Another Case Study...

The China Study is an amazing look at the unmistakable connection between our diets and disease, especially cancer.

But, if you're like me, sometimes it's all just scientific mumbo-jumbo.  What I really want to hear about are real-life success stories... Yes, you too?!  Well, we are in luck.  Dr. John Kelly shares a number of case studies in his book Stop Feeding Your Cancer.

We've already heard Melissa's story and Ronan's story... time for Andrew's story!

The following excerpt comes from Dr. Kelly's book, Stop Feeding Your Cancer:

"Andrew's case proved unusual because he was introduced to the China Study 18 months before being diagnosed with cancer.  He had suffered a heart attack when he was 60 and my reason for telling him about the book then was its sidebar claim that the diet was also efficacious in preventing coronary heart disease.  This claim was based on the theory that people prone to coronary heart disease had some sort of intolerance to animal protein that could cause the lining of coronary arteries to become inflamed and lead to the deposition of plaque.  A diet low in animal protein was also naturally low in cholesterol.  This was a novel approach to another major global health problem - indeed one that ranks among the most stubbon and prevalent in my own country - but I had decided not to push the curative theory in the same way as I was doing with the cancer treatment approach, as it appeared to me there was at this time insufficient proof available.

I told Andrew about the China Study and how it had been introduced to me by our mutual friend, the geneticist, Paddy.  I knew he had the highest regard for our pal, whom he had worked with for a number of years.  Andrew made the decision to start the diet in the hope of preventing further episodes of his coronary heart disease.  I felt encouraged, and looked forward to watching his progress.

Some 18 months after this coronary care chat, Andrew arrived at my office complaining of passing blood and a few suspicious pieces of tissue in his urine.  At first, I thought this issue might represent bits of kidney stones but as there had been no pain associated, this was far from certain.  I arranged an ultrasound of the lower abdomen.  This reported a "soft tissue mass" at the base of the bladder, which was a sign that Andrew had a tumour.

In the hospital tests that followed, the urologist discovered a large solid tumour in Andrew's bladder.  To the specialist's surprise, however, the tumour did not appear in any way aggressive and it proved possible to remove it without the need for open surgery.  Unfortunately the histology showed it to be a squamous cell carcinoma and the urologist informed me that these particular tumours were among the most aggressive and dangerous of all bladder cancers.  Virtually all of them carried a dismal prognosis and the standard procedure was to remove the bladder immediately to prevent the tumour from spreading.  In Andrew's case there was some advantage, however.  The urologist explained that he couldn't justify removing the bladder as - unusually - there was no evidence that the cancer had invaded the underlying bladder muscles.  It seemed a near miss, but was clearly a puzzling, complex situation that would require careful monitoring.

Andrew's upset with the diagnosis was echoed by my disappointment.  According to him, he had been on an animal-protein-free diet,  If the science was right, that diet should have prevented the cancer from growing.  When I discussed the matter further with Andrew, I heard his confession.  The diet he promised as a countermeasure to recurrence of his coronary heart disease had been, in his words, "an on-and-off affair."  I reeled a little, and re-evaluated.  I read again the urologist's reports.  Andrew's case had been unusual. The urologist was at pains to point out there were few, if any, cases of non-aggressive squamous cell bladder tumours in the medical literature.  Why had Andrew been the exception to the rule?  What was different in the course of his particular pathology?

I welcomed the consoling possibility that the diet contributed to his lucky break.  Perhaps even this haphazard engagement with a new food discipline had been enough to stop the cancer becoming aggressive?  Perhaps, had it not been for his diet, Andrew might have lost his bladder and perhaps his life.  We talked about it.  I told him of my suspicions, but he had partly made the deduction himself.  A new pep talk was not needed; he just smiled, shook my hand and exited my office with a bounce in his step.  He immediately resumed the diet, and has stuck to it.

Things have been going very well for Andrew.  Over the past 6 years his bladder has been checked every three months and the urologist, who knows nothing about the diet, is beginning to believe that Andrew's may turn out to be the exceptional case that defies the normal laws of aggressive bladder cancers.  Specialists go by the books, though, and Andrew's consultant still insists that the most likely outcome is that the cancer will return aggressively.  The clinical monitoring continues and I carefully follow every screening report.  From time to time, some of the reports I receive indicate areas of cancer in situ (non-active cancer lesions) and areas of leukoplakia.  Leukoplakia is a pre-cancerous condition in which a number of surface cells undergo a certain amount of genetic change, though not enough to make the onset of cancer inevitable.  In hindsight and with the benefit of observing Andrew's pattern, it seems likely that the small fragments of tissue that had passed in his urine in the first instance probably came from areas of leukoplakia.  The isolation of the bladder tumour seems unique, and uniquely interesting.

Andrew receives his three-monthly lab reports with a certain amount of equanimity but, I admit, he is not yet without fear of the cancer returning.  The monitoring helps his peace of mind.  I, on the other hand, have become quite confident.  Andrew's case remains for me an excellent example of the protective versatility of an animal-protein-free diet."

I am encouraged by this real-life case study.  Andrew's story is a road-map to Hope.  The China Study diet is something each of us can do... right now... without a prescription or a lengthy hospital stay.

Enjoying this conversation more than you know!  And more than excited about this Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet.

Sharing Hope Today!

My Love, Always,
Jane