1. A patient was urgently referred to me after MD Anderson told him that he had less than 2 weeks to live. He had small-cell cancer of unknown origin that had destroyed most of his liver and he was in liver failure. After adjusting a chemotherapy regimen to account for his liver impairment, he had a miraculous response and obtained a complete remission which lasted for nine months. During that time, his Instragram account became filled with pictures of him living life to the fullest... including pictures of him snowboarding in Colorado.
2. A man was referred with stage IV renal cancer. He had a large mass in the kidney and 2 known areas of skin involvement. The involved kidney was removed, as was the skin lesion on the back of his neck. The cancer metastasis on his finger tip was treated with radiation. He was treated with an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor in an adjuvant fashion, which was not FDA approved at that time. After 5 years of follow up, his cancer never returned and he was believed to be cured.
3. A woman with breast cancer came to me wearing a back brace because the cancer had destroyed one of the bones of her spine. She did not appear to have any other metastases, so she was treated with surgery for the breast and lymph nodes, radiation to the spine metastases, and agreed to several cycles of chemotherapy in an effort to keep the cancer from returning. After 5 years of follow up and no additional treatment, she was believed to be cured as her tumor markers and circulating tumor cell tests never showed any evidence of recurrence.
4. A patient with carcinoma of the anus was sent to me after refusing to see an oncologist for 12 months due to a traumatic experience with that provider. She had been managing her cancer with alternative therapies and diet, and a CT scan showed that her cancer had not changed at all over the course of the prior year. I informed her that she was curable, and she was able to tolerate standard chemotherapy and radiation and achieved a cure.