Recent Comments:
Cancer on my mind
The Cancer Blog
Sep 7th 2007 10:15AM What so many of the so-called randomized trials do is omit true controls -- people who are not treated with chemotherapy drugs. If you do not know how many people will survive without chemo, you really do not know how many are helped by it. If you're worried about not treating them, why not offer nutrition and exercise support?
And it is inappropriate to say that everyone who refuses chemo is ignorant or refusing to see the evidence. I'm reading dozens of medical reports, gathering real evidence of the benefit (or lack of benefit) for non-surgical therapies for my cancer. Don't be so patronizing.
Woman commits suicide after cancer diagnosis
The Cancer Blog
Sep 1st 2007 9:50AM Ah, my heart goes out to this woman and her family.
I recently had surgery for endometrial cancer. My doctor is now recommending chemo even though all cancer was removed by the surgery ("just to be sure").
He was quite insistent that I should have chemo without providing me clinical evidence of its effectiveness. If I felt forced to allow chemo, I would feel suicidal myself. Fortunately, I won't go ahead with it without firm evidence, and my family supports me in this.
Too bad doctors don't seem to understand that chemo is not a real option for some of us. I think fear of chemo keeps some people from getting medical assistance earlier; it certainly stopped me. Please consider letting us live (and die) in peace.
