Can eating extremely healthily go some way to reversing the effects of cancer?

[BaconAndAvocado]

A friend has a very rare bowel cancer which isn’t centred on a lump/tumour.
The surgery she has been offered would result in life-changing consequences re mobility as well as a stoma. She is a very selfless person and has told me that she would be relying on people too much post-surgery. She also thinks it would drastically alter or end her relationship with her DH.
She has refused this surgery and is trying to stop it spreading by eating a no sugar, organic, free range diet. She has also started yoga, Pilates etc.

Will her approach work?

I’m extremely worried about her whilst trying to support her and understand her decision.

I can understand how this approach might help prevent a cancer diagnosis but to stop it?

Thank you Hbh17 and JustlookingNotbuying.
Yes it is awful all round but I know I must respect her decision.
Didn't realise half of patients offered this kind of op refuse it.

If the op is a total exenteration then @iamnatwoodward on Instagram talks very candidly about her experience of one, if that might help your friend decide?

Thank you Pucelle for that recommendation 🙂

As I mentioned upthread, she hasn't told me the full extent of the op but gathering the information that she's felt able to share, I think it is an exenteration.

No it won't work untreated I think life expectancy would be around 1 to 2 years sadly. She would need to ask her surgeon what her life expectancy might be if she did the operation that may help her make up her mind.

I have breast cancer and was scared of treatment but looked up survival rates and untreated it was around 2 years, with surgery I had a 88% chance of surviving 5 years and 71% chance of surviving 10 and 57% chance of surviving 15 based on the NHSs Predict Breast model. So it really was a no brainer to have surgery. Yes it did bother me would DH stay with me if I had a breast chopped off and no hair after chemo and possibly nails and teeth out and put on weight. Some husbands and wives do leave as do friends. But mine has supported me and reassured me he loves me whatever I look like.

She needs to discuss with him and see what he says. It could be the end of the marriage but then is he worth dying for. She needs to put herself first, its very hard when you are used to putting yourself last but she needs to. Yes a stoma no-one would want out of choice but if its that or dying it seems obvious to go for surgery unless her life expectancy is not much different after it then I would go for quality rather than quantity. It may be she just needs time to get used to it, a second opinion is a good idea but its best not to delay treatment too much either.

I would be saying you respect its her choice but you want her to live as long as possible. It maybe worth her getting in a cancer group with people with stomas to see what they can / cannot do, I saw one the other day open water swimming but cancer is awful so I can understand her wanting to stay normal but normal is not an option.

I have to say I'm not sure I would have that surgery either. But I would want to understand how the disease would progress without it, and I wouldn't be expecting much from diet at that point.