How does one truly distinguish between facts of studies when oncologists don't own up to damages from chemo?

Question

You hear all of the scary things & the latest is now I will have brain damage along with cancer? What do you do??

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-chemo1dec01,0,5016382.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Why does this article state otherwise about oncologists? Just something they dreamed up?

Answer 1

I don't doubt that that can happen, but I think it is less common than the author makes it out to be.
Personally, I have had minimal brain damage even when I had a Stage IV brain tumor. I was first diagnosed five years ago and have undergone chemo on and off since.
I have been in what professors from several universities call the most rigorous degree program in the United States, the Biochemistry and Genetics program at Texas A&M University. I changed colleges because it was getting hard to go to class with a suppressed immune system.

Answer 2

I am not sure what your intent is with this type of report? Are you angry that chemotherapy may save lives? The article is interesting and somewhat informative as it expains why some people may feel they have 'chemo brain' during treatment. (it hasn't seemed to bother my son yet . . something we'll watch for, although it is the least of our concerns for his future).

My son has had 16 months of high dose chemotherapy to treat an abdominal sarcoma that had metastasized throughout his body. Chemotherapy literally saved his life. At diagnosis his primary abdominal tumor was the size of a volley ball. It was compressing his stomach so he could barely eat. His heart was displaced up around his neck and shoulder. He had 30 pounds of fluid in his abdomen from the tumors weeping. The tumor had 'seeded' hundreds of small tumors onto his right diaphragm (creating a caking). He had tumors in his chest wall, spleen, large and small intestine, spots on the right lung, and swollen lympth nodes. We were told by a team of pediatric oncologists as gently as possible that our son had a rare, aggressive sarcoma that rarely responded to treatment. He had too many tumors within his body for surgery.

We were given the choice of taking him home or fighting the disease. He chose to fight. His first two rounds of chemo he had minimal response. And, it did not look too good. But by the fourth round he suddently started responding .. 20 % shrinkage of the tumors. With more chemo he responded even more, almost up to 50% and he suddenly became a candidate for surgery.

We've been doing this now for 20 months, he not only responded to chemotherapy, he has thrived . . and more importanly . . he has lived. And, while he was taking chemotherapy, losing his hair, between being hospitalized . . he finished all his high school classes. He has excellent quality of life and only a few 1 cm nodules (inoperable again) on his liver . . so he is taking a couple college classes until he can do a stem cell transplant. Chemo brain? We'll deal with it should it happen . . when you have a disease as deadly as cancer, sometimes you need to take a chance in order to survive.

There has never been a guarantee that chemotherapy treatment will work or that it is not without a health risk . . in fact, that was the very first thing that my sons pediatric oncologist told us. She was totally honest with us. She told us that she would help our son fight this disease as long as he wanted. She has been outstanding and we credit her for doing the research and referring him to undergo experimental cytoreductive surgery and heated chemotherapy to address the hundreds of tumors that had seeded into the abdomen and diaphragm. We hope that she has saved his life, but even if that is not to be . . my son's oncologist gave him quality of life and precious, precious time.

I hope you do not have 'chemo brain', but now that you are aware that it is a possibility perhaps you could take some steps to minimize it? Or, like us . . just deal with it . . if and when it ever happens.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Oncologists are the first to "own up" to the facts of chemotherapy. Shame on you for insinuating otherwise. The sad fact is that it is a matter of a choice between the lesser of two evils. Die quickly from cancer, or less quickly with treatment. None of us get out of this alive you know.

Answer 4

Most oncologists are as up front with their patients as possible about side effects of chemo. The question becomes do you take the chemo and risk the potential side effects or choose an unproven alternative treatment and die. Your choice!

Answer 5

Have you ever tried this site: herbdoc.com. I am not advocating a thing or using this as advertisement. But if you truly want to get well and screw the doctors' suggestions, you might want to check this site out.