A Report on a Glioblastoma Patient Who Was Cured of Cancer

This blog post is about the treatment of glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. It describes the case of a patient diagnosed in 2002 who, against the odds, has survived for over 20 years.

Last updated December 12, 2024

In December 2002, my father-in-law began to talk incoherently at the office. A coworker accompanied him to the hospital, where an MRI scan revealed a brain tumor. Jorge underwent surgery the same week, and the biopsy results confirmed it was a glioblastoma multiforme, a type of malignant glioma.

During the following months, he received the standard treatment for this type of tumor: radiation followed by chemotherapy. The cancer came back and continued to grow during the treatment with Temozolomide. His oncologist said further treatment would be useless.

He was fortunate that another neuro-oncologist agreed to take over his care, allowing him to start a new round of chemotherapy;  CCNU (lomustine) and Tamoxifen (40mg/day), an antiestrogenic drug. The goal was to extend Jorge's life for a few months.

He modified his diet by cutting down on meat and avoiding processed sugars whenever possible. On most days, he would drink one or two fresh vegetable juices. He had been taking 3 mg of melatonin each night. The oncologist approved melatonin supplementation, and we increased the daily dose to 15 mg. In addition, my research led me to try a supplement containing 'antineoplastons' (A10). We got it online via a webshop in the Netherlands. Dr. Valenzuela didn't object, and Jorge started taking 18 A10 pills a day (3 x 6/day) at about the same time he started the CCNU chemotherapy. 

A new MRI, one month later, showed a slight reduction of the tumor. Jorge continued taking CCNU, Tamoxifen, Melatonin, and Aminocare A10 (Vitamin B-2  10.2 mg,   L-Alanine 50.0 mg,   L-Arginine 54.0 mg,   Glycine 50.0 mg,   L-Ornithine 50.0 mg,   L-Glutamine Derivative (A10)  350.0 mg,   L-Serine 50.0 mg,   L-Threonine 50.0 mg,   L-Valine 50.0 mg per serving). He stayed on a sugar-free, meat-restricted diet. He was able to complete the 6-month CCNU treatment without any noticeable side effects.

By January 2004, the tumor was virtually gone, and what was left was scar tissue. Now, 17 22 years after his cancer diagnosis, he's enjoying his pension. He still takes Tamoxifen, a reduced maintenance dose. 

Because Glioblastoma cures are so rare, you're left wondering why the tumor disappeared. 

CCNU

A phase III trial on the combination of bevacizumab and lomustine versus lomustine (CCNU) in patients with the first progression of glioblastoma resulted in 8.8% of patients in the combination-therapy arm with no progression at 1 year, compared with 1.9% of patients in the lomustine-alone arm. Overall survival did not differ between the two study arms, with a median overall survival of only 8.6 months for the lomustine-alone study group and 9.1 months for the bevacizumab+lomustine study group.

Tamoxifen

In vitro,  Tamoxifen is effective at killing glioma cells, yet several studies have not shown any benefit in overall survival. More recently, a study titled "Tamoxifen for Recurrent High-Grade Glioma: A Retrospective Study" evaluated the use of tamoxifen in patients with recurrent high-grade gliomas, including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The findings revealed that approximately 80% of patients experienced disease progression while on tamoxifen. However, among those who achieved stable disease or a partial response, the median overall survival (mOS) was notably extended: over 40 weeks for GBM patients and more than 80 weeks for non-GBM patients. Additionally, tamoxifen was well-tolerated, with minimal toxicity reported. These results suggest that while tamoxifen may not prevent disease progression in most cases, it could offer a survival benefit for a subset of patients who respond to the treatment. 

Melatonin

The argument for using melatonin as a supplement in the treatment of glioblastoma is gaining increasing support. New studies confirm the anticancer activity and synergy of melatonin with chemotherapy {ref}. Jorge continued taking melatonin, albeit sporadically, for several years.

Antineoplastons/ Phenylbutyrate

Sodium Phenylbutyrate is a drug to treat a genetic disorder called Urea Cycle Disorder. Sodium phenylbutyrate is approximately 22.5% sodium by weight. When this drug is metabolized in the body it produces byproducts, phenylacetylglutamine and phenylacetate, which are the same compounds Dr. Burzynski produces synthetically (antineoplastons A10 and AS2-1).

In 2002, the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL, reported the complete response of a recurrent, multicentric malignant glioma in a patient treated with phenylbutyrate. The patient in this study took 3 daily doses of Phenylbutyrate orally, 18 grams a day. The dosage was reduced after the first month to 9 g per day to minimize side effects of nausea, headache, and dizziness. The dosage was further reduced to 4.5 g per day, because of a mild elevation of the serum transaminase. The patient was followed with serial MRI scans every two months, showing a steady decrease in the tumor size. After nine months of phenylbutyrate, the tumor regressed completely. This dose aligns almost perfectly with the amount of phenylacetylglutamine we used. For each gram of sodium phenylbutyrate administered, it is estimated that between 0.12 to 0.15 grams of phenylacetylglutamine nitrogen are produced. 18 caps of A10 contain 3,15 grams of a 4:1 mixture of phenylacetylglutamine and phenylacetylisoglutamine, or 2,52 grams of phenylacetylglutamine. You'd have to take 16,5 to 21 grams of sodium phenylbutyrate to get that amount of  phenylacetylglutamine, on average 18.75 grams.

In 2016, a study found that Phenylbutyrate suppresses the proliferation of glioblastoma LN-229 cell line.

Phenylbutyrate is an HDAC inhibitor, a chemical compound that may block tumor cell proliferation.

Probably just as important, oral phenylbutyrate can be used as a “glutamine trap” to create a model of glutamine/ammonia depletion {study}.

Note that Burzinsky is currently prohibited from selling antineoplastons. Although Aminocare A10 is still available, the formula has changed and no longer contains antineoplastons. 

Jorge's last MRI was in November 2023, and it was all clear. Upon request, I can provide an MRI (contact me in the comment section below).

Synergistic combinations of natural compounds and drug repurposing

For information purposes only, nothing I write is medical advice. 

Strategy - an integrative approach to cancer management: example of a multi-layered approach using coactive combinations of natural substances and drug repurposing.

click to enlarge the diagram