host posted on March 10, 2008 12:49
Dear Readers,
I have some news that is so exciting I thought I would forego my usual case presentation this month. I want to tell you about an absolutely remarkable discovery by Dr. Bill E. Cham, Ph.D. Dr Cham has discovered topical treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer that targets the cancer cell and leaves normal cells alone. You may not realize the enormity of this statement but, if you continue to read, I think that you will agree, this is the stuff that Nobel Prizes are made of.
This story starts on the other side of the world. Australian stockmen have used the fruit of the Devil’s Apple plant to treat eye cancer in Hereford cattle. They would simply crush and apply the fruit of this weed to their cattle to slow the progression of the cancer. It is this folklore remedy that Dr. Cham began to investigate over 25 years ago.
The Devil’s Apple, (Solanum linnaeanum), belongs to the nightshade family of plants, which includes eggplant, tomato, green pepper and tobacco. Dr. Cham was able to identify the active compound in the Devil’s Apple plant which kills the cancer cells. This same compound is also found in eggplant. He named the compound BEC. BEC is a conjugated molecule. (Stay with me here. I am not a chemist but this is really cool information and it will be important later on). Conjugated means joined. Basically one molecule is attached to another molecule. BEC is composed of an alkaloid, (solasodine), attached to a sugar molecule. The sugar molecule involved is rhamnose. Rhamnose is a common sugar molecule in plants but not in human cells. BEC equals solasodine + rhamnose.
Don’t stop reading yet! I need to explain a bit of biology so you will be able to understand the next few paragraphs. All cells in the body have receptors on the outside of their cells. These receptors allow different molecules to attach and be taken into the cell to be used for energy production or any number of vital functions. Think of the receptor as a lock on the doorway to enter the cell and the molecule as a key. If the molecule (key) fits the receptor (lock), it can be brought into the cell. Skin cancer cells are mutated cells which have receptors for rhamnose molecules. This is very important! If you remember, I said earlier that rhamnose is common in plant cells but not human cells. Normal human cells do not have receptors for rhamnose. Something causes a mutation in skin cancer cells that causes the development of plant receptor on the outside of a human cell.
So how does BEC work? BEC is applied to the cancer as a skin cream. At the cellular level, the rhamnose portion of BEC attaches to the rhamnose receptor on the cancer cell and gets carried into the cancer cell. BEC needs to get inside the cancer cell to do its work. Inside the cancer cell, the sugar molecule is detached from the solasodine. Once separated from the sugar molecule, the solasodine becomes toxic to the cancer cell causing the cancer cell to die. Now here is the best part: solasodine would be toxic to normal cells but normal cells do not have receptors for rhamnose. Since normal cells do not have receptors for rhamnose, BEC cannot enter the cell. Normal human cells are left alone. To summarize, BEC targets only the cancer cells using the rhamnose receptor on the cancer cell as a homing device and solasodine as the bomb!
BEC is available as a topical cream known as Curaderm BEC5. Curaderm BEC5 has been extensively studied (over 50,000 patients) and has been shown to be very safe. Cancer cells die, the normal skin cells live and there are virtually no side effects. In ten years, only 2 patients reported side effects of local skin irritation and redness. These side effects resolved with discontinuation of the Curaderm BEC5.
In the clinical trials, Curaderm BEC 5 was applied twice daily under an occlusive dressing for 8 weeks. At 8 weeks, Curaderm BEC5 produced success rates of 78%. If the treatment was continued for 12 weeks, the success rates were virtually 100%. Success was defined as zero presence of the skin cancer in the follow-up biopsies. In addition, these treated patients were followed for over five years post treatment and there were no reoccurrences. BEC has been found to be effective on non-melanoma skin cancers, such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, as well as pre-cancerous lesions, such as actinic keratosis. This is not recommended as a topical treatment for melanoma. Melanoma has usually spread by the time we treat it locally and is really considered a systemic cancer.
This is the best part. (Okay, I know I said that earlier but this really is the best part.) Fungi have rhamnose receptors. Cancer cells have rhamnose receptors. So why do normal human cells mutate and develop receptors only found on plants? Fungus, fungus, fungus! The evidence continues to mount for fungus as the source of cancer. I forgot to mention that Dr. Cham has looked at a wide spectrum of human cancer cells and, so far, all cancers he has tested have rhamnose receptors. Research is ongoing in Australia using BEC in an injectable form for treatment of systemic cancers.
For those of you who would like to read more about the fungal link to cancer, I recommend The Germ That Causes Cancer by Doug Kaufmann. For those of you who would like to read more about BEC, I recommend The Eggplant Cancer Cure by Bill E. Cham Ph.D.
Curaderm BEC5 is available on-line for treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers. I strongly recommend that you talk to your doctor about using Curaderm BEC5 and that you have scheduled follow-up visits to monitor treatment and progress.
Blessings,
Lynn Jennings, MD