{"id":9017,"date":"2025-07-17T11:31:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T03:31:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/?p=9017"},"modified":"2025-07-18T10:29:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T02:29:10","slug":"integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"Integrative Oncology &#8211; a New Hope in a Losing Battle?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9027\" src=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_1-730x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"252\" height=\"353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_1-730x1024.jpg 730w, https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_1-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_1-768x1077.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_1-1095x1536.jpg 1095w, https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_1-9x12.jpg 9w, https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_1.jpg 1276w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 252px) 100vw, 252px\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-9028\" src=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_2-730x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"247\" height=\"346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_2-730x1024.jpg 730w, https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_2-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_2-768x1077.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_2-1095x1536.jpg 1095w, https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_2-9x12.jpg 9w, https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2014_Sep_Integrative-Oncology_Page_2.jpg 1276w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 247px) 100vw, 247px\" \/><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle\/#Are_we_losing_the_battle_against_cancer\" >Are we losing the battle against cancer?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle\/#_1Cancer_Cells_Sensitivities\" >\u00a01.Cancer Cells Sensitivities\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle\/#2High-dose_intravenous_Vitamin_C\" >2.High-dose intravenous Vitamin C\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle\/#3Enzyme_therapy\" >3.Enzyme therapy\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle\/#_4Hyperthermia\" >\u00a04.Hyperthermia<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle\/#_5Low-dose_Metronomic_Chemotherapy\" >\u00a05.Low-dose Metronomic Chemotherapy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle\/#References\" >References<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_we_losing_the_battle_against_cancer\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><i>Are we losing the battle against cancer?\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are 14 million new cases of cancer occurring worldwide every year. Almost two-thirds of these people will die, or 8 million. The WHO estimates this number will almost double in the next two decades.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We find ourselves living in an increasingly toxic world, with our fish contaminated with mercury, chickens fed arsenic to increase their appetite, and livestock injected with hormones to fatten them up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This places an unprecedented burden on our body&#8217;s detoxification and immune systems, says Dr. Stephen Chan, Director of Life Clinic in Hong Kong. Much of our defence against cancer depends on these two systems, he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0&#8220;We are forming potential cancer cells all the time,&#8221; says Dr. Chan. &#8220;Ninety-nine percent of these DNA mutations are either repaired by mechanisms within the cell itself, or the cell is set to &#8220;self-destruct&#8221;, a process known as &#8220;apoptosis&#8221;, which normally removes the remaining one percent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If any mutated cells slip through the net, they can replicate uncontrollably and invade our surrounding tissues, until they reach (or grow their own) blood vessels. Once they have achieved this, they have a highway to spread to other areas like the liver, bones or brain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Conventional treatment strategies have focused on physically cutting out the cancer (surgery), irradiating it (radiotherapy) or destroying it with cytotoxic (ie. cell-toxic) agents (chemotherapy). Whereas these can be effective in early-stage cancers, they are generally not so effective with more advanced stage III or IV cancers, when the cancers have already spread.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;The problem is cancer cells are extremely cunning, and have multiple mechanisms to evade capture,&#8221; Dr. Chan says. &#8220;They can switch off a cell&#8217;s normal defences that normally would trigger self-destruction (known as the P53 tumour suppressor gene), or turn up or &#8220;amplify&#8221; those genes that help them live. They can hide in areas where there is poor blood supply, making it hard for chemotherapy to reach them, and they can develop ways to deactivate a drug, like pumping it out of the cell.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Any successful strategy to deal with cancer should include ways to make it harder for the cancer cell to grow, like alkalinising the blood or starving it of sugar, Dr. Chan says. An all-too-common scenario is for a patient to initially do well on chemotherapy, only for the cancer to return with a vengeance six months later, metastasised to other parts of the body, and now resistant to the initial chemotherapy agents.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whereas conventional cancer treatments like chemotherap\u0443 and radiotherapy look at destroying the cancer cells (and much of the surrounding or normal cells), &#8220;Integrated Oncology&#8221; looks not only at targeting the cancer cells, but also at addressing the surrounding conditions that allowed the cancer to exist in the first place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Ultimately, this approach aims at keeping the body strong and optimally supported, whether the patient chooses to engage in standard chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatments, or not. There is really no point in successfully killing all the cancer cells, if the patient carrying them doesn&#8217;t survive the experience,&#8221; Dr. Chan said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An Integrated Oncology doctor or practitioner may use a number of diagnostic and therapeutic tools, and these might include:<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"_1Cancer_Cells_Sensitivities\"><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a01.Cancer Cells Sensitivities\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Circulating cancer cells isolated from a blood test are tested against a panel of different chemotherapy or natural agents to see which kill it best.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is akin to how bacteria are routinely tested against different antibiotics. These &#8220;cancer cell sensitivities&#8221; can help an Integrated Oncologist or practitioner to select the best drug or nutritional supplement for their patients.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2High-dose_intravenous_Vitamin_C\"><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>2.High-dose intravenous Vitamin C\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High-dose vitamin C infusions have been used for over 40 years as an adjunctive treatment for cancer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Typically an antioxidant at low oral doses, at high intravenous doses Vitamin C acts as a pro-oxidant, killing cancer cells without damaging normal cells. Studies have shown Vitamin C can improve survival by up to 500% in terminally ill patients or give them an additional one year of life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3Enzyme_therapy\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">3.Enzyme therapy\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">High dose protein-digestive enzymes may be able to digest the protective protein coat around cancer cells that protects them from our immune system&#8217;s natural defences.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Used in conjunction with a nutritional protocol like the Kelly Protocol &#8211; combining easily digestible, alkalinising diets, detoxification and immune support &#8211; remarkable success has been claimed with even the most difficult to treat cancers like pancreatic cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"_4Hyperthermia\"><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>\u00a04.Hyperthermia<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Research has shown that high temperatures can damage or kill cancer cells with minimal injury to normal tissue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Although it can be used as a stand-alone treatment, studies indicate that best results are achieved when used in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Heating the body to high temperatures (up to 42 C) can damage the cancer cell proteins, allowing chemotherapy agents to gain better penetration, or increase oxygen delivered to the tumour so that radiotherapy can work more effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"_5Low-dose_Metronomic_Chemotherapy\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u00a05.Low-dose Metronomic Chemotherapy<\/span> <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whereas traditional chemotherapy attempts (often without success) to eradicate tumour cells with the highest dose possible, Metronomic Chemotherapy uses much lower doses, given regularly, with little of the toxicity experienced in standard doses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this way, it appears to work in a whole different way, by inhibiting the cancer cells from growing new blood vessels, and causing them to shrink and sometimes, disappear.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Without the toxic side effects often experienced with standard dose chemotherapy, quality of life is maintained, and because there is no need for long periods of recovery between cycles, drug resistance and resurgence of the cancer is less likely to be a problem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Still a new novel approach undergoing extensive studies, low-dose Metronomic chemotherapy offers much promise for managing cancer without the usual toxic side effects.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0People struggling through cancer are often left floundering and feeling helpless with no control over their lives or their bodies. If they are lucky, they catch it early and do well with standard cancer treatments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0But that&#8217;s not always the case &#8211; if the person develops latestage cancer, their body takes a beating and they may become progressively weaker and weaker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dr. Chan says fighting cancer is harder on patients that it needs to be. &#8220;More options to tackle cancer are available than people realise,&#8221; he says. &#8220;They may just need to look outside the box to stand a hope of winning.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Original Article:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cancer.lifeclinic.com.hk\/integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle\/\">cancer.lifeclinic.com.hk\/integrative-oncology-a-new-hope-in-a-losing-battle\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"References\"><\/span><b>References<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Cancer Institute. (2020). &#8220;Cancer Statistics.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">World Health Organization. (2021). &#8220;Cancer.&#8221;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jacobson, M. (2018). &#8220;The Role of Vitamin C in Cancer Treatment.&#8221; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journal of Clinical Oncology<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Horneber, M., et al. (2012). &#8220;Vitamin C and Cancer: A Review of the Literature.&#8221; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cancer Research<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ghosh, S. (2016). &#8220;Low-Dose Metronomic Chemotherapy: A Review.&#8221; <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Journal of Cancer<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">*Disclaimer:\u00a0 The content of this article is provided solely for general informational, educational, and reference purposes and is not intended for medical diagnosis, treatment, or as a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified medical doctor or healthcare provider for any health-related concerns, individualized diagnosis, or treatment plans.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Are we losing the battle against cancer?\u00a0 There are 14 million new cases of cancer occurring worldwide every year. Almost two-thirds of these people will die, or 8 million. The WHO estimates this number will almost double in the next two decades.\u00a0 We find ourselves living in an increasingly toxic world, with our fish contaminated [...]","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9026,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancer"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Integrative-Oncology-lifeclinic-5.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9017"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9029,"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9017\/revisions\/9029"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9026"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lifeclinic.com.hk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}