Cancer support and treatment is not only a focus of mine but a true passion, and recently there is a clear shift in the medical thinking around this devastating disease that I think needs to be addressed.
Perhaps some of you have heard about POG (not to be confused with the cute, but respiratorily challenged animal). POG stands for the Personalized Onco-Genomics program, which is a specialized program currently being offered through private funding at the BC Cancer Agency.
This program is truly amazing in that it uses genetic testing and treatment specific approaches to cancer. What this essentially means is rather than being on a conventional toxic chemical cocktail to treat cancer, people may be prescribed drugs that actually where designed to lower blood pressure, or treat diabetes, which effectively can eliminate cancer in the body.
If you don’t believe me … check it out for yourselves. http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/about/news-stories/stories/personalized-onco-genomics-(pog)-q-a
The problem with this program is that in order for people to qualify they are required to fail all conventional cancer treatments. The big and obvious issue with this is that once most people have failed conventional treatment they are often to sick and their quality of life is to poor to have a chance in recovering through this invaluable approach. Further the POG program does not address metastatic cells (known as circulating tumour cells or CTC’s) which are what actually drive metastatic disease and lead to cancers progression through the body.
CTC’s are a big topic on there own but awareness of what people can do is the first step in helping empower people and families to take control of their health.
A group in Greece called the RGCC group (Researched Genetic Cancer Centre) has been committed to Onco-Genomic research and testing for over 10 years and have multiple publications in the area of Onco-Genomics.
I have been using RGCC tests since 2012 and have seen some miraculous results. The largest challenge with Onco-Genomics however, is applying the results to people that are really sick! So while the POG program is encouraging, we need to apply this type of support for people diagnosed with Cancer as a primary means of treatment …. not after they are to sick to every be well again.
I encourage anyone that is actively treating cancer, been recently diagnosed with cancer, or family members of people being treated with cancer or concerned about cancer and would like to find out there risk of developing cancer well before tumour development, to have a look at this invaluable resource.