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Every day cancer kills 1,500 people in the United States. That's more than a half-million people this year alone. When a patient is told his or her chances of survival aren't good, some head south of the border.
For years fly-by-night Mexico clinics claiming miracle cures have made a fortune off desperate U.S. patients. But we visited a clinic that ignores treatment protocols followed in the United States, even though it offers similar types of treatment.
On top of that, it offers a large dose of something patients say they really need: hope.
An infusion of hope fills the room at Betania West Cancer Clinic in Tijuana. One of the patients, Bernice Haskell, is officially in remission.
Eight months ago, this moment seemed unimaginable for Bernice. When they diagnosed her with pancreatic cancer, doctors in Sacramento gave her less than a year to live. "The odds weren't very good," she said.
"Eight months ago we didn't have hope," her husband, Jim, said. "We didn't have a hope in our life." Now, the cancer is gone.
Susan Manning's doctors in Connecticut delivered similar news. "'As far as the liver is concerned, Susan, I'm so sorry.' And that's a quote," Manning remembers.
Within a week, her son, Chad Bartulis, was taking her across the border. Four months later, the dozens of lesions on her liver were gone.
"It's a miracle, to be honest with you," Chad said. "I'm not even ... I was very skeptical."
"The very first thing you felt when you walked in the door after the long trip out here was hope. Because they had taken away all hope, and so there was nothing left to lose to try anything," Manning said.
"They told me to go home and make plans to die. They say they gave me three to four months," said Dolores Jackson, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2005. "I'm still here, but I'm still here because of Dr. Vargas."
Dr. Salvador Vargas is the man behind the Betania West Cancer Clinic. "We do radiation, we do chemo, we do surgery, we do immunotherapy. People think we are alternative, we do things different. We don't," he said.
Vargas says what he is doing is tailoring treatments to each patient: disregarding protocols followed in the United states, which he says restrict the types of treatment that may be most effective.
He still uses chemo and radiation, but in much lower doses. In fact, patients rarely lose their hair.
Vargas specializes in solid tumors, but he never starts with surgery. He claims the chemo and radiation sterilize the area, shrink the tumor, then, if needed, surgery removes the now smaller tumor.
All the while, Vargas delivers a constant dose of hope. "When [you] feel helpless and hopeless, you're going to die. When you have a will to live, when you feel that there is hope, you'll live," Vargas preaches.
After our visit to Mexico, we paid another visit to the Huntsman Cancer Institute. It's one of the most respected cancer centers in the world.
"I think anyone who claims they can do better than an entire medical system and community, it's buyer beware," warns Dr. Randall Burt, who works for the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
He says the stories out of Mexico may sound great, but warns testimonials can never be confused with proven scientific results.
"We want to know the outcome of everyone, not just the ones who did well -- and often the ones who didn't aren't around to give testimonials. And that's why a clinical trial is so very important," Burt says.
But these patients aren't here because of some clinical study. They came for something they didn't find back at home: hope.
Since our visit to Mexico, we've talked to several people who have shared similar stories from other clinics in Tijuana, not just that of Vargas.
So who's legit and who's not? Dr. Burt asks any clinic or doctor seeing results to submit their cases to the Huntsman Cancer Institute and have them independently reviewed.
If the cases withstand the rigors of clinical testing, Burt says researchers at the institute would be happy to look at the results and do their own studies.
Meanwhile, researchers at the institute say there are several red flags people should be aware of when looking into alternative cancer treatment in foreign countries, and even here in the United States.
Watch out for phrases like "treats all forms of cancer," "non-toxic," "doesn't make you sick," or "avoid painful surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or other conventional treatments."
They say you should also avoid claims touting things like "scientific breakthrough," "secret ingredient," or "ancient remedy".
The Huntsman Cancer Institute offers a free resource for anyone seeking cancer information. You can call the institute at 1-888-424-2100, or CLICK HERE to see its "Hopeguide."
If you would like to get in touch with the Betania West Clinic in Tijuana, you can reach them by phone at 1-888-396-3130, or send an e-mail to betaniawest@live.com
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