My husband will soon begin CCNU for recurrence. In reviewing Ben Williams' document, I see that Verapamil and Calcium Channel Blockers like nimodipine have some evidence for augmentation benefit; however, the articles I found (both from his references and my own search) are quite old. Verapamil has more drug interactions than nimodipine. Is there any research about these drugs or other potential augmenters which I might share with his NO? (His NO has generally been supportive of repurposed drugs when I can share relevant studies. His NO does not want to combine CCNU with TMZ despite CeGaT study due to increased toxicity.)
Much gratitude and well wishes to all--
S.
Two years ago my brother was diagnosed with GBM and was only given a few months to live. He has had 3 surgeries and lost some of his eyesight on the left side but overall doing well. We have researched many sources including conventional and non-conventional and have found a combo of both works. I would contact Oncare (careoncology.com) immediately. They offer off-label drugs that has helped. I would also recommend u keep a close watch on his blood test results. Using papaya leaf extract has helped keep blood palettes normal. Astragalus has helped with lymophocytes count.
ReplyDeleteAlways watch for serious side effects. Oncare had told us not to do verapamil because of this. Check with doctors before you take anything.
ReplyDeleteThe data for nimodipine is in vitro, the least reliable level of evidence.
ReplyDeleteFor verapamil, there is rodent evidence for better tumor control when combined with BCNU (a close chemical relative of CCNU), in a subcutaneous glioma model. Although this wasn't an orthotopic model (the brain tumor cells were transplanted into the flank, not into the brain), it still trumps in vitro evidence because it shows that verapamil at physiologically achievable levels can have this chemosensitizing effect in combination with BCNU.
http://sci-hub.tw/https://doi.org/10.3171/jns.1990.73.2.0248
In contrast, many in vitro studies use drug concentrations that aren't physiologically achievable.
There is also some human evidence to support verapamil in other types of cancer.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1968472/
I'm sure his doctor would want to check his baseline blood pressure before starting him on a drug such as verapamil, but given the experimental evidence and the limited clinical evidence, I would certainly experiment with the verapamil + CCNU combo. Ben was doing 7 days of verapamil surrounding his CCNU or BCNU days (3 days before, the day of, and 3 days after).
Stephen--
DeleteMany thanks for your thoughtful reply. Your understanding of the literature is invaluable and your generosity in sharing your knowledge is boundless. I have just emailed his NO.