The proverbial 'they' always talk about cancer patients and success stories either in generalities full of percentages with lots of big words - 37% of patients with diagnosis A tend to show positive responses to treatment protocol Q while 82% show positive responses to protocol ZB37. Then you hear stories about individuals who had this outcome or that one.
But what if it could all be consolidated into a big pie where it could be dissected and analyzed? Then the data could be better understand and prognoses could be better predicted. Patients might even handle treatment better. Who would have thunk? Individualized medicine could be better understood and more wide spread. Cancer research will become easier and faster.
Public Health England is going to do exactly that - develop a huge public cancer database. I think this is a great idea. Statistical analysis aside (as well as statistical paralysis) it would provide so much information about existing patients that the benefits are unimaginable.
Now England is a much smaller country than the US with approximately 350,000 new tumors diagnosed each year so its is more manageable. In the US, the number is 1.6 million so it would be that much more difficult.
Showing posts with label cancer information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer information. Show all posts
Thyroid cancer facts
The Huffington Post brings us Thyroid Cancer: The Five Things You Really Need to Know. One little factoid jumps out: UP 274 percent since 1997. That would make it the fastest growing cancer in the country. But it affects a relatively insignificant number of people - around 60,000 this year - so it doesn't get a lot of attention.
Number one to know is it is not the good cancer. There is no good cancer. The term is derogatory and misleading.
Number two is that taking a pill every day is not that easy. You need to replace the vital thyroid hormone but if they give you too much you will be hyper and if they give you too little you will be hypo - too much or too little does not do the body good. And the doctors try to keep your levels low to prevent that lovely possibility of recurrence.
Number three is there is no new normal. I hate that term. After both cancers I was supposed to reach a new normal. If I was nineteen at my first normal and now I am on my third normal. What is normal for me?
Number four is that oh so subtle scar across the front of your neck. It fades with time but it never goes away. Stop staring!
Finally, you are not alone with thyroid cancer, you just have to look a little further to find support because it is still rare. I can count on my fingers the number of people I know with thyroid cancer. This includes the pharmacist at the local Walgreens, Ria the painter, Yumi from Japan, Lesley in Texas, the other woman I cant remember her name who also had both breast and thyroid cancer, and a few others online. (I know I am forgetting someone but after cancer twice the brain is the first to go.) But I probably know hundreds of women with breast cancer - literally.
So if you know someone with thyroid cancer send them to thyca.org or bitemecancer.org.
Number one to know is it is not the good cancer. There is no good cancer. The term is derogatory and misleading.
Number two is that taking a pill every day is not that easy. You need to replace the vital thyroid hormone but if they give you too much you will be hyper and if they give you too little you will be hypo - too much or too little does not do the body good. And the doctors try to keep your levels low to prevent that lovely possibility of recurrence.
Number three is there is no new normal. I hate that term. After both cancers I was supposed to reach a new normal. If I was nineteen at my first normal and now I am on my third normal. What is normal for me?
Number four is that oh so subtle scar across the front of your neck. It fades with time but it never goes away. Stop staring!
Finally, you are not alone with thyroid cancer, you just have to look a little further to find support because it is still rare. I can count on my fingers the number of people I know with thyroid cancer. This includes the pharmacist at the local Walgreens, Ria the painter, Yumi from Japan, Lesley in Texas, the other woman I cant remember her name who also had both breast and thyroid cancer, and a few others online. (I know I am forgetting someone but after cancer twice the brain is the first to go.) But I probably know hundreds of women with breast cancer - literally.
So if you know someone with thyroid cancer send them to thyca.org or bitemecancer.org.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
