Cancer

[Jordyboy9]

CANCER just the word itself sounds evil ,there are so many of us effected by this scourge, when I posted on nailits thread I was thinking,
Will we ever find a cure? Billions of pounds poured into trying to find a cure for years and still nothing,men on the moon technology at its best but yet nothing,maybe one day.

[237SJ]

A bit of sunshine and fresh air will do her good as well

[grumpy01]

Having lost several close relatives including my Father and Mother-in-Law to cancer I have become disillusioned with all this talk of we are getting nearer but we need more money for research.Goodness surely they’ve had long enough and people are still dying early and they’re non smokers or drinkers.I believe people would be better off giving their money to Macmillan or Marie Curie who can provide help for people at their lowest ebb.

[237SJ]

When my Mum first got breast cancer we were told that so much money had been thrown at that particular disease that the prospects of sufferers were much better. That might be the case but they still can't cure it can they?

[237SJ]

^Because if they could, my Mum would still alive and so would her sister

[Tilly2]

Breast cancer screening has probably saved thousands of lives though.

[237SJ]

Yes, it has in some cases but not others. My Aunt's cancer was so small that it barely registered on the mamogramme. It had still gone into her lymph nodes though. No amount of screening will change the outcome of some breast cancers. Screening is good but it's not the be all and end all. In the UK, we should screen at a younger age and stop screening at a later age but we are cost lead in the NHS

[Tilly2]

I agree with that, 237. Screening should be extrapolated to ensure that there is a better chance of the disease being caught at its earliest stages but as you say, we are cost lead in the NHS.

[Old_Geezer]

There are many types of cancers, and yes progress is being made. Hardly nothing. When I was young it was a guaranteed death sentence, now many are cured. Give it time and the rest will be, and something else will take the top spot as cause of death.

[237SJ]

^They still don't know what is causing it though and that's the problem.

[Sqad]

All the above posts have said it all, but i would like to add my personal comments.
We are still light years away from curing cancer.
Cancer has many diverse causes.
Cancers vary in their aggressiveness and ability to kill.
Cancer on the whole is a disease of the over 65's and as we are living longer, cancer will become more common.
I cannot convince myself that breast screening in women is a useful tool for diagnosing breast cancer at an early stage......that is i am not convinced that routine breast screening has anything to offer.

[choux]

Oh Jordy, I am so sorry for your recent loss. To leave such a young family behind is so very heartbreaking for all concerned.

I don't believe the causes of cancer can be eradicated, indeed the trend appears to be towards more causes all the while.

What is important is the care of cancer patients, to be able to extend meaningful lives and when all is lost to ensure adequate pain management.

To be around someone close to you who has cancer or to be the cancer patient is an education in itself. Personally - I never said 'Why me?'. What I did say was 'Why not me?'

Over many years wecan see that survival rates for cancer patients are improving and this allows people to get on with living and make informed choices.

Whether or not we believe there will ever be a cure for cancers is dependent upon our individual thoughts. But I strongly believe that there must be hope for it, otherwise how are people who have cancer and fervently wish to be cured expected to achieve anything in their life?

[roopower]

I've had an email from Cancer Research UK this morning outlining three projects set up very recently. The first is looking at using gut microbes to improve cancer treatment, the second is looking at why faulty genes only cause cancer in certain parts of the body and the third is looking at how chronic inflammation contributes to cancer development.

[derekpara]

I was diagnosed with rectal cancer last August and underwent Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy at the wonderful Cancer Centre at Guys Hospital in London.
Subsequent scans and rectal examination, including biopsies, resulted in the Oncologist telling me that there are now 'no signs of malignancy.' Incidentally, I did see the 'before and after' photos and the affected area is like a new plastic waste pipe !

I am now on a 'belt and braces' course of chemo just to make sure. So if all turns out clear after the course, can I consider myself 'cured' ?

[Sqad]

Derekpara

Good result......congratulations.

"I am now on a 'belt and braces' course of chemo just to make sure. So if all turns out clear after the course, can I consider myself 'cured' ?"

No......there is no permanent cure, but instead the medics have what is known as 5 year survival rates...i,e the chances of being alive after 5 years and after that, then the medic boys will reckon that you will die of a condition unrelated to your cancer.
e.g Not knowing much about your cancer 5 year survival for rectal cancer is about 70%. That means that 7 out of 10 patients with rectal cancer will still be alive after 5 years....but remember, many will still live longer than 5 years.

[dunnitall]

I think they try and frighten people into what causes cancer...don't eat this, drink that, do whatever. I feel sure it's all to do with what they do to our food and drink and the chemicals we are exposed to. One of my family members had/has breast cancer... I have always felt that the contraceptive pill has played a large part in the increase of this particular one. Just a feeling I have because so many women have taken one sort or another over decades.

[murraymints]

affected.. nailit's thread..

[murraymints]

we live longer and such diseases are not any more prevalent but as we do live longer they present... not nice treatment and have much experience of Cancers.... but it can be treated ..not always successfully...

[jno]

people have to die of something; cures for other things, like smallpox, increase the likelihood that it will be something else. The older you get, the more likely it becomes that your cells will start playing up.

CRUK reckon 40% of cacer cases are preventable. That suggests lifestyle may well play a part, as smoking does in lung cancer.

[derekpara]

Thank you, Sqad. Incidentally, and this may be a warning to others, the discovery of the tumour came about almost by accident ! I was prescribed a blood thinner ( Riveroxiban) for my recently diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation and after a couple of days had a show of blood after poos. It was the subsequent Colonoscopy that revealed the tumour. There had not been any previous symptoms or pain and I have always been very healthy, fit and active, working up to my present age (80+), so cancer can truly be described as a 'silent killer. A five year extension seems a pretty good prospect from my perspective ! Thanks again.

D

[Sqad]

Derekpara .....;-)