Septic Shock & Cancer
Sepsis/Septic shock is the 3rd leading cause of death in the developed world. But in the Third World it is probably the number one killer, as it is the end stage of malaria and other prime Third World killer diseases.
It is a dangerous, life-threatening condition that can affect anyone, and is caused by bacterial infections that cannot be controlled by antibiotics alone, or even the best supportive medical care. Pneumonia, Avian flu, Meningitis, hospital super-bug MRSA, AIDS-related infections and end-stage malaria, can all induce septic shock.
Cancer sufferers are particularly vulnerable to sepsis and septic shock, because their immune systems are badly weakened by chemotherapy. It is estimated that 67% of cancer patients die from infections brought on by a ravaged immune system. Post-operative and transplant patients, the old and the very young are also very susceptible.
Dr Carmen Wheatley has developed an hypothesis (links to 3 papers listed below) that very high doses of a special form of intravenous Vitamin B12 may be used as a safe treatment to dramatically reduce the up to 75% mortality from sepsis/septic shock in the intensive care unit. This hypothesis has already been successfully tested in pre-clinical studies at the William Harvey Institute, London, by Professor Mauro Perretti and his team, and the mechanism is now being defined.
Following the final results of the pre-clinical studies, we aim to run a clinical trial. If the results of this trial are positive, it will benefit people worldwide, including the Third World, as Vitamin B12 is very cheap compared to conventional drugs.