The General Cancer Discussion

Actually, it was my understanding that the best guess is that it's not genetically linked. However, the fact that two immediate family members have it within the space of 3 years strikes me as too close to be a coincidence.

I'm hoping it's a misdiagnosis, but, well, that's kind of a long shot.

...Damn. For want of a better word, that's terrible. I hope it's a misdiagnosis too, but you'll need to get that checked at some point. (Genetic links are suspected but not confirmed.)

Uninsured. A private MRI could cost thousands of dollars. And even if I got one, and it turned out I had a tumor, then what? I wouldn't be able to afford treatment anyway.

edited 3rd Apr '13 10:16:00 PM by TheyCallMeTomu

Call your local United Way. They can point you in the right direction for help if you feel you need to be evaluated.

For the entire month of April, Walgreens Pharmacy in the US is paying the $65 registration fee for the National Bone Marrow Database!

Go in, swab your check, sign up, and be in the running to potentially save a life! Can't beat free!

Gabrael: Could you examine the purpose of the registry to those uninitiated?

Its a national database of those who are willingto be cconsidered as bone marrow transplants.

Most of the time when someone needs a bone marrow transplant they have to go through family members and hope someone is compatible and also healthy. That is not always feesible. So with the national register, its like being a living organ donor. They can look up possible matches in this registry and try them.

Pancreatic cancer, bone cancer, blood disorders, and arterial cancer can all be treated if not stopped with a bone marrow transplant.

You can't donate organs if you have cancer, though, right?

I used to be really big into organ donation, but since my father died of brain cancer, it makes me wonder how useful my sorry sack of flesh is going to be after my death.

Marrow isn't an organ. Its a tissue but its really its own thing.

And sometimes you can donate different parts depending on what your cancer actually was and how bad, plus not everyone who has cancer dies from it.

Don't go thinking your fate is sealed Tomu.

edited 15th Apr '13 9:48:51 PM by joeyjojo

Meh. Meh meh meh meh meh.

My father died of brain cancer, my sister is dying of it only two years later, things don't look good yo. They don't. Look. Good.

Then don't make it worse by wallowing in it.

Seriously despairing doesn't help.

@:Bone Marrow Database, So you registered then gabs? Bone marrow can definitely be a life saver. But I certainly can see why people wouldn't leap at the chance to give some.

edited 20th Apr '13 6:15:12 AM by joeyjojo

Yep. Just two cheek swabs and I am in! The chances of my being called up is almost none. Even with the database they still go through blood family first. I am anemic so they may not want me, but I have donated blood and hair regularly and I am a registered organ donor so I jumped at it. I rather be on it and not needed then be needed and willing but not be in a position to at least see if I can help.

Bone marrow donation isn't easy. But its a very effective treatment against so many ailments, especially cancer. If they had caught my Daddy's cancer in time a bone marrow transplant could have stopped the spread of his.

Meh, I don't really care about the cancer thing TBH, which is what annoys me the most. It's all very "whatever."

@Gabrael: Don't go giving yourself away too freely, at this rate there will be nothing left.

I have donated bone marrow. Active duty military can also be added to the database for free, so I did the cheek swab in 2007 and got called in 2009. I would totally do it again.

Squicky details!

Ooo, that sounds medically intriguing but physically exhausting. I could handle that. I could handle the needle method too, but then again I am weird.

The worst part was laying in the bed and trying not to move for six hours.

I would probably fall asleep. Is that allowed?

I'm fairly sure you're allowed to doze off, if you can.

edited 16th Apr '13 8:53:10 AM by Pyrite

Should we discuss Angelina Jolie's recent pre-emptive double mastectomy?

Seems rather drastic. But if she really did have an 87% chance of developing the cancer that killed her mother as reported, it really isn't that much of a choice.

She had the BRCA1 mutation, did she?

Yes.

Edit: Okay I'll be a bit more technical. BRCA 1 is a gene that is expressed in the cells of breast and other tissue, where it helps repair damaged DNA. or destroy cells if DNA cannot be repaired. If BRCA 1 gene itself is damaged, damaged DNA can not be repaired properly and this increases the risks for cancer.

Now Miss Jolie had a family history of breast cancer and recently had confirmation that she a particularly severe BRCA 1 gene mutation, which gave her an 87% risk of developing a serious life threatening cancer in her life time.

She did not have breast cancer at the time of her operation. But considered the odds of developing it so high and the effectiveness of constant early warring check ups unreliable enough that she made the somewhat controversial decision to have both breast amputated.

edited 19th May '13 4:24:53 AM by joeyjojo

I dont really get the controversy at all.

This seems like the sort of thing only an idiot would find controversial.

if you know you have a damned near 100% chance of a disease that could kill you, and know a way to prevent it, why on earth wouldnt you?

edited 19th May '13 6:05:45 AM by Midgetsnowman