I guess that it’s great news to hear about a new treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  This treatment, called a ‘Radioactive Bullet‘, is said to have improved the cancer status of two-thirds of cancer patients in a pilot study that was performed.  And yes, we’re still talking about radiation therapy (with a ‘twist’).  It sounds fairly ‘high tech’ and flashy.  The basis of the treatment is that they bind a radioactive particle to an antibody that has an affinity for tumor cells over normal body cells.  This means that the radioactive particle binds to tumor cells and the radiation destroys them.   It is claimed that the tumor cells are exposed to the radioactive particles for approximately four days, and that healthy cells are experience little damage.

I don’t want to sound like a ‘doom and gloomer’, but we’re still talking about the same old tired strategies (chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, also known as ‘hack, slash and burn’).  This strategy may work for some.  It also sounds like it is possible that there is less radiation exposure to normal body cells.  It definitely sounds better than chemotherapy.  But I just question the philosophy behind this treatment modality.  It appears that the Medical Establishment is married to the same old (3) approaches, and that any deviation from them is tantamount to heresy.

I still see no effort or strategy to repair the bodily damage from the disease, nor strengthen the immune system of the patient.  That may be the reason why one patient who recovered initially had a relapse of the disease 7 years later.  With a true understanding of the disease and its cause, there would be no relapse.  Hodgkin’s lymphoma is one of the diseases for which conventional cancer treatment has a relatively high success rate.

I also find it interesting that they used an anecdotal (informal) report in the article to bolster support for this particular treatment.  This is used to lend support to the idea that this treatment will turn out to be effective.  In my observations, anecdotal reports from patients who use alternative treatment methods are virtually all viewed with a negative slant.  It is almost routine that any treatment or method of treatment that is outside of the scope of surgery, chemotherapy or radiation is frowned upon by the Medical Establishment.

This is another one of these hopeful news stories that lends encouragement and gives the idea that an effective treatment for cancer is ‘just around the corner’.  These types of stories have been routinely published in the media for the last 50+ years. I find this very disturbing because of this pattern, and have to admit that my faith in the Medical Establishment for finding a non-toxic, cheap, highly effective treatment for cancer is very small.