Dr. Tina Willits, a 53-year-old data science researcher and educator from Florida, defied the odds when her diagnosis of stage four breast cancer left her with only 24 months to live. According to a Daily Mail report, Dr. Willits' path from palliative care to cancer-free demonstrates the possibility of a novel therapy that combines cryoablation with immunotherapy medications. She now stands as a witness to the potential for developing cancer treatments, and her example emphasizes the importance of additional research into alternative cancer medicines.

In March 2022, doctors diagnosed Dr. Willits with end-of-life chemotherapy, a routine treatment for terminal cases, because her cancer was too advanced for surgery. Doctors discovered three golf-ball-sized tumours in her breast, along with malignant growths in her ribs, spine, lymph nodes, and legs. She described her astonishment and determination when she received the gloomy prognosis: "I was devastated, but I was also like, No, I'm not okay with that  diagnosis." "I just wanted it gone," she told the Daily Mail. Driven by a strong determination, Dr. Willits began studying alternative therapy options, which eventually led her to the Williams Cancer Institute in Mexico.

The treatment regimen Dr. Willits received at the center is not yet approved in the United States, but it is used globally to give patients an accessible and cost-effective alternative. The initial phase of the therapy was cryoablation, which included putting a small metal probe straight into her tumors and freezing them with extremely cold gases to kill cancer cells. After cryoablation, she received immunotherapy, an injection of eight medications directly into the tumour to activate her immune system's recognition and effective destruction of cancer cells. This combination method offers a considerable departure from previous therapies, emphasizing a technique that targets tumors directly while leveraging the body's natural defenses to fight the disease.

Her initial scan six weeks after therapy revealed no leftover evidence of cancer, and subsequent scans have revealed no recurrence, a remarkable result for stage four cancer patients. Dr. Willits reflected on her life after treatment, sharing how the trip gave her a new appreciation for life. "I wouldn't appreciate life like this if I had not gone through the cancer," she told me. Since her recovery, she has pursued new hobbies, travelled, and participated in breast cancer awareness activities.

Dr. Jason Williams, founder of the Williams Cancer Institute and creator of this novel regimen, believes that preliminary trials on other difficult-to-treat tumors, such as prostate cancer, have yielded promising results. "Early results show more than 50 percent of patients are still alive," he stated—a noteworthy finding when compared to the average five-year survival rates for advanced tumors.

Despite Dr. Willits' accomplishment, her situation raises various concerns about the present healthcare system. Notably, she was frustrated that her initial oncologists were uninterested in knowing about the medicine that cured her. "These oncologists will not even thought about other treatments," she told me. Dr. Willits believes that this hesitation limits the options available to patients who could benefit from experimental therapy. 

Dr. Willits' recovery has not only transformed her life, but it has also encouraged her to push for increased awareness of alternative cancer therapy. She now encourages patients with comparable diagnoses to seek second opinions and explore all available choices. As more stories like hers emerge, they may lead to more thorough study and, ultimately, faster approval of such therapies in the United States, offering hope to thousands of people facing fatal cancer diagnoses.