Plan of care: IVC Case Study

Tens of billions of dollars are poured into cancer research every year. In the US alone, over $200 billion dollars are spent annually by cancer patients for treatment. Some studies show that these patients are 2-4x more likely to declare bankruptcy. However, despite all this money, there has been very little improvement in patient outcomes. Multiple studies demonstrate that this research apparatus has done very little to help ease the burden of suffering. For instance, take the following data sets:

• A 25 year set of data from the U.S. indicated that 5-year cancer survival rates have only increased by 5% (63% to 68%)
• Improvement in overall survival by new cancer therapies is just 2.4 months over the last 15 years (Ladanie et al)
• Over the last 30 years, another study reports an improvement of 3.4 months (Del Paggio et al).

Furthermore, there are significant and valid concerns regarding side effects associated with conventional cancer treatment. The literature shows high prevalence of long-term issues leading to reduced quality of life, and even treatment discontinuation. Some commonly reported side effects include:

• Fatigue (59%)
• Sleep Disorders (41%)
• Neuropathy (38%)
• Pain (36%)
• Secondary Cancer (doubled risk)

Between the financial burden, poor outcomes, and the side effects, there is an undisputed need to identify cheap, safe, and effective treatments that are accessible to all. In this piece, we will explore the ways in which Ivermectin checks all three boxes.