While the allopathic medical community appears to be struggling with the specter of malignant disease, statistics show that in the last few decades cancer rates have been steadily increasing. Alarmingly, it is now estimated that one of three Americans will have had cancer during his or her lifetime. Should this trend continue, within 20 years it is likely that one of every two Americans will have the disease. Therefore, as an informed individual, you should be concerned about the risk of contracting cancer even in the absence of family history, significant exposure to carcinogens, or known presence of cancer genes in your body.

Naturally, a discussion of the many causes for the victory of cancer over allopathic medicine will be appropriate and interesting, but it should be reserved for a lengthy presentation elsewhere. The main focus of this article is to provide the reader with valuable diagnostic information of which patients and most health care practitioners are unaware. Specifically, I would like to briefly summarize the benefits of using a relatively new laboratory blood test called AMAS (anti-malignin antibody in serum). The AMAS test measures blood levels of an antibody that is elevated during active cancer almost regardless of the location or type of malignancy. Clinical studies revealed its accuracy to be greater than 99% with a wide range of malignancies, including breast, lung, brain, colorectal and skin cancers, lymphomas, leukemia, and cancers of the uterus, cervix, ovary, anus, stomach, esophagus, prostate, bladder, urethra, kidney, testis, thyroid and larynx, as well as a variety of sarcomas and other connective tissue cancers. The fantastic accuracy and versatility of this test is attributed to the fact that all of these cancers have one protein in common, which even in minimal amounts may stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies that are easily detectable in blood. This allows for extremely early detection of cancer activity in the body, months to years before any other evidence of malignancy can be detected clinically. The AMAS test has been utilized in cancer assessments by many clinicians in the past decade and several scientific publications have validated its high sensitivity and specificity (far higher, in fact, than biopsies of suspected body tissues or organs). Even the U.S. government, which is usually slow to assess new diagnostic studies, has approved the reimbursement of AMAS by Medicare.

Despite these facts, the vast majority of medical practitioners and oncologists are not aware of the test or refuse to order it. Several reasons may account for this phenomenon, including well- intending ignorance and typical resistance to change. I believe an important reason is based on the fundamental differences between allopathic and holistic medicine. In holistic medicine the practitioner focuses on prevention of full-blown disease by identifying the underlying causes of dysfunction, revealing early trends towards disease, and then providing natural, non-toxic therapy to reverse these trends. Allopathic medicine, on the other hand, must rely heavily on waiting for an advanced symptomatic disease state to develop, before addressing it with aggressive, toxic therapies. Currently, a typical oncologist is armed with just three anti- cancer tools: chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. These approaches, although successful in some forms of cancer, are extremely toxic and often fail to improve or even elongate the patient's life. Further, these treatments, while frequently dehumanizing to the patient, tend to ignore the underlying cause of the disease whether it is environmental or internal toxic exposure, breakdown of immune function, etc. These fundamental differences, while explaining the general failure of the war against cancer, also provide a clue to the frequent reluctance or apathy of medical practitioners toward AMAS testing; whenever malignant activity is detected so early that clinical manifestations do not yet exist (the tumor might be extremely small or its location and type yet undefined), the invasive, aggressive, toxic and immune-defeating tools of oncology can not be justified, and the medical practitioner is then at a loss as to the proper course of action. A holistic minded practitioner, on the other hand, may be able to address this early phase of disease by using natural, immune-boosting techniques and other holistic approaches designed to target the underlying cause of disease. Although many such therapies are well researched clinically and proven scientifically, they remain untaught at medical schools, hospitals and seminars sponsored by pharmaceutical industries. Despite this, enlightened medical practitioners who have educated themselves in the realm of holistic medicine are increasingly relying upon early cancer detection by utilizing AMAS.

The AMAS test is very labor-intensive and requires significant expertise and experience in specimen preparation and interpretation of test results. It is recommended that only qualified clinics should be used to avoid erroneous results or misleading interpretation by uninitiated clinicians. As in all clinical laboratory tests, the AMAS test should be ordered as an aid to diagnosis, detection or monitoring of disease, in reaction to medical history, signs and symptoms. It is important to consult with cancer specialists whenever cancer is suspected, since at certain instances the allopathic approach is necessary and can save lives. It would be wise to obtain AMAS results concurrently with any form of therapy, natural or allopathic, to monitor the effectiveness of care.

Who should obtain the AMAS test?

1. Anyone with a family history of cancer. Studies have shown an increased risk with a family history of cancer, either due to environmental or genetic causes (some laboratory tests are available today that can confirm genetic tendencies toward certain cancers, a subject worthy of a separate discussion).
2. Anyone who has had cancer in the past and who is concerned about recurrence. People who survived cancer usually have a higher likelihood of a second cancer, yet the tests commonly used to assess the patient's status uncover the recurring disease when it's too late or too advanced. AMAS can help monitor the patient while in remission, giving the treating physician an opportunity to save the patient's life or reduce the patient's suffering.
3. Anyone currently being treated for cancer. Usually the treating physician is unable to verify the effectiveness of care. AMAS should be used to monitor the patient's progress accurately, in order to reduce the typical overkill approach in allopathic cancer treatments.
4. Anyone who is under significant toxic, chemical or emotional stresses and lowered immune resistance. If these or other factors increase your cancer risk you may benefit from early or pre-clinical detection of cancer, when therapy can be more effective. Successful screenings have already been reported in selected high-risk populations (chemical workers and surgical patients).
5. Anyone suffering from significant fear of cancer would benefit from the peace of mind offered by negative test results. After all, the stress of anxiety itself can depress your immune system and such fears should be alleviated.

If you wish to locate in your area a clinic that has had significant experience in handling the laboratory requirements and expertise in interpreting the AMAS test in the appropriate context of other diagnostic evaluations, you may call my office at the number provided below. Remember -- you should always investigate all of your diagnostic and therapeutic options, while exploring the entire spectrum of medicine.