Personalized & Integrative Pancreatic Cancer Treatment Beyond Standard Care
Featuring: Mark Taylor
In short
Mark Taylor, a pancreatic cancer patient diagnosed in 2016, shares how he studied hundreds of patients to identify patterns among those who lived significantly longer than expected. He found that combining many anticancer approaches early, traveling to experimental clinics, protecting immune health, and maintaining emotional resilience were common threads among exceptional survivors. This resource is most useful for pancreatic cancer patients and caregivers weighing integrative approaches alongside standard treatment.
- •Start integrative approaches early — patients who waited until standard treatments had already stopped working had much lower response rates.
- •Protecting your immune system matters: chemotherapy can damage immune function, which may reduce how well immunotherapy works later on.
- •Exceptional responders tended to pursue 30 or more anticancer activities at once — such as exercise, meditation, dietary supplements like curcumin, and personalized vaccines — rather than relying on one or two.
- •Ask your care team about immune system diagnostics; detailed testing may help identify which immunotherapy approach is the right fit for your specific tumor.
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A Cancer Hacker Solves His Own Needs and Helps Others Access the Best, New, Personalized Tests and Treatments” Brad Power October 4, 2023 “About a year into the study, it became very predictable how people would do based on what high level strategy they would take. ” – Mark Taylor “What's happening now in this space is medical knowledge is meant to be doubling every three months. So if you stand still for three months, you're behind.
Meeting Summary
"Engaged patients get better outcomes" is one of our core beliefs at the Cancer Patient Lab. But what does a very engaged patient look like? Consider the story of Mark Taylor. Diagnosed with early stage pancreatic cancer in 2016, he was rejected for standard medical treatments since his level of cancer was below what mainstream medicine recognized as a formal diagnosis.
This forced him to consider “integrative medicine” (complementary therapies to traditional treatments, such as acupuncture, dietary supplements, exercise, meditation, and yoga), even though he was skeptical. He read over 3000 clinical papers, traveled and spoke to over 20 of the world’s leading integrative doctors and clinics, and spent over $500,000 on treatments and tests.
He found limited treatment options, biased views, and limited evidence to support their treatments, and was left with a large bill and few patient referrals. He started the “Patient Led Oncology Trials” Facebook group , where he engaged hundreds of patients in filling out their experiences and tracked their progress following almost every well known integrative cancer treatment.
Based on his studies of the patient reports and his other research, Mark identified patterns among the “excepti onal responders” (the patients who experienced unusually positive improvements in survival) to anticancer approaches. Pancreatic cancer patients usually live only seven to eleven months, so you get a quick read on what works and doesn’t work.
•Pursue a personalized combination of multiple (30 or more) anticancer approaches, such as personalized vaccines, meditation, exercise, and supplements like curcumin.
•Travel to an experimental clinic . 80% of the complete responses were people who had traveled to an experimental clinic in their first line or prior to their first line of treatment.
•Develop a positive attitude and determination through the process. Emotional state plays a crucial role in the effectiveness of immunotherapy, with stress weakening the immune system. “A Cancer Hacker Solves His Own Needs and Helps Others Access the Best, New, Personalized Tests and Treatments”
•Start integrative approaches early . . If people didn't find out about integrative oncology treatments until they already had resistance to their primary treatment, it didn't work. The anticancer approaches were prolonging the life of the primary treatment. Patients with damaged immune systems due to chemotherapy may not respond well to immunotherapy.
•When on standard treatments, work hard to minimize side effects . Prolong the effectiveness of the primary treatment.
•Spend money. To get to experimental clinics, get extensive testing, and access multiple treatments is expensive. Mark realized that patients need a single, unbiased source of information on cancer treatments, including data on costs and effectiveness. He partnered with a doctor in Spain to create a clinic that offers a very wide range of tests and treatments guided by the principles he has identified. The clinic offers comprehensive cancer treatment with a personalized approach. Patients at the clinic in Spain receive personalized treatment plans and intense monitoring for up to 18 months. They are learning unique insights because they have so many different options to use in a less regulated environment. They are building a standard approach: throw everything at it (cancer vaccines, intratumoral injections, and typical anticancer IVs), use the standard of care as best you can, do your emotional work, get your body in the healing state, remove all your stress triggers. They are getting good responses in cancers that shouldn't respond to immunotherapy. They are finding that they can pinpoint the immunotherapy you need with adequate testing. How can you learn more about navigating integrative cancer treatment?
•Explore the Hacking Cancer Research Portal
•Join the Patient Led Oncology Facebook group
•Request a consultation with Mark Taylor (which includes access to the Hacking Cancer Research Portal)
•See other discussions we have had on complementary cancer treatments, such as:
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•"A Patient’s View on Nutrition, Supplements, Integrative Oncology, and Complementary Therapies"
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•The information and opinions expressed on this website or platform, or during discussions and presentations (both verbal and written) are not intended as health care recommendations or medical advice by Cancer Patient Lab/Prostate Cancer Lab, its principals, presenters, participants, or representatives for any medical treatment, product, or course of action. You should always consult a doctor about your specific situation before pursuing any health care program, treatment, product or other course of action that might affect your health. “A Cancer Hacker Solves His Own Needs and Helps Others Access the Best, New, Personalized Tests and Treatments” Meeting Notes SUMMARY KEYWORDS patients, cancer, clinic, treatments, testing, doctor, immunotherapy, data, immune system, study, checkpoints, chemo, work, tumor, response, terms, injections, people, vaccine, pancreatic SPEAKERS Mark Taylor (69%), Brad Power (8%), Jeff Krolick (5%), Rick Stanton (4%), Brian McCloskey (3%), John Powers (3%), Jay Sandler (3%), Amit Gattani (2%), Saed Sayad (2%) Outline 1.Patient-led cancer care and integrative oncology with Mark Taylor. (0:03) 2.Introducing Mark and his medical journey. (2:25) 3.Cancer treatment approaches and their impact on survival. (7:05) 4.Personalized cancer treatment options. (12:52) 5.Immunotherapy approaches for cancer treatment. (18:26) 6.Cancer treatment options and data analysis. (23:17) 7.Personalized cancer treatment and symptoms. (29:49) 8.Cancer diagnostics and immunotherapy. (35:12) 9.Integrative cancer treatment and personal healing journey. (41:05) 10.Cancer treatment options and natural healing. (45:22) 11.Alternative cancer treatments and their effectiveness. (50:27) 12.Immunotherapy for cancer treatment. (57:05) 13.Personalized cancer treatment strategies. (1:02:01) 14.Pancreatic cancer treatment options and ethical considerations. (1:07:10) 15.Cancer treatment strategies and immunotherapy. (1:13:46) Summary
•Mark Taylor shares his experience as an engaged and activated cancer patient, highlighting his leadership in integrative oncology.
•Mark spent most of his life in finance and technology.
•He experienced stomach pains.
•Mark's friend suggested a circulating tumor cell blood test, which came up positive. Mark had elevated tumor markers, and a confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
•His doctor refused to treat them without a biopsy.
•Mark went on a world tour to various integrative medicine clinics, spending thousands of dollars and seeing over 20 doctors, but found little evidence to support their treatments and was left with a large bill and no patient referrals.
•Cancer treatment approaches and their impact on survival. 7:05 “A Cancer Hacker Solves His Own Needs and Helps Others Access the Best, New, Personalized Tests and Treatments”
•After studying 100 patients, Mark found that the key to success in cancer treatment is not specific supplements or protocols, but rather a general approach that includes multiple anticancer activities (e.g., meditation, exercise, and supplements like curcumin).
•The types of findings that stood out in exceptional responders were those doing 30 or more anticancer activities, with a correlation between these activities and improved survival.
•He saw a correlation between early adoption of integrative approaches and better response rates, as well as the importance of minimizing the side effects of standard treatments.
•Creating a better clinic that offers personalized cancer treatment options. 12:52
•Mark traveled to various integrative clinics worldwide to gather data on treatments for cancer, finding that many clinics had limited treatment options and biased views.
•Mark realized the need for a single, unbiased source of information on cancer treatments, including data on costs and effectiveness.
•Mark partnered with a doctor in Spain to create a clinic that offers a range of treatments and provides an unbiased view of their effectiveness.
•Clinic offers comprehensive cancer treatment with a personalized approach, including various therapies and tests to monitor patient response.
•Mark discovered new immunotherapy approaches to treat cancer, including targeting microbiome, hypoxia, and glycolysis.
•Mark discusses using immunotherapy to treat various cancers, including colorectal, ovarian, and rectal cancer, with promising results.
•Mark highlights the importance of identifying the right immunotherapy approach for each patient, as some treatments may not work due to factors such as steroid use.
•Cancer treatment best practices from the data analysis. 23:17
•Mark used a Google Sheets document to track data and attract patients for his study.
•Mark mentions legal considerations and the challenges of capturing data from patients, particularly those who are not regularly engaged in the study.
•Mark notes that exceptional responders – those in pancreatic cancer treatment that lasted three years or more – have clear patterns.
•For example, those who are determined and positive through the process do much better.
•Mark describes his symptoms before his pancreatic cancer diagnosis: stomach pains, burnout, panic attacks, acid reflux, and dodgy stool.
•Mark believes a personalized medicine approach is needed to address individual patient experiences and symptoms, rather than relying on control and treatment groups.
•Cancer diagnostics for immunotherapy. 35:12
•Next Gen Oncology and BostonGene are leaders in immune system diagnostics, focusing on immune system detail and real-time cancer research in personalized treatment approaches. BostonGene's tumor report and spatial phenotyping product, focuses on checkpoints and the tumor microenvironment. “A Cancer Hacker Solves His Own Needs and Helps Others Access the Best, New, Personalized Tests and Treatments”
•Boston Gene's testing includes 500 druggable genes. Mark suggests that less than that may be insufficient for accurate results.
•Amit Gattani and Mark discuss their personal experiences and the financial burden they face in pursuing treatment options.
•Researching cancer treatment options and natural healing. 45:22
•Amit Gattani asks follow-up questions on prioritizing treatment options and consulting for individuals with cancer, highlighting the need for personalized advice based on specific circumstances.
•Mark has researched natural healing methods for cancer, including modified citrus pectin, melatonin, and exercise, and has seen positive results in early- stage cancer patients.
•Mark has also studied energy healing and shamanism, and believes that these practices can be beneficial for cancer patients, particularly in combination with conventional treatments.
•Jeff Krolick shares his experience with alternative cancer treatments, including energetic healing and Rife therapy, and how they have affected his PSA levels.
•Mark shares his personal experience with trauma healing and sensing energy blockages in the body through meditation and therapy.
•Mark shares his experience with meditation and cancer treatment, highlighting the potential for visualization and energy flow to aid in healing.
•Rick Stanton expresses curiosity about the definition of immune state and how it's analyzed in cancer treatment.
•Rick asks about vaccine vendors.
•Mark mentions the importance of recognition, adjuvants, and MHC class for immune response.
•Personalized vaccine prices are similar and expensive, from $80,000 to $125,000, depending on location.
•It’s important to consider what happens around the vaccine.
•Mark outlines personalized treatment plans for late-stage cancer patients, including immunotherapy and cell therapies.
•Treatment options when money is limited. 1:07:10
•Jay Sandler, a patient with pancreatic cancer, expresses awe at Mark's ability to analyze data, and asks questions about study population size and timing of treatment.
•Mark suggests combining multiple therapies for pancreatic cancer, even with limited resources.
•Mark discusses the high cost of clinical trials for cancer treatment, ethical considerations, and potential solutions.
•Cancer treatment strategies. 1:13:46
•John Powers appreciates the presentation and the approach of considering different perspectives, as it resonates with his own personal journey and the struggles of others in the group.
•John acknowledges the lack of standards and requirements in the cancer space, and how Brad and Rick's efforts in bringing in various views and inputs are valuable in making progress. “A Cancer Hacker Solves His Own Needs and Helps Others Access the Best, New, Personalized Tests and Treatments”
•A potential cure for pancreatic cancer with a tumoral vaccine, with promising results in a recent prostate cancer study.
•Brian McCloskey discusses a doctor in Mexico who uses a combination of 11 checkpoint inhibitors to treat cancer, with mixed results.
•The doctor's approach involves injecting all 11 drugs simultaneously, rather than targeting specific checkpoints individually. “A Cancer Hacker Solves His Own Needs and Helps Others Access the Best, New, Personalized Tests and Treatments” Meeting
Full transcript
Brad Power This is the Cancer Patient Lab. This is one of our weekly webinar sessions. We're honored to have with us today Mark Taylor, who is a role model as a leader in dealing with his care, someone that we can all learn from in terms of his leadership and taking advantage of services and information to guide his own care and then helping others. He's currently in Portugal. I got introduced to Mark by Houda Boulahbel.
When I looked into who he was, I really liked the name “Patient Led Oncology”. That's who we are too. At the Cancer Patient Lab we're trying to help patients and their caregivers navigate their cancer and learn. It seemed like Mark was very aligned with what we're doing.
You can find his story on his website, Patient Led Oncology , and you'll find out that he's really been active in turning over every stone about treating his disease, and also elaborating on integrative oncology.
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