My Experience Treating Ovarian Cancer and Mesothelioma with High CA125 Using Water-Disinhibiting, Swelling-Relieving and 'Fighting Poison with Poison' Herbs

CA125 (carbohydrate antigen 125) is an important tumor marker. Elevated CA125 expression is common in many malignant tumors, including ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and mesothelioma.

Among them, ovarian cancer and mesothelioma are often accompanied by tumor complications such as cancerous wasting. In some patients the tumor is cystic-solid, with a large amount of effusion inside.

In treating these tumor patients, I inadvertently discovered that when the approaches of disinhibiting water and relieving swelling on the one hand, and "fighting poison with poison" on the other, are combined, one can lower CA125 in some patients, shrink or even eliminate their tumors. Moreover, the efficacy attainable with this approach has a certain reproducibility. So I write this article for readers' reference.

The water-disinhibiting herbs I commonly use for such tumor patients include Sheng Huangqi (raw Astragalus), Baizhu (Atractylodes), Fuling (Poria), Zhuling (Polyporus), Yimucao (Leonurus), Zelan (Lycopus), Niuxi (Achyranthes), Cheqianzi (Plantago Seed), Cheqiancao (Plantago Herb), Daji (Cirsium), Xiaoji (Cirsium Herb), Tengligen (Actinidia Root), Shiwei (Pyrrosia), and Yiyiren (Coix Seed). The "fight poison with poison" herbs I commonly use include dried toad skin (Chan'yi), centipede (Wugong), scorpion (Quanxie), Shandougen (Sophora Tonkinensis Root), and Chonglou (Paris Polyphylla).

Sometimes I also moderately use some swelling-relieving, nodule-dispersing and blood-activating, stasis-resolving herbs, such as Xuanshen (Scrophularia), Beimu (Fritillaria), Muli (Oyster Shell), Ruxiang (Moxa Resin), Moyao (Myrrh), Sanleng (Sparganium), Ezhu (Curcuma), and Tubiechong (Eupolyphaga).

When composing the formula, I mainly base it on the patient's specific constitution, drawing on the logic of proven formulas such as Fangji Huangqi Tang, Fangji Fuling Tang, Guipi Tang, Zhuling Tang, and Weiling Tang. For some patients who develop abnormal vaginal discharge because of the tumor, I also combine Ermiao Wan or Simiao Wan.

Because using too many water-disinhibiting herbs often causes a series of side effects such as dry skin and dry mouth, I also often assist with yin-nourishing, fluid-generating herbs such as Jiaogulan (Gynostemma), Yuzhu (Polygonatum Odoratum), Shihu (Dendrobium), Mohanlian (Eclipta), Nüzhenzi (Ligustrum Fruit), Shayuanzi (Astragalus Seed), Tusizi (Cuscuta Seed), and Wumei (Smoked Plum), to offset the side effects.

For some patients weakened by Western surgery and chemotherapy, I also add tonifying herbs such as Dangshen (Codonopsis), Renshen (Ginseng), Huangjing (Polygonatum), and Danggui (Angelica), according to the patient's strength.

I previously used this approach on some patients who had already developed cancerous-wasting problems such as ascites, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, and pelvic effusion, and achieved a certain efficacy.

Afterward I tried this approach on patients who had not yet developed cancerous-wasting problems, and also achieved fairly good results. Of course, there were also quite a few patients for whom this approach had no effect at all.

I have treated two tumor patients with elevated CA125—one with mesothelioma, the other with ovarian cancer. Before treatment, both had severe cancerous wasting: one had pleural effusion and pericardial effusion; the other had pleural effusion, pericardial effusion and pelvic effusion, all in large volumes.

Because there was a clear diagnosis and they were confirmed effusion patients, I treated mainly with water-disinhibiting herbs. The CA125 of both patients quickly fell to normal, and both tumors shrank markedly. The mesothelioma patient's tumor at one point shrank by over 80%, and the ovarian cancer patient's tumor shrank by more than half.

But afterward, because Western tests judged the effusion to have resolved, I switched to another approach. As a result, the patients' CA125 rose and the tumors rebounded.

Last month I retreated to the first-visit prescription for this ovarian-cancer patient—a formula combining water-disinhibiting and swelling-relieving with fighting poison with poison—and the patient's condition was again markedly relieved.

A few days ago, I wrote an article specifically discussing the basis for selecting formulas and herbs for tumor patients. I put forward a view that differs from pattern-differentiation and disease-differentiation treatment (see my essay The Basis on Which I Select Formulas and Herbs for Cancer Patients).

Recently I have also used this approach on two patients who had not yet developed any effusion: one is a certain ovarian-cancer patient in Beijing, and the other a certain ovarian-cancer patient in Hebei.

The first patient, apart from elevated CA125, showed no problem on examination, and the patient herself had no obvious discomfort. The second patient, although imaging showed no effusion at all, had already developed some symptoms of internal effusion.

After these two patients were treated with this approach, both CA125 values fell markedly.

This may be because cancerous-wasting patients, before the wasting can be detected by modern medical instruments, already have cancerous fluid accumulating inside them; only once the fluid reaches a certain volume can it be detected. When the volume of wasting-fluid is small, the related symptoms are not obvious either. So after generously using water-disinhibiting, swelling-relieving herbs, both showed clear effects.

Because each patient's case record is very long, and because these patients are still continuing under my treatment, it is hard to append them all one by one in this article. I will find time to publish, one by one, the medication plan for each patient, along with my specific line of thinking.

I will also continue to explore the reproducibility of this approach in more patients with elevated CA125. If more effective evidence emerges afterward, I will continue to publish my new insights on this treatment approach.

In addition, I should mention in passing that some women discover ovarian cysts on a physical examination, and doctors often mistake them for benign and overlook them, causing the patient to miss the best window for treatment.

If any woman over 35 discovers an ovarian cyst on a physical exam, she should promptly have her blood drawn for a CA125 test. Ovarian cancer with high CA125 is often misdiagnosed as an ordinary ovarian cyst; I have already encountered several such cases.

Recently, the wife of a friend of mine in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, went to the hospital for a physical and was found to have a fairly large ovarian cyst. The attending doctor told her it was an ordinary ovarian cyst. After this older gentleman consulted me, I reminded them to go back and test CA125, and the result showed CA125 far above normal. They are now undergoing further examination to confirm whether it is malignant ovarian cancer.

Medical progress has greatly helped doctors clinically diagnose disease, and has also greatly helped us assess the effect of our treatment. As TCM doctors of our era, we should welcome this progress and make good use of these new technologies to provide patients with better diagnostic and treatment services.