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We first heard about Care Oncology through forums and from other patients and caregivers. We approached Stu's original medical team about it during one of his early appointments but were greeted with eye rolls from one of the doctors. That was pretty much the response we became accustomed to whenever we mentioned anything outside standard of care.
So we did what we did with everything else. We read. A lot. We spoke to other patients using the protocol, researched the medications and eventually contacted Care Oncology ourselves.
WHAT IS CARE ONCOLOGY?
Care Oncology specialises in metabolic oncology and developed the COC Protocol in 2013. The COC Protocol is an individualised, physician-supervised approach designed to be used alongside conventional cancer treatment rather than instead of it. The principle behind it is cancer metabolism.
Cancer cells have enormous energy requirements. The COC Protocol uses a combination of existing medications in an attempt to target different aspects of cancer-cell metabolism and make it more difficult for cancer cells to access and use the energy they need. The medications are repurposed drugs. In other words, they are established medications originally developed and licensed for other conditions which are being investigated or used off-label because of evidence suggesting they may affect processes relevant to cancer.
When Stu was a patient, the protocol consisted of four medications:
Metformin
Atorvastatin
Mebendazole
Doxycycline
These weren't being given to Stu because he had diabetes, high cholesterol, worms or a bacterial infection. They were being repurposed because of research into the different ways they may affect cancer metabolism and other cellular processes.
It's important to say that the scientific evidence for these drugs in cancer varies enormously depending on the drug, cancer type and context. Much of the research is preclinical, observational or based on drugs being studied individually rather than evidence proving that this particular four-drug combination improves outcomes for people with glioblastoma. For us, this was never an alternative to standard treatment. It was something we chose to investigate alongside it.
OUR EXPERIENCE
We wish Stu had started the protocol much earlier, ideally alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Jane McLelland discusses Care Oncology and repurposed medications in her book How to Starve Cancer, and the theory of combining additional treatments with standard of care was also something we encountered through Dr Ben Williams, a long-term glioblastoma survivor. Once we decided to proceed, Stu had consultations with Care Oncology and was prescribed the protocol medications.
We worked with Dr Kuhan and found him incredibly helpful and personable. The consultations were easy to understand, we could ask whatever questions we had and, importantly for us, it felt as though we had another doctor on Stu's team who was willing to discuss some of the things we were researching rather than immediately dismissing them. That mattered enormously.
When you're trying to navigate a diagnosis like glioblastoma, having somebody qualified who will actually engage with your questions can make you feel considerably less like you're trying to do all of this on your own.
The four medications
METFORMIN
Metformin is primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes. It has also been extensively studied in cancer research because of its effects on cellular metabolism and signalling pathways. There has been considerable research into whether those mechanisms could be useful in cancer treatment, including alongside other therapies, although this doesn't mean metformin is an established treatment for glioblastoma.
ATORVASTATIN
Atorvastatin is a statin normally prescribed to lower cholesterol. Statins have also been investigated in cancer research because of their potential effects on processes involved in cancer-cell growth, proliferation and survival. Again, that research does not mean atorvastatin is an established treatment for glioblastoma.
MEBENDAZOLE
Mebendazole is an antiparasitic medication most people probably know as a treatment for worms. It has also attracted interest as a repurposed cancer drug because laboratory research has suggested it may interfere with processes cancer cells rely on to divide and survive.
DOXYCYCLINE
Doxycycline is an antibiotic. It has also been investigated in cancer research for a number of potential effects on cancer cells and their metabolism. As with the other drugs in the protocol, research into these mechanisms isn't the same thing as clinical proof that doxycycline improves outcomes for people with glioblastoma.
WHAT WE PAID IN 2021
Our initial Care Oncology consultation cost £450. Follow-up appointments cost £225. Our first follow-up was around eight weeks after Stu started the protocol and subsequent consultations were quarterly. The medication itself was surprisingly inexpensive compared with many of the other private treatments we investigated. Stu's first eight weeks of medication cost us approximately £60, and a subsequent three-month supply was approximately £116. Those figures are what we paid in 2021 and shouldn't be used as current pricing.
2026 UPDATE
Care Oncology has changed. Care Oncology is still operating and the COC Protocol is still based around targeting aspects of cancer-cell metabolism alongside conventional cancer treatment. However, the programme has evolved considerably since Stu was a patient. Care Oncology now takes a broader look at metabolic and inflammatory health rather than focusing solely on prescribing the protocol medications.The current programme includes comprehensive blood testing and health questionnaires to assess metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers. Patients receive a personalised health report and clinician-guided recommendations based on their results.
The programme can now include guidance around:
Patients are monitored over time, including an eight-week review, so changes in biomarkers and other health indicators can be tracked.
That is quite different from the service we initially joined with Stu in 2021.
CURRENT AVAILABILITY
Care Oncology has also been through a period of transition. In January 2026, Care Oncology said it had temporarily paused onboarding new patients while it developed a more comprehensive personalised clinical model, while continuing to care for its existing patients. Its current website now provides an enrolment route and current programme information, but because the service has been changing, I would strongly recommend checking directly with Care Oncology about current UK availability before making any decisions based on our experience. The process, programme and costs we encountered in 2021 shouldn't be assumed to be the same today.
HINDSIGHT
WHAT WE KNOW NOW THAT WE WISH WE HAD KNOWN THEN.
We wish we'd started earlier.This is probably the simplest Hindsight on this page. We wish Stu had started the Care Oncology protocol from the beginning, alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy. One of the things we learned during Stu's treatment was that investigating additional options takes an enormous amount of time. And unfortunately you have to do that research at precisely the point in your life when you have absolutely no fucking capacity for it. You've just been told that someone you love has an aggressive brain tumour. You're trying to understand surgery. Radiotherapy. Chemotherapy. Scans. Steroids. Anti-seizure medication. Appointments. Side effects. Prognosis. Work. Money. Children. Life.
And somewhere amongst all of that you're apparently supposed to become an expert in cancer biology and investigate every other treatment that might possibly be relevant. We spent so much of those first months reacting to whatever was immediately in front of us. With hindsight, I would have started researching repurposed medications and metabolic approaches much earlier, even if we'd ultimately decided not to use them. Because researching something doesn't mean you have to do it. Understanding an option doesn't mean you have to choose it. It just means you know the option exists while you still have choices.
ONE SIZE DOESN'T FIT ALL
Something else that has become increasingly obvious to me is that none of these things exist in isolation. Diet. Metabolism. Genetics. Standard treatment. Repurposed medications. Personalised medicine. The immune system. The tumour microenvironment. The individual person sitting in front of you. Cancer is unbelievably complex. That's why I'm wary of anyone claiming that one drug, one diet, one supplement or one protocol is the answer. It isn't that simple. Care Oncology was one part of the much bigger picture we were trying to build around Stu. We will never know exactly what effect it had. But if I were back at the beginning again, I would want to know it was an option and I would want to discuss it with someone qualified much earlier.
CURRENT INFORMATION
Care Oncology continues to offer the COC Protocol as an adjunct to conventional cancer treatment and now combines its metabolic approach with biomarker testing, clinician review and personalised lifestyle recommendations. Its current programme and pricing are different from what we experienced with Stu in 2021. For current information about eligibility, the COC Protocol, UK availability, medications, monitoring and costs, please go directly to Care Oncology.
So we did what we did with everything else. We read. A lot. We spoke to other patients using the protocol, researched the medications and eventually contacted Care Oncology ourselves.
WHAT IS CARE ONCOLOGY?
Care Oncology specialises in metabolic oncology and developed the COC Protocol in 2013. The COC Protocol is an individualised, physician-supervised approach designed to be used alongside conventional cancer treatment rather than instead of it. The principle behind it is cancer metabolism.
Cancer cells have enormous energy requirements. The COC Protocol uses a combination of existing medications in an attempt to target different aspects of cancer-cell metabolism and make it more difficult for cancer cells to access and use the energy they need. The medications are repurposed drugs. In other words, they are established medications originally developed and licensed for other conditions which are being investigated or used off-label because of evidence suggesting they may affect processes relevant to cancer.
When Stu was a patient, the protocol consisted of four medications:
Metformin
Atorvastatin
Mebendazole
Doxycycline
These weren't being given to Stu because he had diabetes, high cholesterol, worms or a bacterial infection. They were being repurposed because of research into the different ways they may affect cancer metabolism and other cellular processes.
It's important to say that the scientific evidence for these drugs in cancer varies enormously depending on the drug, cancer type and context. Much of the research is preclinical, observational or based on drugs being studied individually rather than evidence proving that this particular four-drug combination improves outcomes for people with glioblastoma. For us, this was never an alternative to standard treatment. It was something we chose to investigate alongside it.
OUR EXPERIENCE
We wish Stu had started the protocol much earlier, ideally alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Jane McLelland discusses Care Oncology and repurposed medications in her book How to Starve Cancer, and the theory of combining additional treatments with standard of care was also something we encountered through Dr Ben Williams, a long-term glioblastoma survivor. Once we decided to proceed, Stu had consultations with Care Oncology and was prescribed the protocol medications.
We worked with Dr Kuhan and found him incredibly helpful and personable. The consultations were easy to understand, we could ask whatever questions we had and, importantly for us, it felt as though we had another doctor on Stu's team who was willing to discuss some of the things we were researching rather than immediately dismissing them. That mattered enormously.
When you're trying to navigate a diagnosis like glioblastoma, having somebody qualified who will actually engage with your questions can make you feel considerably less like you're trying to do all of this on your own.
The four medications
METFORMIN
Metformin is primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes. It has also been extensively studied in cancer research because of its effects on cellular metabolism and signalling pathways. There has been considerable research into whether those mechanisms could be useful in cancer treatment, including alongside other therapies, although this doesn't mean metformin is an established treatment for glioblastoma.
ATORVASTATIN
Atorvastatin is a statin normally prescribed to lower cholesterol. Statins have also been investigated in cancer research because of their potential effects on processes involved in cancer-cell growth, proliferation and survival. Again, that research does not mean atorvastatin is an established treatment for glioblastoma.
MEBENDAZOLE
Mebendazole is an antiparasitic medication most people probably know as a treatment for worms. It has also attracted interest as a repurposed cancer drug because laboratory research has suggested it may interfere with processes cancer cells rely on to divide and survive.
DOXYCYCLINE
Doxycycline is an antibiotic. It has also been investigated in cancer research for a number of potential effects on cancer cells and their metabolism. As with the other drugs in the protocol, research into these mechanisms isn't the same thing as clinical proof that doxycycline improves outcomes for people with glioblastoma.
WHAT WE PAID IN 2021
Our initial Care Oncology consultation cost £450. Follow-up appointments cost £225. Our first follow-up was around eight weeks after Stu started the protocol and subsequent consultations were quarterly. The medication itself was surprisingly inexpensive compared with many of the other private treatments we investigated. Stu's first eight weeks of medication cost us approximately £60, and a subsequent three-month supply was approximately £116. Those figures are what we paid in 2021 and shouldn't be used as current pricing.
2026 UPDATE
Care Oncology has changed. Care Oncology is still operating and the COC Protocol is still based around targeting aspects of cancer-cell metabolism alongside conventional cancer treatment. However, the programme has evolved considerably since Stu was a patient. Care Oncology now takes a broader look at metabolic and inflammatory health rather than focusing solely on prescribing the protocol medications.The current programme includes comprehensive blood testing and health questionnaires to assess metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers. Patients receive a personalised health report and clinician-guided recommendations based on their results.
The programme can now include guidance around:
- medication
- nutrition
- supplements
- exercise
- sleep
- stress
- metabolic health
- inflammatory health
Patients are monitored over time, including an eight-week review, so changes in biomarkers and other health indicators can be tracked.
That is quite different from the service we initially joined with Stu in 2021.
CURRENT AVAILABILITY
Care Oncology has also been through a period of transition. In January 2026, Care Oncology said it had temporarily paused onboarding new patients while it developed a more comprehensive personalised clinical model, while continuing to care for its existing patients. Its current website now provides an enrolment route and current programme information, but because the service has been changing, I would strongly recommend checking directly with Care Oncology about current UK availability before making any decisions based on our experience. The process, programme and costs we encountered in 2021 shouldn't be assumed to be the same today.
HINDSIGHT
WHAT WE KNOW NOW THAT WE WISH WE HAD KNOWN THEN.
We wish we'd started earlier.This is probably the simplest Hindsight on this page. We wish Stu had started the Care Oncology protocol from the beginning, alongside radiotherapy and chemotherapy. One of the things we learned during Stu's treatment was that investigating additional options takes an enormous amount of time. And unfortunately you have to do that research at precisely the point in your life when you have absolutely no fucking capacity for it. You've just been told that someone you love has an aggressive brain tumour. You're trying to understand surgery. Radiotherapy. Chemotherapy. Scans. Steroids. Anti-seizure medication. Appointments. Side effects. Prognosis. Work. Money. Children. Life.
And somewhere amongst all of that you're apparently supposed to become an expert in cancer biology and investigate every other treatment that might possibly be relevant. We spent so much of those first months reacting to whatever was immediately in front of us. With hindsight, I would have started researching repurposed medications and metabolic approaches much earlier, even if we'd ultimately decided not to use them. Because researching something doesn't mean you have to do it. Understanding an option doesn't mean you have to choose it. It just means you know the option exists while you still have choices.
ONE SIZE DOESN'T FIT ALL
Something else that has become increasingly obvious to me is that none of these things exist in isolation. Diet. Metabolism. Genetics. Standard treatment. Repurposed medications. Personalised medicine. The immune system. The tumour microenvironment. The individual person sitting in front of you. Cancer is unbelievably complex. That's why I'm wary of anyone claiming that one drug, one diet, one supplement or one protocol is the answer. It isn't that simple. Care Oncology was one part of the much bigger picture we were trying to build around Stu. We will never know exactly what effect it had. But if I were back at the beginning again, I would want to know it was an option and I would want to discuss it with someone qualified much earlier.
CURRENT INFORMATION
Care Oncology continues to offer the COC Protocol as an adjunct to conventional cancer treatment and now combines its metabolic approach with biomarker testing, clinician review and personalised lifestyle recommendations. Its current programme and pricing are different from what we experienced with Stu in 2021. For current information about eligibility, the COC Protocol, UK availability, medications, monitoring and costs, please go directly to Care Oncology.
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