A January 27, 2014, report on National Public Radio brought recent discussions into sharper focus. Though the story was unrelated to cancer, the lessons learned provide a road map for cancer patients in their pursuit of the most effective, least toxic treatments.
The condition known as "clubfoot" (talipes equinovarus) is a congenital deformity that afflicts one of every 1,000 births in the US. The abnormal internal rotation of the ankle is highly debilitating if not corrected shortly after birth. For decades, orthopedic surgeons used complex surgical procedures that disrupted the ankle structure and realigned the bones. Despite numerous surgeries, this rarely corrected the deformity resulting in chronic arthritis and gait disturbances. The costs were significant and the loss of productivity for those afflicted even greater, yet the dilemma remained unresolved.
Into the fray came Dr. Ignacio Ponseti. Ponseti, the son of a Spanish watchmaker, had gained a unique perspective on structural integrity working in his father’s shop. Fleeing the Spanish Civil War he came to the US to practice orthopedic surgery at the University of Iowa. Recognizing the poor outcomes for clubfoot surgery, he took it upon himself to rethink the problem. After all, newborns have flexible ligaments. These ligaments, he reasoned, could be re-trained through a series of casts that were replaced serially over months after birth. Once the foot was in better alignment, the children were placed in a boot to retrain the joint into its normal alignment. Not surprisingly, this simple, noninvasive, inexpensive method was eschewed by the orthopedic professionals. Undaunted, he continued to practice his art, with excellent results year after year. Dr. John Herzenberg, a Baltimore-based practitioner of the Ponseti method was quoted: "People were falling over themselves to do fancy invasive surgery, and this one strange old guy, who speaks softly with a Spanish accent in Iowa, was getting sort of ignored by the drumbeat of people who were in favor of surgery.” Despite its obvious appeal and its manifest successes, this technique remained largely in Iowa for 50 years.
And then came the Internet. When a child born with clubfoot in 2000 was recommended for standard surgery, her mother went online to examine all the options and came across Dr. Ponseti. She traveled to Iowa for an opinion. Convinced that Dr. Ponseti's approach was superior, this brave mother took the leap and undertook the Ponseti method. Dr. Ponseti completely corrected the child's foot. Horrified that her daughter would have suffered a life of misery without this brilliant breakthrough, this young mother took it upon herself to get the word out. Using the Internet, she created a Yahoo Support Group called "No Surgery 4 Clubfoot." Families with afflicted children could now find out about this technique and identify practitioners who used it.
Voting with their feet, parents took their children to centers that applied this simple, relatively noninvasive approach. Over time, the academic community and their adherents to invasive surgery found themselves on the wrong side of patient referrals. Demanding better outcomes for their children, parents charted a new course for their medical care and forced their doctors to agree or be left behind. With a 97% success rate today, virtually every orthopedic surgeon in America practices the Ponseti method. Indeed, it is now recommended by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
I relate this story to cancer patients as they confront similar resistance. While marginally effective therapies are promoted by many academic centers, simple, comparatively easy techniques are available that can empower patients in treatment selection. Just like the clubfoot parents, cancer patients must demand access to treatment options and explore every lead.
The Internet has offered an entirely new platform for cancer patients to communicate their experiences, recommend physicians, educate friends and family members and change referral patterns. The power to change the way cancer is treated in America today is within the grasp of the patients themselves. Just like Dr. Ponseti, who knew that his method worked and just like his patients who avoided the pain and suffering they would have otherwise endured, patients enlightened about better ways to treat cancer need to communicate and take charge of their disease.