Leech theraphy?

It sounds awful Susie, but leeches are used for many medicinal purposes, women have had their reconstructed breasts saved after it looks like they can't be saved.  Leeches bring fresh blood into the area and remove the stagnant blood.  Also for any problems where there has been microsurgery or the blood supply is compromised to literally save dying limbs.  They're quite miraculous actually.

The saliva contains a substance that may be useful for cancer but I can't find anything recent, only from 1983.  Who cares where the eventual cure is found if it saves our lives?

Treatment of Mice with Salivary Gland Extract 

Himalaya,

I would be VERY cautious about a therapy that I found on the Internet - have you found anyone at all that has used this successfully?  I don't know anyone who passed on surgery who has successfully beaten cancer.  I know of a few, one personally, who only did surgery and are doing well.  But surgery is usually recommended by even the most hardcore alternative doctors - the theory is that you need to relieve the tumor load on your body.  Cancer is a very aggressive and adaptable disease, so you really need to give yourself a headstart.

I know a women who declined surgery and spent six months doing alternative therapies. She had a small, invasive tumor with  no lymph node involvement.  She figured she had time to have the surgery if the tumor didn't go away on its own. She didn't. Six months later, it had spread to her bones.  She did live after that for almost 10 years, but passed away last March. She always counseled everyone to have surgery -there was no doubt in her mind that she would not have progressed if she had just had the surgery.

Are you hormone + or Her2 +?  A invasive 3cm tumor is really big - I would definitely get it removed asap and then proceed with a variety of alternative therapies, rather than just one.

(Full disclosure - I did chemo, surgery, rads, herceptin, and am on Tamoxifen.  I researched alternative methods extensively when I was diagnosed but could not find enough success stories to make me comfortable.  Finding one person who beat cancer using a specific method was not enough - I wanted to see thousands.  And I couldn't find them, so I did the conventional treatment.  I also supplemented with and continue to use alternative treatments.)

Leeches are used in heeling and getting rid of infection - they are conventional medicine now. But not for cancer. Leeches can't tell the difference between tumor and non tumors, they can't get into the lymph nodes. I think there may be a misconception about what cancer is and what it is not. Part of the benefits of surgery is that it allows the surgeon to explore for the presence of cancer where imaging failed to record anything. I am speaking out of my knowledge depth here, but unless you have necrosis or a fungated tumor and it is visible and protruding from your breast, using leeches would be about as "on target" as performing an appendectomy to cure pneumonia.

Spot on Athena. 

Himalaya, Leeches act on damaged tissue but not the cancer.  They are sucking blood and injecting their saliva into the area they are latched onto, but that is not going to reach the tumour as the blood flow is towards the leech and away from internal tissues.

The tumour will get extra blood circulating around it and may grow faster as a result.

Any medicinal use of the saliva would need a laboratory, sterile equipment, lots of leeches to extract enough saliva, and an IV drip. It's not going to happen. 

I'm afraid you're likely dealing with people who want to get your money without any thought for your welfare.  Please be very careful, these people scare me.

I went to: http://www.leechestherapy.com.au/

and found no mention of breast cancer or even "cancer" either by a search of that web site or through a search of the page.

Any twit can post anything on YouTube.

Again, leeches can help with healing after certain breast reconstruction techniques (such as tram flap procedures) that run into trouble. But you have to have surgery first. Leeches don't get the cancer out.

I would recommend a full-engine start-up of the "bullshit-o-meter" for this one. For the statement "leeches can get rid of cancer" I think I'd use a 757 engine on my bulldozer.

Himalaya,

Her mistake was not having surgery.  Period.  She could have had a lumpectomy - she didn't even need a mastectomy. (Her tumor was less than 1cm, I believe.)   I didn't know her at that time, but I believe she tried several alt therapies - the usual suspects, vegan diet, juicing, supplements, yoga, meditation - they did not work. 

Himalaya I'm the last person to give advice on cancer--BUT FIRST OF ALL---GET THE TUMOR OUT.Unless u can find leeches with tiny surgical instruments--it will do nothing for u at this point in time. Cancer has to leave u'r body in order for any mothod to work to keep it away, not stay in--it will grow and become a bigger problem.

Please get it out then check out ALL u methods for treatment.

Himalya. based on what you've learned, what role can leech therapy play in the treatment of breast cancer? And please provide proper sources. Sorry, it's just that the doctor from Australia seemed like he was on drugs or in need of some.  

Out of curiosity, I contacted a leech therapist in my city and she said that she does not treat cancer patients. Still, I want hear what the leech therapist had to tell you, so do share the details.

I'd consider a modern option like cryoablation www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKKm2PLeJjc 

 It seems to overcome all the shortcomings of surgery. You may want to look into it.

I know we have had this discussion before here. And I think the OP initiated it back then also, but could be wrong. Himalaya, is this correct?

Thanks for the info Jomama. Himalaya has been around awhile. I saw those bogus leech advertisements. Glad you reported. I also use supplements and am open to new ideas. But sheeesh, sometimes people just jump the shark.

This is the last thread that Himalaya started: https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/70/topics/800159?page=1#post_3416510 She did eventually have surgery and radiation, after various natural approaches had failed.