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A retrospective observational clinical study of triple negative breast cancer cases treated with Di Bella Method: A preliminary data

Published on Friday, 28 March 2025

Objectives: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a distinct subtype of breast cancer that has a poor prognosis due to the lack of effective therapeutic agents. Since a significant proportion of human surgical samples of TNBC expressed mRNA for the growth hormone (GH), growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptors, and the mitogenic proliferative activity of GH, GHRH, and GnRH, have been identified as effective therapeutic targets for somatostatin and its analogs and GnRH analogs, Di Bella Method (DBM), a combination of hormonal analogs and vitamins, was introduced to target and inhibit solid tumors. The present study aimed to improve the prognosis of women with TNBC using DBM.

Methods: This retrospective observational study was done on women with TNBC who were diagnosed based on histology, nuclear grade, and immunohistochemical testing for estrogen receptor, HER2/neu, and progesterone receptor. Patients were either treated with standard oncology protocol, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy plus DBM, or with DBM alone. The DBM included a daily combination of somatostatin, octreotide, melatonin, retinoids solubilized in alpha tocopheryl acetate, dopaminergic agonists, bromocriptine, cabergoline, aromatase inhibitors for anti-estrogen function, and low metronomic doses of cyclophosphamide.

Results: In this study, 35 patients were enrolled, and their survival was monitored for 5 years during which they received DBM and standard chemotherapy/radiotherapy protocol. These patients had a survival rate of 64% at 5 years, 76% at 3 years, 87% at 2 years, and 100% after 1 year of therapy. On the other hand, 13 patients who received only DBM had a survival rate of 60% at 5 years, 67% at 3 years, 75% at 2 years and 100% after 1 year of therapy. None of the patients had significant adverse events.

Conclusions: Compared to published clinical trials, the DBM improved the prognosis of women with TNBC. However, more standardized clinical trials, including DBM with and without standard therapeutic protocols for TNBC, are warranted.

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About this publication.

The Di Bella's Method in Breast Cancer:

- The Synergism of Somatostatin, Melatonin, Vitamins Prolactin and Estrogen Inhibitors Increased Survival, Objective Response and Performance Status In 297 Cases of Breast Cancer;

- Complete objective response, stable for 5 years, with the Di Bella Method, of multiple-metastatic carcinoma of the breast;

- Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the first-line treatment with somatostatin combined with melatonin, retinoids, vitamin D3, and low doses of cyclophosphamide in 20 cases of breast cancer: a preliminary report;

- The Di Bella Method (DBM) improved survival, objective response and performance status in a retrospective observational clinical study on 122 cases of breast cancer;

- Complete objective response to biological therapy of plurifocal breast carcinoma;

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Bromocriptine and/or Cabergoline);

- Prolactin inhibitors in oncology - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- Beta-Carotene or β-carotene in Solution of retinoids in vitamin E in the Di Bella Method biological multitherapy;

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Calcium, 2 grams per day, orally);

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Cyclophosphamide 50mg tablets and/or Hydroxyurea 500mg tablets, one or two per day);

- The Di Bella Method (A Variable Part - Clioquinol, 125 μg capsules);

- The Di Bella Method (A Variable Part - Chondroitin sulfate, up to 3-4 grams per day, orally);

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Melatonin tablets. From 30-40mg/day up to 200mg/day orally in patients with advanced stage of cancer disease and/or patients without respond to traditional treatments);

- Melatonin use in cancer patients have started in 1974, when melatonin prepared according to Prof. Di Bella’s formulation [...]. For 11 days was administered to the patient, admitted to the general medical ward at the Maggiore-Pizzardi Hospital in Bologna, very slowly (over approx. 8 hours) and intravenously administered 1000 mg of melatonin for 11 days. During the course of each day, the patient was intravenously administered 4 saline drips of 500 ml, each containing ten 25 mg bottles of freeze-dried melatonin, lasting 2 hours, totaling 1000 mg per day. No other drug of any kind was administered in order to ascertain the effect of the MLT without interference [...]. From Melatonin with adenosine solubilized in water and stabilized with glycine for oncological treatment - technical preparation, effectivity and clinical findings;

- About Melatonin - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- Publication: Melatonin anticancer effects: Review (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- Publication: Key aspects of melatonin physiology: 30 years of research (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- The Di Bella Method (A Variable Part - Omega 3 Essential/Unsaturated Fatty Acids. From 1.5 grams up to 3.0 grams per day orally);

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - All-Trans Retinoic Acid, Analogues and/or Derivatives - Approximately 60mg per day orally: 40mg per day Beta-Carotene/β-Carotene, 10mg per day ATRA and 10mg per day Axerophthol palmitate);

- All-Trans-Retinoic Acid (ATRA - analogues and/or derivatives) - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- Solution of retinoids in vitamin E in the Di Bella Method biological multitherapy;

- The Di Bella Method (A Variable Part - Selenium methonine, 40 μg capsules, twice a day);

- The Di Bella Method (A Fixed Part - Somatostatin, Octreotide, Sandostatin LAR, analogues and/or derivatives);

- Somatostatin in oncology, the overlooked evidences - In vitro, review and in vivo publications;

- Publication, 2018 Jul: Over-Expression of GH/GHR in Breast Cancer and Oncosuppressor Role of Somatostatin as a Physiological Inhibitor (from Di Bella's Foundation);

- Publication, 2018 Sep: The over-expression of GH/GHR in tumour tissues with respect to healthy ones confirms its oncogenic role and the consequent oncosuppressor role of its physiological inhibitor, somatostatin: a review of the literature (from Di Bella's Foundation);