Hi,

So sorry to read about your Dad's news, especially the fact that he wasn't diagnosed until he'd reached Stage 4 and his liver was affected. I don't think anyone has given up on your Dad but frustratingly for those of us who have reached Stage 4 the options are limited whether we use the NHS or go private.

Using chemo to slow down the growth, help prevent it spreading further, and to possibly shrink his cancer is standard best clinical practice at Stage 4. It was the only treatment available to me when diagnosed in a similar position. As you can imagine, this is a subject close to my heart. 

What other better treatments do you have in mind? Anything not yet approved for UK use will first be tested via clinical trials. There are links to information about clinical trials on this CRUK website and at www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/.../

Immunotherapy looks promising for colorectal cancers, but is still at an early stage. Four drugs have recently been approved by the FDA in the USA and I think they're being looked into by NICE who approves NHS therapies - CRUK will be able to give you an update on these. These might be an option - not something I know much about. 

Similarly personalised medicine, using a patient's genome sequencing to identify a suitable therapy looks promising but is at an early stage, lots of hype in the media and by firms who have invested millions into this, but I've not seen anything other than clinical trials, though I may have missed something. 

There are dozens of sites promoting the use of cannabis oil and hemp oil but so far there has been no compelling scientific evidence that these have any effect, apart from in the test tube where extracts do act as a chemo and kill off cancer cells but so do a variety of chemicals like bleach or acid. Many of the people who claimed to have been cured of cancer by using cannabis oil or hemp oil have then died of cancer but their endorsements continue to be used. Millions of dollars are being made by selling this stuff to desperate people, there have even been cases where what was being sold as cannabis oil wasn't even that but just plain old mineral or vegetable oils, which is pretty depressing.

I hope this helps.

Dave