I found another article yesterday on the internet. You must think I spend all my time looking for articles. I don't. I spend about two minutes looking to see if there is that long awaited breakthrough in the search for a cure. I used to spend longer but now that pessimism has set in, I only look for a few minutes because, in addition to being a tiny bit pessimistic about this, I realize that if the cure for cancer was discovered it would be front page news world wide - sort of like what we can expect when BP finally caps the damn oil well. But my optimistic side always makes me check around in case somehow it missed the front page editor's sight. I look around and then scan them and only read the ones that I think pertain to me.
Anyway, this article is optimistically titled 'Progress against cancer reported on multiple fronts' so I had to read it. Maybe its a cure for me. So I scanned it - results from the annual ASCO conference which I am dying to find out about that will be fully released later this week - lung cancer, breast cancer, and melanoma. Breast cancer made me realize I need to fully read it. Then I wished I hadn't as buried in the article is the cheery sentence:
'According to the Dr. Christopher Twelves, lead author of the study, 50 percent of women with breast cancer will have their cancer come back or spread, and for them, there’s no good cure.'
WHAT! 50% will have their cancer return or spread? How reassuring! NOT! This is not something to read unless you can visit your oncologist and discuss this. And this new treatment they are talking about would extend your life by 2.5 months. Ahem, if I am ever stage IV and have no quality of life, I am not sure I want 2.5 months more.
I think I need to erase this article from my tiny brain. Shoo, scram. I don't want to remember this!
And now for a completely different topic. Yesterday I had some interesting comments on my blog.
One of them is from someone, who didn't leave their email, about an annual nomination of mom's who are exceptional. Too bad I don't have kids but go visit their website if you want to know more. www.pinkpowermom.com
Another one is from a medical student who is working on a project to build a large, public access database of unbiased, anecdotal data about Breast Cancer treatments. Visit www.rateadrug.com.
Okay, that's my public service for the day. I have to get moving so I can go to work, for a walk, and then to a meeting. I'll be home about 12 hours after I leave. Yuck. I'll also just pretend that my back doesn't hurt because I might possibly have done a tiny bit too much yesterday.
4 comments:
Shocking when only a 50% recurrence/spreading rate is a sign of progress, isn't it?
That has to be a misquote. Otherwise, we would have heard more about it. Everyone I know who's had breast cancer has survived years and years and years. Mine, triple negative, is considered cured after two or three years with only a 10-15% chance of recurrence during the first two to three years.
@Linda - I just googled Dr Christopher Twelves Breast Cancer and found his study may have been only on women with metastic breast cancer. I'll have to see if I can find the whole article - its part of the ASCO conference and the results should be announced later this week. See what happens when things are taken out of context?
INTERESTING! Such irresponsible journalism on the part of CNN. Let me know what you learn.
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