Larry Boyer, 56, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and given six months to live.
Not only is this type of cancer one of the deadliest in the world, but only 3% of patients survive. The first tumor spread to other organs and caused the growth of 16 more tumors.
As a retired data scientist, he knew the odds were against him.
But 18 months later, the father of two from Connecticut is miraculously alive and cancer-free.
Boyer, a father of two, achieved remission thanks to an experimental treatment that freezes the tumor and injects cancer-fighting cells directly into the tumor.
Six months to live: Larry Boyer, 56, was diagnosed with a deadly form of cancer.
Cancer-free: The father of two from Connecticut remains in remission.
“When I was first diagnosed in May 2022, I was given a year to live with standard treatment alone, or six months without treatment,” Boyes said.
“[But]my treatment, combined with standard-of-care chemotherapy, gave me the best possible results. Blood tests and scans after a year showed no signs of cancer.”
Boyer was diagnosed with cancer in May 2022 after recently seeing a doctor complaining of back pain that had wrapped around her chest.
At the time, he thought it was muscle strain.
He had also lost 30 pounds in the four months prior to his diagnosis. This was due to a new fasting diet and walking 10 miles per day.
Boyer initially underwent six rounds of standard chemotherapy, which may have earned her a few extra months.
But he started researching experimental treatments online, which led him to the Williams Cancer Institute in California.
The clinic was just beginning to offer a pioneering new treatment that had not yet been fully approved in the United States.
These two approaches include cryoablation, also known as cryosurgery or cryotherapy.
In this procedure, doctors insert a small metal probe through the skin and into the tumor, where extremely cold gas is released directly into the mass to kill the cells.
The second step uses intratumoral immunotherapy. This therapy involves injecting drugs directly into the tumor to trigger an immune response.
Two types of drugs are used for treatment. Yervoy, which stimulates white blood cells to attack cancer, and Opdivo, which helps immune cells recognize and destroy cancer cells.
Together, the study results suggest that cryoablation and immunotherapy for advanced pancreatic cancer “may improve survival for patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer.”
Boyer received most of his treatment in Mexico, where drug prices are much lower than in the United States. He is photographed in front of the New York City skyline
However, cryoablation is not approved as a treatment for pancreatic cancer in the United States, is not covered by insurance, is unstable to access, and is extremely expensive.
It is only approved by the FDA for the treatment of early-stage prostate and breast cancer, and there is more research supporting its benefits.
Williams Cancer Institute is one of the few clinics in the United States offering these treatments.
Boyer visited Williams’ clinic in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, Mexico, where the surgery cost one-tenth the cost in the United States.
Boyer underwent Williams’ treatment schedule in three sessions, three times a week for three weeks, with chemotherapy in between each session.
Boyer underwent the first round in late September, and a month later doctors said her liver tumor was “liquifying.”
By early November, scans showed a large tumor in his liver had shrunk by 50% and a large tumor in his pancreas had shrunk in size by 65%.
It was also revealed that 13 half-inch tumors in his liver had disappeared along with other, larger masses.
Recent scans found no cancer cells in his body, meaning he is now in remission.
However, he will not be declared cured and cancer-free unless the disease is detected in five years of test results.
Boyer had to pay more than $125,000 out of pocket for the procedure, but said she was able to manage because she had life insurance with benefits.
Marking two years since his diagnosis, he added online: “People I have talked to have passed away and I am reminded almost every day of how lucky I was.
“Just yesterday, right after I went to see Dr. Williams, someone finally decided to stop seeing the doctor.
“We would like to thank everyone for their support this year.”
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the United States because it usually does not cause symptoms until late stages.
This means it is usually not diagnosed until stage 4, when the five-year survival rate drops to about 3 percent.
Pancreatic cancer is the 10th most common cancer in the United States, with approximately 66,000 Americans diagnosed with the disease.
