In 2010, the Integrated Health Clinic (IHC) Cancer Care Centre embarked on a monumental project to assess the actual impact our therapies have on the overall survival for our patients with a confirmed stage 4 cancer diagnosis. Dr. Parmar has led the research which has now collected survival statistics since 2010 for 10 most common stage 4 cancer types treated at IHC with an integrated oncology approach.  The first cancer type chosen for data analysis was Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), stage 4 brain cancer.  After statistical analysis and comparison to matched controls from the SEER database, a research paper has recently been accepted for publication in a Medline-indexed peer-reviewed medical journal. 

Dr. Parmar is working towards securing the necessary funding to complete the data analysis, statistical analysis, and writing of the papers for publication for the remaining 9 most common stage 4 cancer types.  In addition, securing appropriate funding is also required for the submissions to medical journals.

Dr. Parmar has been selected for presentation of this study data at two upcoming international conferences:

• Society of Integrative Oncology (SIO) – Sep 14-16, 2023 (Banff, Alberta)
  • Title: 10-Year Observational Survival Study on an Integrative Naturopathic Treatment Model Including Modulated Electrohyperthermia (mEHT): A Single-Centre Experience. (Poster presentation)
  • https://www.sioconference.org/

• Advanced Applications in Medical Practice (AAMP) – Oct 13-15, 2023 (Scottsdale, Arizona)
  • Title: “Clinical Pearlz” – Integrative Palliative Care & Symptom Management
  • Title: From Fever Therapy to Modern Immunotherapy
  • Title: 10-Year observational study on modulated electrohyperthermia (mEHT) in the treatment of Stage 4 Cancers: A single-center experience
  • https://aampconferences.com/aamp-fall-conference-2023/

Further insight into publication of the 10-year study

10-Year Observational Survival Study on an Integrative Naturopathic Treatment Model Including Modulated Electrohyperthermia (mEHT): A Single-Centre Experience.

Gurdev Parmar¹, Leanna Standish², Sarah Denotter¹

¹Integrated Health Clinic, White Rock & Fort Langley, B.C., Canada. ²AIMS Institute, Seattle, WA, USA

Abstract

There is a considerable amount of research supporting the use of integrative naturopathic methods, including modulated electrohyperthermia (mEHT), in an oncology setting. This investigation examines survival outcomes in consecutive cases of the ten most commonly treated stage IV cancers in our clinics between 2010 and 2020. 

Data was collected by reviewing historical IHC patient charts, extracting the necessary data, and including only those patients who fit the study inclusion criteria into a protected data base. The main analysis was to determine overall survival rates in those patients with metastatic stage IV solid tumours. Patients were followed until death, censoring, or the end of study. Kaplan-Meier non-parametric survival estimates were calculated and plotted for all patients in the qualified cohort. The analysis was conducted using SAS software version 9.3 (SAS Institute Inc, Cary, NC). Using the SEER database to match IHC patients with SEER patients based on age of diagnosis and sex, we provide 5- and 10-year survival comparisons to the SEER database.

mEHT was applied using the Oncotherm EHY-2000+ device, and was integrated with conventional and naturopathic treatments. An examination of the data from all consecutively treated patients over the 10-years is provided.  mEHT has now been safely administered to thousands of patients, completing over 30,000 treatments in over 35 cancer types in our centre.  For this particular study, data elements include patient demographics, statistics, treatment(s) used, adverse events, overall survival (OS), diagnostic imaging & blood test results. 

mEHT is a safe treatment used alongside radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and various adjunctive naturopathic treatments. We also present very few adverse events, allowing patients to maintain a high quality of life.  Our encouraging data supports the addition of mEHT into an integrative oncology setting, providing patients with clinically significant benefits to PFS and OS, as well as to QoL.