Complete remission and long term survival of GBM with unconventional treatments.
A combination of medical cannabis, melatonin, and oxygen–ozone therapy eradicates tumour in this fascinating case study.
Over the weekend, I discovered an intriguing case study highlighting the use of medical cannabis, melatonin, and oxygen-ozone therapy in successfully treating glioblastoma multiforme. Remarkably, this approach led to the complete remission and extended survival of a then 36 year old woman who originally had a very poor prognosis and continues to survive several years later (August 2016 - present day).
What stands out most for me, is the patient's refusal to continue with the standard of care, leaving no other option but to seek alternative treatments, with minimal guidance.
What did she do and why is it so important?
Following debulking surgery to remove some of the tumour, the patient decided to discontinue conventional therapy (chemotherapy and radiation), due to ‘personal serious side effects’ (thrombocytopenia- a low platelet count).
Chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia (CIT) is actually quite common and usually patients just discontinue treatment until platelets return to a normal range. I don’t know what the quality of life was like for this patient at the time, but it appears as though she inherently saw this as a sign to seek alternatives. You go with your gut sometimes. I’m reading between the lines a little, but that makes the most sense to me as an explanation. When the standard care offers minimal hope, extending life by mere weeks and potentially compromising quality of life, where’s the harm in exploring promising non-toxic alternatives?
She started on this unconventional therapeutic path by alternating periods of oxygen–ozone therapy with the administration of legal medical cannabis products (Bedrocan and Bedrolite - from a clinic in the Netherlands) and melatonin. This approach resulted in a complete and sustained remission of disease within 5 years. Truly remarkable.
I agree with the authors that this exceptional response should encourage us to share and carefully investigate this unconventional treatment protocol as a possible future direction in the management of glioblastoma. I would even extend that sentiment to other high grade gliomas and potentially other types of brain tumour.
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