thalassemia minor, cirhosis of the liver and tumor

Someone close to me, who has thalassemia minor has been diagnosed with cirhosis of the liver and stage one cancer.  He is 67 years of age, and he is very healthy and active otherwise. 

He is scheduled for surgery to have the tumor removed early June, but we don't know what the treatment is after that.  He may be placed on a list to receive a liver transplant.  It would be helpful to know what may have caused the cirrhosis so that we can be protective of his liver in the future.  I think that doctors, for years, attempted to treat his slight anemia with iron and perhaps the iron may have caused the cirrhosis.  Is that a possiblility? 

Perhaps it is a good idea for all thal minors to also do routine liver funciton tests and to be sure to take good care of the liver through diet, supplements and excercise. 

For now I am trying to understand how I can be helpful in this situation (the cirrhosis and cancer).  I hope that his prognosis is good and that his health will not deteriorate. 

Iron overload can cause cirrhosis. I would suggest a liver MRI to gauge iron load to see if this could be a factor. If it is, removing the iron may help to prevent further liver damage and further tumor growth.

Thanks Andy, I requested looking for iron but the doctor dismissed my concern. 

He is having a liver resection Thursday, half of the liver will be removed.  We are hoping that his liver will regenerate healthy.  He has been asked whether he would like to participate in a blind study - Mucomyst (Acetylcysteine) he may get the drug or a placebo.  I read a lot about acetylcysteine and I wonder if it would be a beneficial supplement for thals - of course I don't know enough about it to recommend it but I think it may be worthwhile for doctors to study - considering some of the liver problems patients have been developing recently.

We are hoping that the outcome of the liver resection will be good.

Sharmin

Sometimes when looking for information about a topic, I find a link back to this site.
http://www.thalassemiapatientsandfriends.com/index.php/topic,3984.msg39891.html#msg39891

Hi all,

I would like to ask you something about NAC (N-acetylcysteine). Since I've just had the bronchitis and my doctor gave me Fluimucil 2 times a day for 7 days, I went on the Internet and found something interesting about this medicine in thalassemic disease.
I'm taking it for short period of time because of the bronchitis but I saw it's also known as a very effective antioxidant and dehydratation agent.
Do you know something more about?
Is someone of you taking it for these properties with good results?

Thanx in advance.

Andy (Ross)



http://www.ionchannels.org/showabstract.php?pmid=10467272
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16339657

And I also found this article, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18082636

Biochim Biophys Acta. 2008 Feb;1780(2):249-55. Epub 2007 Nov 26.
N-acetylcysteine amide (AD4) attenuates oxidative stress in beta-thalassemia blood cells.
Amer J, Atlas D, Fibach E.
Source
Department of Hematology, Hadassah - Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem.

Abstract
Many aspects of the pathology in beta-hemoglobinopathies (beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia) are mediated by oxidative stress. In the present study we tested a novel thiol compound, N-acetylcysteine amide (AD4), the amide form of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) for its antioxidant effects. Using flow-cytometry, we showed that in vitro treatment of blood cells from beta-thalassemic patients with AD4 elevated the reduced glutathione (GSH) content of red blood cells (RBC), platelets and polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocytes, and reduced their ROS. These effects resulted in a significant reduced sensitivity of thalassemic RBC to hemolysis and phagocytosis by macrophages. Intra-peritoneal injection of AD4 to beta-thalassemic mice (150 mg/kg) reduced the parameters of oxidative stress (p<0.001). Our results show the superiority of AD4, compared to NAC, in reducing oxidative stress markers in thalassemic cells both in vitro and in vivo.
PMID: 18082636 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

The antioxidant properties of N-acetylcysteine amide are impressive and its use has been established as effective in reducing hemolysis. However, the amide form does not appear to be available as a supplement. N-acetyl-cysteine is readily available, though, as is glutathione, for which N-acetylcysteine is a precursor. These are safe supplements and worth considering. They definitely warrant more research, alone and in combination with other antioxidants (it has been shown to be more effective for some conditions when combined with vitamin E). One study involving pig embryos showed a better success rate to the next level of pregnancy when using N-acetylcysteine, so it may have some value for those having difficulty conceiving.

Thank you Andy, I hope he actually gets the drug rather than just a placebo.  He is in surgery right now, I hope all goes well.

Andy,

Now that he is recovering from the liver resection, should I suggest IP6 to him?
Any other supplements that may encourage healthy, cancer free liver regeneration?

Thanks Andy,

Sharmin

The extremely mild herb, milk thistle has been proven to help regenerate liver tissue. I highly recommend it for all liver ills.

Thanks Andy,

I'll suggest milk thistle.  What are your thoughts on
The ip6 - will it provide any benefit?

Thanks kindly,

Sharmin

Sharmin,

I would suggest IP6 for all cancer patients.

Thanks Andy,

I will suggest IP6 and milk thistle to him.

Sharmin

Update on thal minor/cirrhosis/HCC patient

After a year of being cancer free - he has had a recurrence of the HCC.  The tumor appeared small on the ultrasound but in fact there are multiple tumors in the liver and outside of the liver as well. 

I don't know whether he was given the drug or the placebo during his treatment.  He will be seeing an oncologist next week.  I have contacted Reolysin in hopes of helping him enrol in a trial along with the chemo.  Hoping for the best. 

Thal minors she be conscious of liver iron, clean eating and checking their liver functions.