Will we ever beat cancer?

[mondeomatureguy]

My late mum was a nurse all her life and died of Cancer in December 1999 at the age of 79 years old.
Five years before that I went to see her one afternoon and she told me she had "Cancer and she wasn't going to get any treatment because she was too old.

She never did get any treatment and my sister who at the time was a Nursing Sister in a major hospital in Sydney looked after her and she passed away in her sleep on a Sunday morning.

What I am trying to say is Cancer treatment is not for every body and I think what's the use of having a major operation and being sick because your on Chemo if its not going to work you've got to have some sort of quality of life.

[vixf6]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

The Medical Profession, The Government, and Big Pharma, all need to be pushed to change the way we treat Cancer, and develop said treatments.

There's a fundamental problem with the whole Oncology Industry, and it really is quite unique.
Even if you are a garbo, you collect the garbage and take it to the tip. You do your job, you succeed.
But Oncology is built on failure. Your patients mostly die, and often suffer horribly along the way. So being an ******** who doesn't care about his patients, is not just an advantage, it's almost mandatory. It also builds an institutional attitude of "meh, lets just follow protocol, when we can, because it doesn't really matter, you're going to die anyway."

I lost both my parents to Cancer. Because my dad was a Vet they received better than average care, and it was still terrible. Literally treated like cattle on the way to the abattoir.

My Dad had one of those "Cast-Iron" constitutions, very rarely got sick, and had great heart and lungs until the Chemo got him.

When he was first diagnosed, they sent him for surgery and chopped out part of his guts and liver. When he asked if they had gotten all the tumour, the doc said "no, but they knew they wouldn't before they started." So he asked what was the point, and was told "now they could have a really good look at it." (Better than the biopsies??)

He was placed on Chemo, and went through the full course. He was much weakened by the chemo, but it did nothing to the cancer. "Oh yes said the doctor, that stuff only works about half the time" (even on dad specific type of cancer)

So they started him on a second type of treatment. After about two treatments he collapsed with a heart-attack and was rushed to hospital. "Oh yes said the doc, that one causes irreparable heart-damage in most patients, we'll try something else"

So he started on his 3rd lot of Chemo. This mostly worked, and shrunk the tumours substantially, back to almost nothing.
After a year or two the tumours were growing back, so they gave him another course of the same stuff. It did nothing.
"Oh yes says the doc, that usually happens, anything that grows back is resistant"

That's when they finally revealed that because of the specific type of "cancer" Dad had, there is actually a "wonder drug" available that kicks the **** of only those type of cells and leaves the rest of the body alone. It cost $20k a pop, but the govt was paying. The problem was that by this point Dad was knackered. His heart was stuffed, his lungs had turned to soup, he could nolonger eat solid food, and his bones had dissolved leaving him crippled and in agony. Because this new treatment also damaged his immune system, they had to be extremely careful.

Even so, the doctor now told Dad that he could keep him alive indefinitely. Which he would have done, except he was knackered and his heart gave out.

Mum had cancer lodge and grow in a lymph node. They removed it, examined it, and proclaimed that she had breast cancer and needed a double mastectomy. However xrays, mammograms, nd an MRI failed to find any cancer in her breasts.

Later, after some discomfort, hey discovered she had bowel cancer. So surgeons removed basically her entire lower GI tract. She spent her last few weeks on earth in agony, unable to consume food, and with diarrhoea constantly pouring out beyond her control.

Absolutely horrific, Crazy Dazz, speechless, wish you all the best mate.

[b0son]

There is no big pharma conspiracy. Chemo is simply very inefficient. It's blunt force rather than targeted. They select the statistically most successful drug given the features of the cancer being treated, and move down the list if the cancer is unresponsive. The problem is the time taken to detect whether the drug is effective or not - not all patients have time.

It's not like the pharma companies are designing these drugs with deliberate shortcomings akin to planned obsolescence in a printer.

[Citroënbender]

Just looking at the timeline of posts, my mate has “dormant” tumours waking up again after barely six months of chemo shutting them down. He’s done everything right, and this is still where it has found him.

[Fed]

Voluntary euthanasia should be more readily available IMO.

[jaydee]

Originally Posted by Fed

Voluntary euthanasia should be more readily available IMO.

Absolulutely.
My poor old Dad died a horrible agonising death from cancer.
The medical team slowly increased his pain killers until he slipped away in pallative care.
He was basically unconscious for 2 weeks.
He would gladly have put a gun in his mouth if he could in the early days.
It is shameful that we don't allow people like this to die with dignity.

[FTE217]

Originally Posted by Citroënbender

Just looking at the timeline of posts, my mate has “dormant” tumours waking up again after barely six months of chemo shutting them down. He’s done everything right, and this is still where it has found him.

sorry to see mate.

[Citroënbender]

Originally Posted by jaydee

Absolulutely.
My poor old Dad died a horrible agonising death from cancer.
…It is shameful that we don't allow people like this to die with dignity.

Absolutely. I fully expect my mate to go on his own terms when he’s had enough. It’s just how he is; some might label it abusive or patriarchal, but he’s watched a close friend die from cancer lately and the incredible suffering - for no benefit - was clear.

[Syndrome]

My father had a recent checkup and his bladder cancer has not reappeared.

[mondeomatureguy]

Hi Guys
My darling older sister died of Cancer last month feb 26th. A very smart women she was a Nursing Sister and then later in life taught Nursing at the University.

I still remember something my late mother once said to me as a young boy and that was " hopefully when you grow up and get older they will find a cure for Cancer".

Well i am older alright a lot older 62 years old now but still no cure for cancer.
The treatments have got better but will they ever find a cure?

[Citroënbender]

I got “sampled” for pathology the other day due to my mate having terminal prostate cancer, my grandfather having died with it, and my father having a nascently cancerous prostate removed. His urologist was a great man; excellent track record for the right approach per patient - not just a serial butcher. Despite the family history it looks like I will be paying for the lab - not Medicare.

Hopefully a waste of money!

[xkxlxm]

A family member ignored the growing lump on the side of his face until it got too big (far too big) to ignore. He finally saw a doctor and then a skin specialist who was never going to be able to do anything with a lump that size, apart from referring him to one of our top cancer centres. Scans/tests showed evidence that cancer had spread to his lungs. The surgeon he saw there wanted to cut the tumour from his face, which would have led to disfigurement.

The oncologist he saw persuaded the surgeon to let him treat the patient with immunotherapy, in this case 'ipi' and 'nivo' (ipilimumab and nivolumab). Treatment was the two drugs on the same day, then every three weeks. By the time of the second treatment the tumour on the face had reduced in size quite noticeably.

The two-drug treatment lasted for a couple of months or so, reduced to one of the drugs after that. The lump on his face has totally gone and scans don't show cancer. Treatment started in early 2019 and was to last two years, which seemed to me to be far, far away in early 2019.

He looked very weak before treatment. I don't know what treatment would have followed the surgery option; chemo? However, without immunotherapy I think I would have been going to his funeral.

He is extremely lucky. Not all patients respond to the immunotherapy. He had side effects, but they could have been worse. Treatment under our public health system didn't cost him a cent, but it would not even have been available 10 years ago.

[Citroënbender]

It’s great to hear of someone having a second bite, thanks to medical progress.

[LG17]

My best mate, of over 50 years, had Bowel cancer 10 years ago.

He beat it.
6 years ago he beat Prostate cancer.
2 weeks ago he was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer.
Each one is a primary, no signs of secondary at all.
He goes to the Oncologist tomorrow after having all sorts of tests last week to decide on a course of action. If they can operate it will happen on Thursday.


Cancer sucks!

[falcon_bandit]

To answer the original question, well I bloody hope so!!

I had a flat 3mm innocent looking squamous cell cancer cut out yesterday, and it's been a bit of a trip since hearing the word cancer 5 days ago at the age of 40.

After the initial biopsy


Day after surgery, now

[xkxlxm]

Let's hope that the surgery is the cure in your case.

[mondeomatureguy]

Hi Everyone,
This morning 2nd of May i got up early and left at 7am to drive to Westmead Hospital to see a mate of my brothers.
My two brothers had gone there last week to see him, and on the way home they phoned me telling me his dying of cancer and he would love to see me.

I walked into the ward to see him and he knew right away who i was. His mind is still sharp as a tack but his got cancer every where and has only a matter of weeks to live.
We had a good chat and a few laughs, and he told me "you drove all the way from Goulburn just to see me" which i said "Why wouldn't i"?

Treatment for Cancer has improved over the years, but still no cure and i dont think they will find one in my life time.

id love nothing more then hear a Doctor say " you've got cancer i will give you some tablets and they will fix it"

[slowsnake]

The worst thing about cancer is that it doesn't discriminate, age, race, creed it don't matter one bit, my dad died over 35 years ago now, I still remember his smiling face, and he never complained, multiple myeloma he had, mum said it was from his war service?..he was a troopship cook during WW2, he stayed in the merchant navy until 1949, I asked why he didn't demob sooner, his answer blew me away!

He said "son I want to give the POW's a really nice cooked meal, show them some kindness" so obviously he was in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he waited until every allied POW was brought safely home to their families, what a legend!

Cheers Billy.

[FroudeyBrand]

Forgive me i hadn't read the first 5 pages throughly, but my eldest son passed away in 2015 due to brain tumor that pretty much spread to his liver etc.

The cancer cure will come, even after my son died a few leaps and bound was discovered the next year and again this year some more information was found and proved to lower chances of death and alike

the one thing that ****S me to ****ING tears is all these muppets that scream or have this debate that the government and big pharma has the cure for cancers but doesn't release them cause it makes them too much money.... I can't stand that ****ing statement.... if big pharma or government had the cures for cancer they can make alot more money then prolonging death etc... if they had this magic pill to cure cancer it would make then money 10x fold cause people will pay the stupid markup

[slowsnake]

Sorry to hear about your boy, its very sad when they are so young, it destroys families, and you are right about big pharma, and yes its all about the mighty dollar, usually the US dollar!

There will never be a cure for cancer, they can't even find a cure for the common cold, that tells me that the common cold is a normal or natural way for nature to get rid of all the s..t in your body!
But you need to find a cause for any illness or disease before you can design a cure!

That's only my opinion mind you, but cancer is a mongrel, and it has to be in us I reckon since birth, just sitting there waiting for the right circumstances to come along and then you are gone,done like a dog's dinner really.
And smoking in my opinion does not cause cancer, it causes respiratory distress and a load of other lung issues of which I have most, but I had a shocking work history, especially the 70's and early 80's.

Metal dust of every description, welding fumes, asbestos in particular, radon gas from a Uranium mine, sulphur dioxide that we all breathe everyday in traffic!
Where does the list end of all these supposed carcinogens in our daily lives, are we supposed to hide indoors all day, no, we are meant to go out each day and do our jobs, that really is our function, the illnesses are just a coincidence in a long hard life!

Cheers Billy.

[DFB FGXR6]

One of my work colleagues informed us today that she has advanced stage Ovarian Cancer. She has been given about 4 years and will be having treatment. This will be her second battle with Cancer.

It's a very confronting thing to have someone tell you they are dying with such composure while also keeping a cheerful and happy demeanor. Her wishes are for us to treat her no differently, but its hard not to be terrified by the thought of her not being around.

[Stephenlk]

My life changed in 2016 when diagnosed with stage 4 Bowel cancer. The tumour found during a colonocopy, after a positive stool sample, was very small, but had metastised to the lymph nodes and liver. I had a hemi colectomy in Feb, 6 lots of intense chemo, 60% liver resection in July, followed by more chemo to remove any residual cells. 5 years on, I have been given the all clear (I made the 30%), with only a few side effects. I have neuropathy in my fingers and feet, which isn't great in the cold weather in Vic. Just standing on a surface, slightly colder than ambient, makes the balls of the feet go numb. No more walking around with bare feet, like I could in QLD. A couple of other minor effects also.
Best part is I'm still alive and don't anyone be afraid of doing the Bowel cancer test. If I'd left mine for another few months I wouldn't be posting this now.

[Citroënbender]

Good outcome, pleased to hear that it worked.

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

One of my work colleagues informed us today that she has advanced stage Ovarian Cancer. She has been given about 4 years and will be having treatment. This will be her second battle with Cancer.

It's a very confronting thing to have someone tell you they are dying with such composure while also keeping a cheerful and happy demeanor. Her wishes are for us to treat her no differently, but its hard not to be terrified by the thought of her not being around.

Chip in at work and buy her a bunch of flowers every week, she will appreciate it, but probably will seem embarrassed! She's not, she's grateful




Cheers Billy

[slowsnake]

How old are you Stephenik, if you don't mind me asking?




Cheers Billy

[slowsnake]

This thread title may as well read " Will we ever beat War " well no


Cheers Billy

[LG17]

My mate who's fighting pancreatic cancer is having a tough time.
He's been in and out of hospital since the operation so many times it's unbelievable.
He's been fighting infection after infection and now has a blood clot in his lung to contend with.
Sometimes it's not the cancer itself that's hard to deal with, it's all the side effects of the treatment and all the extra battles on top of the cancer.

[Stephenlk]

Originally Posted by slowsnake

How old are you Stephenik, if you don't mind me asking?

Cheers Billy

I turned 56 4 days after the Bowel surgery.
Worst part of it all was when I was in hospital with the liver surgery. There was another fellow in the ward that had stage 4 prostate cancer and his liver had burst. He had all sorts of people coming in to give him advise on what to do before he died. It was the only time I felt really down during the whole process. He was only 52, way too young!

[slowsnake]

Originally Posted by Stephenlk

I turned 56 4 days after the Bowel surgery.
Worst part of it all was when I was in hospital with the liver surgery. There was another fellow in the ward that had stage 4 prostate cancer and his liver had burst. He had all sorts of people coming in to give him advise on what to do before he died. It was the only time I felt really down during the whole process. He was only 52, way too young!

Yep it's a real kick in the guts having cancer, especially if you lead a decent life and have to watch lowlife s umbags swanning around, that sh.ts me to tears!

As for your neuropathy in the balls of your feet, that's usually L4-L5 dermatone, I walk even in slippers with my toes curled under, it helps a lot, my toes feel the floor but my feet dont!...just a trick I learned, and in your hands and fingers, I have to fold each banknote in half separately so I don't give 2 $50 notes out when shopping, can't deal cards, but am alive and so are you, that's something eh, but seriously try curling your toes...


Cheers Billio

[Stephenlk]

Yep, I didn't like the only other option, so I let the specialists do what they had to and did what I was told. The oncologist said she would hit me with the highest dosage of oxaliplatin, hence the neuropathy. The Oxy was okay until after the liver surgery, then it started playing up with me more. So she cut it back then, be mop up chemo.