove the whole area. Dr. Nagourney's tissue testing resulted in some good news - my cancer tissue was apparently very sensitive to most types of chemo. Given this encouraging information that he had a wide range of chemo's to choose from, and knowing that I would undergo anything to stop this cancer, Dr. Nagourney went to work defining an aggressive treatment plan for me. We ended up with eleven sessions of chemo for five days at a stretch, three weeks apart. He also arranged for radiation twice a day for 30 days. The final component to my treatment plan was brain radiation to help eliminate the chance of the cancer spreading to my brain.

On a personal level, I embraced my cancer treatment like a life raft. Dr. Nagourney's philosophy that our cancer-afflicted tissue’s ability to fight cancer is almost as unique as our fingerprints rang so true. It makes sense that there is no "one size fits all" approach to cancer treatment. The success lies in matching the most formidable chemo against a particular cancer tissue. That fact was especially proved when it was determined that the application of chemos traditionally used to fight breast cancers and brain cancers were among the best weapons to fight my lung cancer.

I did lose my hair twice and experienced some nausea and weakness during treatments. But all the way through I maintained confidence in my doctor and hope for a cure, I prayed and took long walks in the nature center most days and was constantly reminded of how precious life and good health is. I am happy to relate that I am approaching my third year in cancer remission. To celebrate the end of my treatments, my wife and I took a life's dream vacation to New Zealand. While there, I decided to paraglide from a 1,000-foot mountain. Was I afraid? Not nearly as much as I was when I first leaned of my diagnosis. I hate to think how my life may have turned out differently had I not met Dr. Nagourney. I am encouraged for other people's chances of success in battling cancer when I hear how my doctor's philosophy of treatment is becoming more accepted and practiced by other oncologists. I am convinced, without a doubt, that I wouldn't be here today if that philosophy hadn't been practiced in my life.

Ingrid Ottesen
(Breast Cancer)

On July 9, 1997 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had all tests and x-rays sent to a well-known medical facility that specialized in this type of cancer treatment. I was told that my tumor measured 2.5 cm x 3 cm and probably had been growing for 5 years. Having been an Occupational Therapist for 37 years, I had some medical knowledge, although not enough. When my questions did not receive adequate response, I researched what other options were available to me. Fate had it that one evening I was listening to the news and heard the story of Dr. Nagourney and a patient he had treated successfully. I called his office and setup an appointment. From my first meeting with Dr. Nagourney, I felt I was in the best of hands and needed look no further. He took charge of my treatments, referred me to outstanding surgeons, and guided me through my chemotherapy. Thanks to him I was never really sick throughout my course of chemotherapy - I lost my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes, but so what - it grew back! Consequently, I have been found to be free of all cancers now! This in spite of my cancer spreading to 13 lymph nodes. Dr. Nagourney has continued to monitor me and, as long as he does, I feel safe. I am now fine, healthy and back to work.

Byron Holstine
(Cancer patient)

My name is Byron Holstine Jr. I am 34 years old and I am from Northglenn, Colorado. I have an unknown type of cancer in my chest wall and partially in my lung. I have had 13 previous chemo treatments prior to having Rational Therapeutics™ research my problem.Since I received the results back from them I have had two of the new chemo treatments and my tumors have been reduced 42%!! I also have noticed how much better I feel. Thanks to Rational Therapeutics™, I just may be cancer free by the end of the year.