DCA

I am an MD, oncologist, in cancer medicine since 1963. I have used DCA and we have just submitted a manuscript involving a man with NHL (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma) who had failed chemo and then went into a complete remission using ONLY DCA. His remission continues now at 4 years and 8 months.

We are starting an active research protocol in the Bahamas (Nassau) shortly. For those of you who have advanced cancer and are in dire straits, and who have access to DCA of biological grade, the dose we have used (but do not know for sure the optimal dose) is 10 mg/kg. This is dissolved in cold water and given as two 5 mg/kg doses about 12 hours apart. Usually we rest the patient on Saturdays and Sundays but perhaps in the first two weeks consider every day.

Adjuncts to be used with DCA are really needing clarification. We just do not know what is best to use with DCA. The gentlemen above used the following:

DCA mixed with 1 can of Mountain Dew (contains 55mg caffeine).
Vitamin B1 @ 500mg/day (Country Life brand).
Alpha lipoic acid 600mg twice daily (Doctor’s Best brand).
Also took Jarrow Green Tea 500mg capsule twice daily containing 74mg of EGCG per 500mg.

Caffeine in Jarrow Green Tea 500mg capsule = 35mg; therefore 70mg of caffeine + 55mg in Mountain Dew = 125mg per day caffeine.

Ideally, you need to find a healthcare practitioner who will follow the patient.

In those patients with BC (breast cancer) or CRC (colorectal cancer) it appears from the peer-reviewed literature involving human tumor cell lines (not studied in patients yet) that DCA shows synergy with 5-FU (used in both CRC and BC) and also that taxanes such as Taxol and Taxotere may have synergy with DCA.

I hope this helps.

Stephen B. Strum, MD, FACP

This substance may not have been thoroughly tested to find out how it interacts with medicines, foods, herbs, or supplements. Even though some reports of interactions and harmful effects may be published, full studies of interactions and effects are not often available. Because of these limitations, any information on ill effects and interactions below should be considered incomplete.

Some studies of people who took DCA for reasons other than cancer have found that it may cause drowsiness, fatigue, upset stomach, and lowered blood sugar levels. Some people had changes in their blood chemistry over time that suggested that their livers may have been affected. Liver function seemed to improve after DCA was stopped.

DCA may cause nerve damage in some people when taken for a long time (months or years) and can result in weakness and numbness in the arms and legs. This can lead to trouble walking. These nerve effects tend to get better over a period of weeks after the DCA is stopped. This effect has happened even in people who were taking thiamine (vitamin B1) to help prevent nerve damage.

In mice and rats that were given high doses, the effect on the nerves did not get better after DCA was stopped. Liver damage was also seen at high doses. Dogs that got higher doses had eye problems, trouble walking, and trouble breathing; some had diarrhea and weight loss. DCA causes liver cancer in lab rodents when put in their drinking water. Keep in mind, though, that drugs do not always affect people and animals in the same way. It is hard to say without further testing which of these effects might also happen in people, and whether higher DCA doses might cause permanent damage.

People who are very sick do not process the drug as quickly as those who are healthier, so that people with health problems may build up toxic amounts of DCA over time.

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use DCA. People who are getting other cancer treatment with similar side effects (such as liver or nerve damage) might expect to have these effects worsened. Anyone who is taking DCA should be under a doctor’s care to watch for liver damage and problems with blood chemistry that may result.

It is not clear if DCA might also affect a person’s risk for getting a new cancer. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has listed dichloroacetic acid as “likely” to be a cancer-causing agent in humans, although this is based mainly on studies in animals. Dichloroacetic acid is also on the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) list as a cancer-causing agent and as a cause of reproductive harm in men. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) does not have enough studies on people to be sure, but based on the evidence that is now available, says that dichloroacetic acid can “possibly” cause cancer in humans.

Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying standard care for cancer may have serious health consequences.