International Journal of Biotechnology for Wellness Industries, 2013, 2, 75-83 1 ISSN: 1927-3037/13 © 2013 Lifescience Global Colon Cancer Reversed by Phyto-Nutritional Therapy: A Case Study Steve Yap * DSY Wellness and Longevity Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Abstract: Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in Malaysia and up to 80% of its patients seek complementary therapies. Globally, up to 95% of cancer patient use adjunct therapies to reduce chemotherapy-induced side-effects. Morgan et al. (2004) had showed that conventional treatment for colon cancer produced minimal results. The vast majority of cancer survivors admitted to using dietary supplements and herbs after their cancer diagnosis. Current treatment seems to pay more attention to cancer as a disease rather than meeting the physiological needs of the patient. Nutritional therapy should be individually tailored since dietary deficiency is multifactorial and the tumor burden for each patient is different. Cancer is a metabolic disorder and colon cancer is strongly associated with advancing age, dietary and lifestyle habits. Up to 90% of all cancers might be prevented with proper nutrition since one-third of overall cancer deaths are linked to malnutrition. This case study shows how a late stage colon adenocarcinoma might be completely reversed by evidence-based phyto-nutritional therapy combined with some lifestyle modifications. The cancer apoptotic properties of this natural protocol warrant further investigation involving a higher number of patients with similar conditions. Keywords: Colon cancer, metabolic disorder, complementary medicine, phyto-nutritional therapy, apoptosis. CASE PRESENTATION Alice W, age 44 and single, worked as an accounts executive in a printing company. With recommendation from a friend, she called at DSY Wellness Center to learn more about non-invasive therapy after she was diagnosed two weeks’ earlier at a leading private hospital as suffering from stage III colon adenocarcinoma. She was against the idea of having her tumor surgically removed and then to undertake chemotherapy to address malignant cells which might metastasize during such an operation. In addition, she did not wish to face the possibility of having to maintain for life a “toilet bag” outside of her lower abdomen should subsequent surgery fail to reattach her severed colon. Four years’ earlier she rejected a private hospital’s advice to undergo a colonoscopic polypectomy to remove some of her inflamed adenomatous polyps. Besides ulcerative colitis diagnosed two years’ ago and a history of early diabetes, there were no major symptoms at time of consultation. Bleeding stools were infrequent but constipation was a problem. The hospital’s colonoscopy and biopsy reports confirmed the malignancy. The patient was fond of having preserved or canned food, toasted bread or cereals, fruit jam, packaged fruit juices for her breakfast. Lunch would usually consist of *Address correspondence to this author at the DSY Wellness and Longevity Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Tel: 60-3-42701266; Fax: 60-3-42701831; E-mail: dsy@dsywellness.com Asian fast food with soft drink or sugary beverage. In between meals, she would have titbits with canned beverage or caffeinated drink. She enjoyed grilled meat, fish, or sausages, and deep-fried foods which she prepared for herself for most evenings. She admitted to having little or no daily fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, or seeds. Despite several years’ of medications, her diabetes remained poorly controlled. Her body mass index (BMI) of 30.8 would place her in the obese category. Consequently, a comprehensive ketogenic (low- carbohydrate/sugar) dietary cum lifestyle modification program was recommended as follow: (a) Temporarily replacing red and processed meat with non-farmed poultry, meat and fish which are high in quality protein useful for treating late stage malignancy [1]. Both red and processed meat intakes could raise colorectal cancer risk by 20% [2], although the association with red meat appears to be stronger for rectal cancer [3]. Mutagens are often found in deep-fried, grilled food, food preservatives or colourings, and pesticide residuals in food. (b) Avoiding grilling or cooking any meat or fish over open flame to reduce formation of heterocyclic amines (mutagenic compounds that damage cell deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA), which are formed from added sugar and from several chemicals found in meat including its amino acids and creatine [4].