Time is critical
February 5, 2009 by Richard and Annette Bloch 509 views
Filed under Treatments
Time is a critical factor in the successful treatment of cancer. Cancer grows geometrically. In other words, 1 billion cancer cells will become 2 billion or 10 billion will become 20 billion in the same length of time it takes 1 cell to become 2. Cancer can not be detected by an x-ray, scan, or feeling until it contains at least 1 billion cells. That is the size of a pea and weighs the same as a paper clip.
Just think how long it has taken for that single malignant cell to divide and divide and divide until it became a billion cells so it could be recognized. I understand some cancers take weeks to divide while one I heard of supposedly doubled each fifteen minutes. That is how long you have had cancer. One critical thing is to never look back. There is nothing you can do about yesterday. It has happened and it is over. Start with today and make every day count. Proceed with haste.
One critical factor is the less cancer you have in your body, the easier it is to treat and the better the chance of recovery. This is a generalization that applies to nearly every type of cancer. Surgery, when not curative, is often used to “debulk” a tumor or remove most of it. The less “tumor burden” in the body improves the chances that chemotherapy or radiation or immunotherapy will work. Delaying treatment only allows the tumor to grow, multiply and possibly metastasize.
Most cancers are curable if treated promptly, properly and thoroughly when first discovered. That is a fact! If allowed to go untreated, at some point in time they will be absolutely uncurable. Whether that point is tomorrow, next week, next month or next year no one knows. But why tempt fate?
If an oncologist, whether medical, radiation or surgical, could not see a new patient for a week, the patient should seek a different oncologist. Time might be of the essence in starting treatments! Every doctor knows this. It would say that the doctor values his schedule or his time off more than saving the patient’s life. I want a doctor who says, “I’ll see you today or tomorrow and we’ll get treatments started.” Then I know I’ve found someone who cares about me. I know I will have the best chance of beating this disease.
Time is Critical!
My father has colon cancer. It is stage 4 and has spread to his liver. He has had Chemotherapy which has worked well except for his liver. The doctors want to schedule him for a thera spheres radiation procedure. His 3 oncologist at St Lukes Hospital agree that this will be the best way to get rid of his cancer and lengthen his life. After two months of waiting for BCBS of Kansas City to approve his radiation procedure they have denied it. We found out last week after a nother scan of his liver he now has a new mark showing. The doctors have resubmitted/appealed a request to BCBS of Kansas City (a 284 page with success rates ect). They said it may take weeks or months for BCBS of KC to respond and may deny it again. How is it possible for a health insurance to deny a life lengthening cancer treatment? In the mean time we are waiting and the cancer is obviously spreading. We are all very upset by this and feel it is totally wrong.