Cancer

[moneymaker]

If you could live forever, would you want to? Even more importantly would you share your new found fountain of youth with others? I say for myself, yes and no.

[njtosd]

[quote=scaredyclassic][quote=spdrun]Don’t men fear cancer just as much?[/quote]

Save the tatas not the testes[/quote]

I don’t quite know what scaredy’s response meant, but these statistics from the American Cancer Society suggest men have more to fear:

“Nearly half of all men and a little more than one-third of all women in the United States will have cancer during their lifetimes.”

http://m.cancer.org/treatment/understandingyourdiagnosis/afterdiagnosis/after-diagnosis-who-gets-cancer

Men are more likely to die of cancer as well.

[flyer]

It’s interesting that mortality–the bottom line of existence itself–has always been the “elephant in the room” that most people don’t want to face.

For us, it’s one reason we’ve always done what we wanted to do along the way, rather than waiting to “retire,” so acknowledging the inevitable has been very positive in our case. That, and our beliefs, (which I have no interest in debating here) have given us the answers we’re looking for, and is different for everyone.

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=njtosd][quote=scaredyclassic][quote=spdrun]Don’t men fear cancer just as much?[/quote]

Save the tatas not the testes[/quote]

I don’t quite know what scaredy’s response meant, but these statistics from the American Cancer Society suggest men have more to fear:

“Nearly half of all men and a little more than one-third of all women in the United States will have cancer during their lifetimes.”

http://m.cancer.org/treatment/understandingyourdiagnosis/afterdiagnosis/after-diagnosis-who-gets-cancer

Men are more likely to die of cancer as well.[/quote]

Lance Armstrong kind of ruined the face of testicular cancer.

[njtosd]

[quote=scaredyclassic][quote=njtosd][quote=scaredyclassic][quote=spdrun]Don’t men fear cancer just as much?[/quote]

Save the tatas not the testes[/quote]

I don’t quite know what scaredy’s response meant, but these statistics from the American Cancer Society suggest men have more to fear:

“Nearly half of all men and a little more than one-third of all women in the United States will have cancer during their lifetimes.”

http://m.cancer.org/treatment/understandingyourdiagnosis/afterdiagnosis/after-diagnosis-who-gets-cancer

Men are more likely to die of cancer as well.[/quote]

Lance Armstrong kind of ruined the face of testicular cancer.[/quote]

Lance is like the girls who got pregnant out of wedlock in the 50s. He’s vilified because he was unlucky enough to get caught. The belief that any major athlete doesn’t use performance enhancing drugs while continuing to beat those who do is sort of Pollyana-ish.

Regarding cancer generally, “checkpoint inhibitors” may really turn around survival rates. They are getting a lot of attention in bio-techie circles:

What is a Checkpoint Inhibitor? Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Definition

[njtosd]

[quote=scaredyclassic]It’s difficult to live under the shadow of death. I’ve had this fear since 1979.

Probably the only thing we can do while we are waiting for the extinction of everything we are, have known and have loved, is at least to not waste the fish heads.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/03/07/286881659/why-we-should-quit-tossing-fish-heads-and-eat-em-up-instead-yum%5B/quote%5D

Funny – my husband sings that song to (at) me when he wants to be annoying. The fish by products aren’t being wasted, though. They are being recycled in the most biological sense of the word into other marine creatures.

I’m lucky in that I don’t think about death unless something happens to someone close to me. I guess as I get older this will happen more….

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=njtosd]

Lance is like the girls who got pregnant out of wedlock in the 50s. He’s vilified because he was unlucky enough to get caught. The belief that any major athlete doesn’t use performance enhancing drugs while continuing to beat those who do is sort of Pollyana-ish.

Regarding cancer generally, “checkpoint inhibitors” may really turn around survival rates. They are getting a lot of attention in bio-techie circles:

What is a Checkpoint Inhibitor? Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Definition

[/quote]

I lost all respect for lance. He was too much of a self promoter. If you screw around out of wedlock then shut up, and lay low.

It’s very likely lance’s cancer was all made up. People do that all the time.

[scaredyclassic]

[quote=njtosd][quote=scaredyclassic]It’s difficult to live under the shadow of death. I’ve had this fear since 1979.

Probably the only thing we can do while we are waiting for the extinction of everything we are, have known and have loved, is at least to not waste the fish heads.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/03/07/286881659/why-we-should-quit-tossing-fish-heads-and-eat-em-up-instead-yum%5B/quote%5D

Funny – my husband sings that song to (at) me when he wants to be annoying. The fish by products aren’t being wasted, though. They are being recycled in the most biological sense of the word into other marine creatures.

I’m lucky in that I don’t think about death unless something happens to someone close to me. I guess as I get older this will happen more….[/quote]

I think about my own death I’d say six times a day.FISH HEAD SOUP is good for pondering mortality because you have the fish looking at you in the pot. It’s impossible to deny it was a living creature like me, in the way a hamburger is a denial of reality.

FYI. the eyeball tastes good but there’s a hard part in the middle.

[no_such_reality]

1 in 2 men will get cancer, the question is will you be lucky a get a minor, easily treatable but potentially problematic skin cancer or prostate cancer at 80-90 or unlucky and get one of the sucky ones.

[spdrun]

They say a lot of men die WITH prostate cancer, just generally not OF it.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=scaredyclassic]Buddhists would counter that living the life you want is bound to fail, because the only peace achievable on earth will come from the cessation of desires and wants.

Also it’s difficult to live the life you want when your people are dropping off around you, or travelling away.[/quote]

Buddhism is very good. I have wittled down my wants, even though i have a lot more than before.

Problem is you live in relation to others and our culture is about pursuing desires and wants. One is the odd ball out if one doesn’t share the culture, at least to some degree. Can’t escape your environment.

As far as death is concerned, I just want to live a long time so I can observe the world. Reality is a lot better than fiction. Plus I want to win. He who lives the longest with the mostest wins.

[bearishgurl]

I’d really, really like to see reliable tests or scans be developed to diagnose gastrointestinal cancers (incl ovarian cancer) much, much earlier than they currently are and go “mainstream” as part of annual physical exams of susceptible adults with a family history.

Early cancer diagnosis (Stage 1 and 2), along with surgery, are really the only “cure” (or can at least buy the patient another 5-20 years of good-quality life until it returns in some fashion).

[svelte]

Wow. I had forgot even posting this thread. We drowned our sorrows with libation Fri eve and I must’ve sat down at the keyboard before I retired.

Thanks for the thoughts everyone. It is still sinking in. He’s handling it well.

We’ll know more next week, but from the little bit I have read on his situation it’s not the best of news.

I’m still a bit shaken. Thanks again.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=njtosd] . . . Regarding cancer generally, “checkpoint inhibitors” may really turn around survival rates. They are getting a lot of attention in bio-techie circles:
http://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2015/09/what-is-a-checkpoint-inhibitor/%5B/quote%5DInteresting link and website, nj. These “checkpoint inhibitors” (unlike the newer “targeted” therapy, which doesn’t exactly hit JUST the bullseye) supposedly don’t damage healthy tissue. Chemo and various “targeted therapy” or “biologic agents” DO often damage healthy tissue permanently can very easily be deadly to stage 3.5 and up gastrointestinal cancer patients, imho. Of course, every patient is a little different, but, for example, some of these newer agents seem to make the cancer cells go horribly astray very fast in a gastrointestinal cancer patient. Within 3 days to a week of the first infusion, they have managed to cause tumor blockage in the route from the kidneys to the urethra (causing a 2-3 month prognosis with a catheter) and/or at the duodenum (usually causing a painful 10-25 day prognosis with a stent) due to the patient almost always being inoperable. In other words, these strong deadly agents have been known to severely curtail the quality of life for a terminal patient and also shorten their lives by 2-4+ months.

In my mind, it’s not worth it for a patient with advanced cancer to undergo chemo in the absence of surgery. I’ve seen too much with too many advanced (inoperable) cancer patients over the years (relatives and friends) who were grasping at straws for hope and “fell” into a chemo regime as a last ditch effort to buy more time . . . and it never did, Instead, it complicated their disease exponentially.

I’m glad to see that what appears to be truly “targeted therapies” are now being investigated, even if it is at present on just two types of cancer in clinical trials. At least it is something. Cancer research is a very slow process and I can understand all the reasons why this is so.

After having attended over two dozen funerals since 1992 (vast majority cancer deaths), I have been feeling a profound sense of loss in recent years. The death of my good friend of over 40 years last fall (103 days after diagnosis with pancreatic cancer) hit me very hard. I have been endeavoring more than ever now to do whatever I can to limit my cancer risk and be grateful to wake up each day and tackle my to-do list. I do agree that we should all do in life whatever makes us happy (especially if we no longer have daily responsibilities to other family members) and am working my way towards that end.

svelte, I hope your friend is able to get surgery which is the only (albeit often temporary) “cure.” (In my experience, Stage 3 and up cancer patients can often get another 3-8 years with a relatively good quality of life if they are able to get surgery.) If not, I hope their last months/weeks/days are as painless and comfortable as possible.

I’ve bookmarked the Dana Farber Institute and will follow it on this development. Thanks for the link, njtosd.

Sorry for the somewhat “morbid” post but in my experience, doctors often talk in circles to their newly-diagnosed terminal cancer patients because they are not yet ready to hear the truth. Unfortunately, a diagnosis of cancer (Stage 3.5 and up) almost always means the cancer will win … and probably sooner than later (which, in most cases, is a blessing).

[bearishgurl]

Keep us posted, svelte. It would be good to know if your friend is able to have surgery.

We in SD County, CA are very fortunate to have some of the best coordinated cancer care and the finest cancer doctors in the country. This is not the case for cancer patients residing in many other jurisdictions.

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