Expressions used to describe effects of treatment - what you need to know to make the best decisions (part 1)


        EXPRESSIONS USED TO DESCRIBE EFFECTS OF TREATMENT - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE THE BEST DECISIONS (PART 1)
Now we come to the question which hangs on every patient's lips, although some never dare to actually ask it: 'How long will I live?'
Many patients avoid asking this question because they fear the answer so much. In my experience, most patients actually imagine that things are worse than they really are. Thus the answer may come as a pleasant surprise. Whether or not this is so for you, I believe it is always easier to deal with facts than with the products of your imagination. In any case, you cannot possibly make the best decisions for yourself if you don't know what difference various treatments are likely to make to the length of your life.
This question is also hard to answer, partly because no one can look into the future and tell you exactly what will happen to you as an individual. Many doctors use this as an excuse to avoid giving any answer at all. However, they can tell you what is average or likely, what is possible but unlikely and what is so unlikely as to be a miracle if it happens. I believe that the following is the least you need to find out from your doctor in order to make the best possible decision about treatment. Firstly, it is possible that any treatment could completely cure you, that is, that you could live as long as if you hadn't ever had the cancer? Secondly, what is the median length of life for each possible anticancer treatment, and also if you have no anti-cancer treatment at all? The median (or average) length of life is the time between diagnosis or starting treatment and when half of the patients have died. Thirdly, what is the chance that you could live for five years? (This is called the five year survival time.)
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Cancer
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