public enemy #2
Number 2! Yes, Cancer is still ranked second as the biggest killer in the U.S. according to the CDC website.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm (and while I acknowledge that they are under fire these days they still remain one of our best sources for data). 2024 and we still battle daily against the ravages of Cancer (and its treatments). So I ask the question, are we simply running in place or in a race with time?
going back in time
Growing up and later as I had to complete various health forms for familial history I always arrive at the same place. What killed those closest to you? For me the answers are simple. Cancer and heart disease. No real break downs with any of the other killers. I believe I have mentioned in earlier posts that the men in my family are short lived. That is mostly from heart disease. The women overall had longevity. The rest are the victims of cancer. The relatives second (and third) removed. None-the-less with the amount of cancer in my family you kind of turn into an armchair expert. One of the things that I find interesting today is the number of survivors of cancer in my family. Where once there were simply mortality outcomes.
changes of time
Recently I watched a movie, true story, about a young man entering college who is diagnosed with cancer. He was an all star football player headed for the pros. He lost his leg initially in an attempt to fight off the cancer. The options that were open to him at the time were amputation or a certain eminent death. All of this based on a plain film xray. He had the amputation and lived to be 22 years old. The surgery bought him a couple of years. He had the surgery knowing that was to be the outcome. This was in the 1970’s.
The changes that I have been witness to personally over the decades are staggering. CT, MRI, PET scans. Not to mention the blood tests, biopsies, etc. In 1972 the first CT scanner was invented. The ability to take a portion of the body and look at it “in slices”. In 1978 the first MRI was used but it wasn’t accepted by the medical community until 1988. I was there when it came out and still remember my amazement at this awesome gift to science. With this tool we eliminated the dangers of radiation and dove into the soft tissues of the human body. All this within a couple of decades of that young man’s diagnosis.
ravages of time
Those were the tools of discovery. But what about treatment? Did you know that as far back as 1898 Madam Curie discovered the use of radioactive elements as a fight to destroy cancerous tumors? Still today we use the basis of her knowledge to treat and eradicate cancer. But at what cost? William Conrad Roentgen, Madame Marie Curie and so many more have sacrificed and brought us the ability to eliminate or slow cancerous cells from growing. Sadly, it cost them limbs, skin and ultimately lives in the pursuit of science. Yes, that same cure was in some ways as deadly as the cancer.https://www.cancer.org/cancer/understanding-cancer/history-of-cancer/cancer-treatment-radiation.html
time it is a changin’
1958 brought us chemotherapy. That was the first documented cure of a cancerous tumor. https://www.cancer.gov/research/progress/250-years-milestones#:~:text=1953%3A%20The%20First%20Complete%20Cure,tissue%20that%20mainly%20affects%20women. During these periods following the tools of discovery, the tools of treatment, we landed on identifying the causative agents. All 3 of these elements are imperative for survival. Yet we persist in poisoning ourselves. Smoking, environmental hazards. I guess we all have our poisons of choice.
Radiation and chemo can sometimes be that poison. When you are that person who receives/hears those words your perspective changes. Even when you are merely the loved one in the wings, your priorities and outlooks can change. Is the treatment worse than the outcome? Are you just in a race with time?
informed consent
Informed consent is usually a term that is used when a medical procedure is to be performed. Everyone wants to be sure that you understand where and what they are operating on. I would propose that when it comes to cancer and fighting that battle informed consent takes on a whole new meaning. There are infinite resources out there. Use them! And please don’t just google some symptoms and treatment and call it a day. Most of the time all you are doing is setting yourself up for a bad case of anxiety. Unnecessary for most.
running in place
It may seem that we are simply running in place when it comes to overcoming Cancer. I would beg to differ. That same young man today would probably be diagnosed before that tumor had reached those final stages. I have a friend who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. A death sentence in recent years. Instead he went in and had his own bone marrow cells removed, irradiated and then “reinstalled”. Thus slowing the cancer growth until (and when) a more finite treatment is discovered. (and incidentally he completed a safari in South Africa 8 months ago. Two years post procedure).
fighting the good fight
Being aware of your environment, heredity and knowing your own body are some of the very best tools that we have. Every month (except December) has a cancer awareness message. This in itself can sometimes be a deterrent for awareness. We call it alarm fatigue. You have a pink ribbon a blue, red one. What do they all stand for? I do think that awareness is paramount in being one of the number one ways to fight cancer. But awareness of one’s self is your strongest ally. Below is a link to Cancer prevention. Preventing cancer before it gets there is another great tool, and it costs nothing, other than time. https://www.aacr.org/patients-caregivers/awareness-months/national-cancer-prevention-month/
February is Cancer Prevention Month. I’m not trying to take anything away from any of the other recognized months of awareness. I’m just saying that being proactive and completing those recommended screenings is a really good place to start.
Taking my time, I am
Sassaleeyours…