SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. – An 82-year-old Safety Harbor veteran is getting his life back after doctors turned to an unusual treatment for a rare form of cancer.
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Unusual treatment
What we know:
Ed Meyers is a Vietnam Army veteran who previously battled leukemia.
Then, he was diagnosed with mucinous appendix cancer, which caused a tumor that affected his appetite and left doctors looking for an alternative to traditional surgery.
Oncologists found that it produced mucin, which is a thick, jelly-like substance.
Courtesy: Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center’s GI oncology team determined traditional surgery would be too risky given Meyers’ age and previous cancer diagnosis.
Instead, they turned to a treatment called BromAc.
How the treatment works
Dig deeper:
BromAc combines bromelain, an enzyme derived from pineapple, with a saline spray.
Doctors place the treatment directly into the tumor through a catheter that remains in place overnight.
The treatment breaks down the thick mucin, turning it into a more liquid substance that doctors can then remove using syringes.
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Dr. Michael Wach, a GI oncologist at Moffitt, said doctors were eventually able to remove as much as a half-liter per day in Meyers’ case.
Patient history unclear
What we don’t know:
It’s unclear how many patients have gone through this same treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center.
Improving symptoms
The backstory:
Over time, Meyers’ tumor shrank by more than one-third and so did the size of his stomach.
He says his symptoms have improved and that he recently felt hungry for the first time in a long time.
Moffitt oncologists have since successfully used the treatment on other patients, according to the hospital.
Returning to Moffitt
What’s next:
BromAc does not eliminate Meyers’ tumor, but his current treatment plan means he only needs to return to Moffitt every few months for checkups.
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