The General Cancer Discussion

I was honestly surprised not to find such a thread already. I hope this thread can be used to discuss cancer as both a medical topic, but also a social topic as well. Most all of us know at least one person close to us who has struggled with cancer. Maybe some tropers have cancer themselves and wish to talk about it.

Beginning topics can include:

• medical treatments
• new research or breaks
• living with cancer yourself and what you would like from society
• living with a loved one who has cancer
• fundraising or support systems for cancer paitents and/or their families

I understand this is also a very emotional topic for some, so I trust OTC is the correct forum for this.

I personally am setting the goal of training for several runs in my region spanning from 5K to half marathons on behalf of my father as soon as I finish this graduate project.

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur

Kidney cancer sucks because it doesn't react to chemo, barely reacts to radiotherapy and can pop up at any time. However the drug Sutinib works and there's an even newer drug that works like Sutinib but with less side effects (Sutinib is also known as Sutent, and basically strangles the tumour by cutting off the blood supply).

edited 2nd Nov '12 3:39:59 PM by GameChainsaw

The term "Great Man" is disturbingly interchangeable with "mass murderer" in history books.

Kidney cancer also is one of the quickest to go metastatic, second only to pancreatic cancer. Kidney cancer can jump organs too, such as settling in the lungs instead of closer organs.

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur

According to an advert I recently saw on TV, 1 in 3 people will contract cancer at some point in their lives. That really sucks. My grandfather died of cancer.

"Steel wins battles. Gold wins wars."

In the case of kidney cancer, what are the early signs? At what point should one suspect and/or start taking action (before confirmation, obviously)?

What about prostate cancer?

Kidney cancer I don't know.

Prostate cancer on the other hand you have to be careful because it can come fast and spread fast. So screenings every 3-5 years based on your family history and personal health is vital.

It can start with intense stomach pains, vomiting, sudden and uncontrollable weight loss, gastro-intestinal disorders and complications, trouble or pain in urination, sharp back pains, and other issues.

The problem with pancreatic cancer is by the time symptoms get bad or are being felt, chances are it's already spread. The liver, kidneys, and bones are the most common next hit spots with the stomach, lungs, and brain being close behind.

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur

For what it's worth: What to look out for in RCC and prostate cancer.

Not a substitute for a formal medical consultation.

My father died of glioblastoma aka brain cancer.

My understanding is that "cancer" isn't just one "disease" so a "cure for cancer" isn't going to happen.

They affect different areas, but cancer cells react very much the same way in how they replicate and hinder the living cells.

We could find a cure for most cancers. We are also navigating better treatments. But I think the one area that is still muddled is detecting it.

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur

Tomu: I'm not sure if I offered condolences back then, but you have mine belatedly.

Not to be pessimistic, but this is fairly accurate. The mechanism by which cancer occurs is the same in principle (uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal cells), but there are many different ways in which the different cells in your body can screw up. That's why there's no "one size fits all" treatment for cancer.

I agree with the second and third parts. The problem is that "curing" cancer (or at least, ensuring remission) is highly dependent on detecting it early, before it's had a chance to metastasise, and even then, there's no really good way to rule out micrometastases.

Not a substitute for a formal medical consultation.

That's why detection is so important to me. Had the doctors done their job right, we could have found my father's cancer before it spread.

My father's case is different, but I have heard various reports that mamograms, prostate exams, and various scans aren't as accurate as we once thought.

This is a disease we can never seem to catch up to. As soon as we find more effective treatments, it's harder to find it.

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur

You have my condolences too, Gabrael.

The thing about screening is that when we're talking about initial screening in a population or specific sub-population, it's not just about accuracy (and there's a whole lot of biostatistics that I really don't want to go into), but it's also about whether it can be feasibly implemented on a widespread basis, as well as the risks of subjecting patients to unnecessary and potentially-risky investigations based on a false alarm.

Not a substitute for a formal medical consultation.

My aunt has breast cancer. She doesn't have her left breast already.

I'm reading this because it's interesting. I think. Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, over.

My father is not dead yet.

His doctor refused to screen for cancer, then supposedly did it, and said it was clear. Over a year of pain later, the doctor was too lazy to contact the insurance company and justify an abdominal CT scan.

My father's health continues to fade and he sees a different doctor about a kidney stone. The doctor here takes one look at my father and sends him for the scan, telling him to not worry.

Halloween, we get the news his pancreas, liver, kidney, and left hip are completely engulfed. My dad won't release the results of the testing for his brain, but his lack of speech and shaking hands tells it for him.

Had his original doctor been more diligent, the mass on his pancreas could have been discovered before it spread.

Now the pancreas is a horrible place to be afflicted. Paitents die within 5 years at a 98% rate. I was listening to NPR about a new treatment for pancreatic cancer called proton radiation that is supposed to do wonders, except it is crazy expensive and doctors are leery of it's work as a whole.

My father has been given 2 months tops and is home on hospice care.

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur

I sympathize with you, Gabrael.

I actually know someone who had breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy. She has since recovered, but it was a difficult time for her.

...Ouch. You have my sympathies regardless - given the circumstances, I understand how it must feel (to some extent).

Not a substitute for a formal medical consultation.

Thanks guys, this really hasn't been my year but I am determined to be proactive with it.

Because of my father's experience, I can understand the fears of testing wrong or what not.

I've heard mamograms can be every 10 years to every year depending on your history. I've heard 3, 5, or 8 years for prostate exams.

And enough cases have cancer piggy backing in with other health problems, blargh. We need more sciences!

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur

My maternal grandmother has survived both breast and colon cancer for over ten years. Which is an encouraging sign for me, since I seem to take after that side of the family more than my dad's side.

My mother-in-law recently underwent surgery and treatment for possible cancer in a lymph node in her neck. I don't remember if it came back positive for cancer or not, but either way it's worrying because lymphatic cancer spreads crazy fast.

Personally, I've had basal skin cell cancer. Which sounds dangerous, but it's really not. In my case, it was a spot about the size of my thumbnail that stayed an open sore and refused to heal for over a year*

. In my case, the treatment was a local anesthetic, a couple of passes with a razor blade, and a careful skin graft taken from behind my ear on my neck to cover the spot it was removed*

not sure of the technical term, but the little whorl on your ear right above the ear canal; it needed to be covered because they removed all the way down to the cartilage

that then took about a month to regrow. The weirdest part was sitting in the waiting area with the five other patients for the same procedure, and being the only one under the age of 70.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

It's a disease that has cost us all greatly, I doubt we shall an end to it in our lifetimes.

edited 15th Nov '12 10:57:18 PM by joeyjojo

hashtagsarestupid

It's official, my daddy's cancer was caused by his diabetic medicine. There is now a class action lawsuit formed and we could partake in it, but none of us want to fight it now. It's not going to change my daddy's situation.

The hospice nurse told us we shouldn't expect him to last the week. I was really hoping I could have seen him for Christmas.

What I don't understand is the very first symptom on the full disclosure seet that you have to request special from the pharmasist, is pancreatic disorders that could result in cancer. In the two years my father was seeing doctors, no one thought to check his medication.

Has anyone else heard of cases like this from drugs? Coal or aesbestos yes, sure. But perscriptions? I haven't heard of them causing cancer before.

"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur

What I'd like to see on this thread (in addition to everything we're already talking about, that is - I'm not telling you to drop a subject - ) is discussion about possible future treatments for cancer. It's always interesting how many different ways there are to approach a given problem in science.

For instance, the Finnish edition of Science Illustrated recently featured an article about how new types of metal are being designed that would react differently to light because of the surface structure of the metal. One potential application was to inject gold-covered silicon particles into a cancer patient's blood stream. Because of the particles' size they would not be able to enter regular cells, but they would be able to enter cancer cells. Then you'd blast the patient with infrared radiation that would pass through the body, heating up only those particles capable of capturing the radiation. The only such particles in the patient would be the gold-silicon particles injected into them. Thus the cancer cells would be fried while the rest of the body would be unharmed.

This treatment, assuming that it'll pan out, will be available in about 5 years.

edited 18th Nov '12 4:19:05 PM by BestOf

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.

While that sounds interesting, it also sounds ridiculously expensive. I mean, what, designer drugs aren't expensive enough, let's inject patients with gold dust? Is it supposed to be some kind of upgrade to traditional radiation treatments for cancer?

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

Gold is, on that quantity, actually not that expensive. At least compared to what the actual meds will cost.

At least If I remember the lecture from a few years back correctly about using gold for injections.

edited 18th Nov '12 4:36:48 PM by 3of4

"You can reply to this Message!"

The gold-covered silicon particles would be so small that the cost of the materials would be absolutely negligible compared to the cost of making the damn things.

Quod gratis asseritur, gratis negatur.

Is this the stuff you're talking about?

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw