71–80 of 147 posts
My aunt was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and is only alive because of this drug. It’s a marvel of modern medicine.
So she had stage 4 lung cancer.
"Is alive only because of this drug":
- Was her life expectancy obviously prolonged? If so, by how much has she exceeded it so far?
- Has the cancer progressed more slowly, halted, or regressed?
Thanks.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The reality is closer to no life extension, with the remaining lifespan is spent sicker than you'd have been without the drugs. I dont think that is true at all. The data is pretty clear that lifespan is significantly increasing. >Over time, the mean overall survival has improved from two months in 1973 to five months in 2015. Regarding long-term survival, a clear rise in 2yS is noted, increasing from 2.6% in 1973 t…
I'm sorry, but two months to five months after 50 years and hundreds of billions of dollars. That was hardly the promise of the "war on cancer"!
In general though, I tend to agree that in the US we spend far too much on what essentially boils down to performative end of Life Care. If you ask someone if they would rather spend $200k for 2 months or leave it to their family, I think most people would pick the second option. When someone else is paying, they choose the first option.
My mom died from lung cancer. It was going to happen, life long smoker. Dying from LC is a terrible way to go. Your lungs fill with fluid and you slowly drown in your own fluid. The pain meds make you hallucinate terrible thoughts. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. For the benefit of humanity, I hope this treatment works.
Watching my grandfather die with emphysema at age 12 was the only anti-smoking message I ever needed
I never smoked and I was never a big drinker. But, I stopped drinking entirely a couple years ago cause it was just too painful to look at him with his current health issues, and think to myself that I'm going to end up like he is. No thanks, I don't need that poison.
A friend died of lung cancer. Went from mild cough to funeral in about 5 weeks. 40 yo. 2 pre-teen kids. Started to look after my own health a bit more. This is a very welcome development.
My father has been taking Tagrisso since he was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in January 2022. It’s been able to give him a relatively normal quality of life I don’t think my family would’ve seen otherwise if he’d gone through chemo and radiation. Just chiming in that I’m super thankful to that these newer treatments are so effective. That said it’s not cheap and he still has to work to keep his insurance… othe…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, but this isnt as negative as it sounds. That 2 months average is often driven by more people alive at the end of a 2 year trial. Also, 16 years of 2 month extensions ends up being quite meaningful.
To be clear, those aren't 16 years of accumulating improvements. The median life extension - across all 90-odd drugs - was two months.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
My wife was diagnosed in Nov '23. Stage 4. She had a mutation that allowed Tagrisso/osimertinib. There are many mutations, but this one is prevalent in Asian women who have never smoked. There was a trial published just after her diagnosis that showed progression free survival at 2 years of 57% (chemo+osimertinib) vs 41% (osimertinib). https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2306434 She's 6 days into the chemo. T…
> this one is prevalent in Asian women who have never smoked. Does that mean the rate is lower for Asian women who do smoke?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
My wife was diagnosed in Nov '23. Stage 4. She had a mutation that allowed Tagrisso/osimertinib. There are many mutations, but this one is prevalent in Asian women who have never smoked. There was a trial published just after her diagnosis that showed progression free survival at 2 years of 57% (chemo+osimertinib) vs 41% (osimertinib). https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2306434 She's 6 days into the chemo. T…
> this one is prevalent in Asian women who have never smoked. Does that mean the rate is lower for Asian women who do smoke?
Not all lung cancers are related to smoking, but I'm not aware of any where smoking decreases incidence or is protective.
A friend died of lung cancer. Went from mild cough to funeral in about 5 weeks. 40 yo. 2 pre-teen kids. Started to look after my own health a bit more. This is a very welcome development.
PSA: If you have dependents, or think you might, get some life insurance in place now while you're relatively young. I've had too many friends/colleagues pass away unexpectedly without any (or not remotely enough) life insurance, leaving a spouse and young children behind, inevitably turning to gofundme and similar just to get by.
Probably need to make another pass. (I'm in Europe)
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The reality is closer to no life extension, with the remaining lifespan is spent sicker than you'd have been without the drugs. I dont think that is true at all. The data is pretty clear that lifespan is significantly increasing. >Over time, the mean overall survival has improved from two months in 1973 to five months in 2015. Regarding long-term survival, a clear rise in 2yS is noted, increasing from 2.6% in 1973 t…
I'm sorry, but two months to five months after 50 years and hundreds of billions of dollars. That was hardly the promise of the "war on cancer"!