Expat Community > Greece

Thrasymachus
Joined 2015
Posts: 1

Father in Greece w/ cancer

9 years ago

My father who lives 30 minutes outside of Patras has stage IV colorectal cancer and I have no idea how the Greek medical system works. I don't even really know how the America medical system where I live works as I avoid health care! He was being treated conventionally with chemotherapy and I confronted his oncologist over email with research on just how ineffective it is for his type of cancer and she responded by simply ceasing email contact.* As things turned out, he has was forced to stop chemotherapy over a week ago, because the side effects and toxicity became too great for him to continue which is common.

I have been doing a lot of research and I want to change his diet to a plant based, oil free diet(I am already vegan and told him to do this years ago). I would like to find a more open minded doctor who would be willing to try more effective treatments. I have discovered that drugs like [url=http://www.lowdosenaltrexone.org/]low dose naltrexone[/url], the off patent statin [url=http://www.lifeextension.com/Featured-Articles/Special/cancerupdate-ltr/Page-01]lovastin, and also Lodine XL[/url](arthritis drug) are promising but not enough research is being done on them because there is much less money in such treatment. Conventional chemotherapy is based on choosing a drug that is normally recommended for patients through large clinical trials, or chosen at random or because an oncologist gets a bigger drug industry kickback for that drug. A company in Greece, [url=https://www.rgcc-group.com]RGCC Group[/url] offers chemo-sensitivity testing to find out what chemo drugs a given patient responds best to, instead of stabbing in the dark like they likely did with my father.

*I know alot of English speaking vegans are junk food dicks who make fun of people who try to be healthy or if they don't buy into mainstream medicine. So here are some peer review articles establishing how ineffective chemotherapy is for my father's type of cancer:
[1][url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0936655504002225]Sciencedirect: The contribution of cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adult malignancies.[/url]
Summary: Chemotherapy, is only effective in less than 3% of cases
[2][url=http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00520-015-2931-2#page-1]Springer: Effects of adjuvant chemotherapy on recurrence, survival, and quality of life in stage II colon cancer patients: a 24-month follow-up[/url]
"stage II colon cancer patients who received chemotherapy treatment were more likely to have poor [quality of life], recurrence, and all-cause mortality after 24 months compared to those who did not receive chemotherapy."
[3][url=http://oncology.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2398177]JAMA Oncology: Chemotherapy Use, Performance Status, and Quality of Life at the End of Life OPEN ACCESS[/url]
"The [quality of life near death] in patients with end-stage cancer is not improved, and can be harmed, by chemotherapy use near death, even in patients with good performance status."

How would I find a more open minded doctor or oncologist in Greece for my father that would be willing to try something that actually could work instead of standard chemotherapy which would condemn him to a poor quality of life and earlier death than being untreated? Are there lots of complimentary or integrative oncologists in Greece? Would I need to see a naturopath?

SJB Global

SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
Learn More

SJB Global

SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
Learn More

Living in Greece Guide

Guide to Living in Greece covering expat life, local culture, finding a home, diversity and more.

Greece Forum
Join our Greece forum to meet other expats and talk about living in Greece.

Contribute
Help other expats and newcomers by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Greece.

Best Places to Live in Greece

If you're considering a move to Greece, here are the 15 Best Places to Live in Greece in 2023.

Healthcare in Greece

If you're moving to Greece, it's important to understand the health insurance requirements when seeking a short or long-term visa, the quality of healthcare outside of Athens including in Greek Islands, vaccines for Greece and more.

Cost of Living in Greece

Expats offer insight into the cost of living in Greece.

Moving to Greece Guide

Our guide to moving to Greece with lots of advice from expats on the ground.

Real Estate in Greece

Real estate listings in popular cities and towns in Greece.

Pros & Cons of Living in Greece

Take off your rose-colored glasses and learn what expats have to say about the biggest challenges and the greatest rewards of living in Greece.

Retiring in Greece

Advice for people retiring in Greece.

Additional Information:

Visit our Greece Index for a Full List

SJB Global

SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
Learn More

SJB Global

SJB Global is a top-rated financial advisory firm specializing in expat financial advice worldwide, offering retirement planning & tax-efficient solutions with a regressive fee model.
Learn More

Contribute
Help others in Greece by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Greece.

Login

Or, Send Login Link

Expat Community > Greece

Father in Greece w/ cancer

Login