“Some examples of what a clinical trial may be designed to do:

* assess the safety and effectiveness of a new medication or device on a specific kind of patient (e.g., patients who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease)
* assess the safety and effectiveness of a different dose of a medication than is commonly used (e.g., 10 mg dose instead of 5 mg dose)
* assess the safety and effectiveness of an already marketed medication or device for a new indication, i.e. a disease for which the drug is not specifically approved
* assess whether the new medication or device is more effective for the patient’s condition than the already used, standard medication or device (“the gold standard” or “standard therapy”)
* compare the effectiveness in patients with a specific disease of two or more already approved or common interventions for that disease (e.g., Device A vs. Device B, Therapy A vs. Therapy B)”

Please provide us with at least some of the clinical trials you mention for resveratrol’s use in cancer treatment.

Since I know this is a topic that is meaningful, I would like to give more info to this:
“If it works in mice and in the colon, do you think it might work in other small animals and on other organs?”
Yes, I do think it might. But it might not because of what I understand, at this point in time, to be limitations with bioavailability, as I referenced with the publication in the blog.

Again, you seem to have access to data that must be more difficult to find.
In particular, the information you gave us conflicts with the publication I cited in the blog post:
“Resveratrol is well absorbed and when combined in a lipid base as is the case with Resvantage Canine, post injestion, it combines with bile salts and is absorbed through the unstirred water layer that lines the intestinal tract.

It is then collected in the liver and not “de-activated” but converted to resveratrol metabolites and released into the system as needed over several hours.”

Mr. Caldwell, can you please help us rectify this by providing us with the data? If you are aware of a mechanism which has been shown to do what you say, we would be very interested to see the evidence of this.

I think the point you made about cancer initiation is a very good one. Unfortunately, the motivating factor for people reading this blog is a cancer diagnosis, far and wide, and thus I focus on this topic more than prevention, at least generally at this point.

I thank you for your interest in this important topic.

Dr D

Thank you for your dissertation on resveratrol for dogs (and humans) which reduces the attention that resveratrol has garnered to “Frenzy” and “hype” I guess the more than 3,000 clinical trials demonstrating its therapeutic potential on the National Institute of Health’s http://www.pubmed.com (search box: resveratrol)were all for naught and people should abandon the idea of using it altogether until the ‘drug’ SRT501 is introduced and according to you is worthy of the hype its gotten.

To begin with, the reason that SRT501 is being developed is that researchers at Harvard Medical School saw how beneficial the natural plant form of resveratrol was on small animals in warding off virtually all the age related diseases including cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease so they are attempting to synthesize a resveratrol molecule fashioned after the natural one only 1,000 times stronger to be used for therapeutic purposes.

This way they can get a patent on the ‘drug’ and if it works get huge royalties from it. The only hitch is that it is several years off, if ever, and the natural plant version that has shown this promise is available today. And at 1,000 times the strength and chemical composition, there will surely be side effects.

I know the difference between a compound showing efficacy in preventive versus therapeutic treatment, however, as you point out above and then minimize, resveratrol has been shown to decrease the spread of colon cancer in mice. If it works in mice and in the colon, do you think it might work in other small animals and on other organs? The National Cancer Institute does. Are you willing to wait 20 years until someone tells you it works on dogs or will the other small animal studies suffice for the time being. Maybe you might suggest we freeze our dogs and bring them back after we have a few more animal studies than the hundreds out there today.

And your theory about resveratrol being rendered ineffective once it has entered the system because it is destroyed by enzymes is incorrect. Resveratrol is well absorbed and when combined in a lipid base as is the case with Resvantage Canine, post injestion, it combines with bile salts and is absorbed through the unstirred water layer that lines the intestinal tract.

It is then collected in the liver and not “de-activated” but converted to resveratrol metabolites and released into the system as needed over several hours.

And there have been studies of resveratrol on absorption or bioavailability specificly using dogs and that study can be accessed from the National Institute of Health’s Public Access. University of Michigan Medical School.

You also wish to see safety data. Resveratrol is extremely safe and there have never been any instances of toxicity or side effects from mega-dosing both humans and animals with as much as 5 grams over a period of several weeks. The human study was performed in Finland and the animal studies are multitudinous. These are all available to anyone doing more than slap dash research.

Dr. Robert Sclafani, a cancer researcher and the Chair of the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department at CU Denver, has studied resveratrol and cancer and states (1) resveratrol is well tolerated (2) It has extended the life of every living organism it’s been fed to (3) If you feed an animal resveratrol, it’s odds of developing cancer are reduced and (4) resveratrol acts by fooling the cancer cell into thinking its DNA is damaged and it stops replicating.

http://cbs4denver.com/local/Resveratrol.sirtuin.GlaxoSmithKline.2.723364.html

Most people are soliciting help, particularly on this site, for treatment for the later stages of cancer. But with many dogs developing cancers, the initiation stage is overlooked because it is not noticable in the animal. The dog is not acting differently and there is no apparent tumor to been seen or felt. At this point, by giving a dog what they think might be resveratrol for preventive reasons, it might actually targeting the cancer cells in the initiation stage and halting them from jump starting a cancerous tumor.

Early is the time to get at it by administering a natural compound on a daily basis to the animal. With no known side effects with the exception of life extension, it would appear to be a natural for dog owners for both treatment and prevention of cancer.

Months ago, I took my golden retriever in to have a lump in his abdomine
checked out. My vet told me to keep an eye on it after his examination. He
thought that the lump was most likely a non cancerous tumor. After a couple
months went by, I noticed that the growth had got quite a bit bigger, so I took
my dog in again. My vet tried to use a needle test to try to extract a sample,
but the growth was so firm, that he could not get the needle to penetrate, so
he made an incision instead. After viewing the growth from inside, he told me
that my dog had a growth called fibrosing streatitis myositis. I was then sent
to a specialist who did a much larger incision to extract some inner samples
of the growth to be sent out to a lab. The biopsy came back as spindle cell
sarcoma. A surgury was recommended to remove the tumor, but I was told
it would be risky because of the tumors size and location. I decided not to have
the surgury performed. Weeks have passed now, and the tumor is quite huge
and firm. It fills in both sides of my dogs abdomine, and underneath. His hind
leg is now suffering from swelling and lameness. Because the tumor is seeking
more territory, it is now pressing against his organs and stomach, causing total
lack of appetite, and the ability to hold solids down. My vet recommended a
half cup of ensure twice a day. I also add some ground up chicken or beef to
the ensure. I have to totally feed him with a spoon, then holding his mouth some
what shut se he does not spit the food out. He is also losing weight quite rapid.
(I forgot to mention something earlier). Please read on. I was told that the tumor
is now starting to press against my dogs areas, that will soon effect his ability
to urinate and pass a bowel movement. This is the latest from my conventional vet.
My dog will not eat on his own anymore, but he is drinking water. I’ve tried Artemisinin,
cantron, milk thistle, proteo enzymes, IP-6 Inositol, liquid herb detoxifiers, multiple
vitamins, fish oil, and so on. I considered giving him neoplasene taken orally, but
was told that neoplasene could cause complications because of the tumors size,
and possibly leave a hollow hole once the tumor was attacked. The cancer is far
along, and I’m feeling like my options are running out. I’m considering 2 last options.
Apicot seeds, B17 along with B15, or Essiac tea capsules, ( Ojibwa herbal blend),
or something from the cancer fighting strategies site. I would deeply apprieciate
your opinion on these options, and my general email. I’m also concerned that
this form of cancer may be so far along at this time, that no magic bullet or
supplement will work, and that maybe I should just see my vet to give him a
peaceful exit. Thank you

My 5 year old Siberian Husky Prince was recently diagnosed with low grade Fibrosarcoma. I got opinions from three vets and he had FNA’s done and then a biopsy. I recently took him out of town to surgical specialists to get a CT scan and was hoping they could excise the tumor. The results were devastating, the tumour is very locally invasive and has envaded and eroded some of his vertibrae and is his spinal cord is already 50% compromised.

Prince is a stoic, tough dog and is coping very well. He still has full movement of his back legs at this stage which really surprised the specialists. I live in NZ and we don’t have Radiotherapy treatment here for animals, only Chemo which I’ve been told isn’t as effective with this type of tumor. I only really have three options – full chemo treatment, metronomic (low dose) chemo or do nothing. I have opted for the low dose chemo and am hoping for a miracle. The Cyclophosphamide was supposed to be here prior to Christmas but the lab that reformulates it into capsules that are the right dose for Prince, did not get it done in time. He is taking Piroxicam with the chemo drugs and started the Piroxicam before Christmas. The Cyclophosphamide should be here in the next couple of days and I am very nervous and apprehensive about putting these chemicals into Prince’s system but feel I have to try this for him, hoping it may cease further growth of the tumor so his spinal cord will not be affected.

The Piroxicam is hard on his kidneys and tummy, I am giving him Slippery Elm each day to try & combat his very sensitive tummy (he has damage from prior to when I got him as a pup). His Urea levels are slightly elevated (they were prior to commencing the Piroxicam) and his white blood cell count is slightly low so he will only take the Cyclophosphamide every second day to start with.

Is there anything else I can give him that will compliment the meds he will be taking and do you think I have made the right decision for him? I realise it’s a long shot but I just felt I couldn’t leave him without treatment as I would have to watch him become paralised, he is too full of energy and too young.

The last two months have been very stressful and I know the worst is yet to come. I appreciate any help/advice you can give me.

Thank you
Aleeya and Prince