Following rounds of treatment, I just started my 5th round of treatment in 13 years. The rollercoaster from good to worrisome to shortening intervals and all that along with the side effects, you ar on subject. Bravo!
Spot on! As a cancer patient with an incurable form of blood cancer who relapsed last year, the quality versus quantity of life issue was the discussion I recently had with my oncologist. The maintenance treatment depletes me for a week, and it compromises my immune system even more. So we are trying to spread the maintenance out to longer intervals between doses b cause he says it’s not just about quantity of life.
Hi Jasmine, a small but important thought when you say "Living longer after cancer often means living with persistent symptoms", in my experience of caring for my parents with cancer there's been no definitive 'after', there's 'below detectable levels'
As Daniel Flora shared in an article he wrote "More people are now living well with advanced cancer. Some reach a point where their scans look completely clear. But that doesn’t always mean we stop treatment. In many cases, it’s the treatment that is keeping things that way."
So while I resonate with this:
"Perhaps most importantly, longevity for cancer patients is about reframing success.
Success is not just being disease-free. It is being able to live fully in the years after treatment ends."
For me, these days cancer is more like a chronic illness, and like many illnesses, it's not a finite definition of 'success' but a continuously evolving "what does good look like for the two of us, today, as we navigate life with cancer".
I like the way you're extending the discussion beyond treatment and into the long term. However, I think that with ageing populations and advances in cancer treatment, patients AND their caregivers (partners/family) are having to recalibrate their agility and mindset. We're having to get ok with scanxiety, blood numbers and not let it dominate our everyday lives; "It is being able to live fully" as you said...but with scans, checks and continuous questions - and for older patients, this may not be towards 'restoration'
This isn't a criticism of your article, just an expansion of the lens and great points/questions you've raised to include caregivers, older patients and ongoing treatment.
Have a look around my publication Carer Mentor, I think you may resonate with its content.
Thsnk you! I'm reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King's quote "I'd like to live a long life, longevity has its place, but I just want to do God's will." While I'm not subscribing to a religious viewpoint about this topic, I have resolved to accept what I've been dealt. I will live as best as I can, for however much time God is willing to give me. I've had the hard discussions and I've always had my "things in order". Having said that, I totally get why some decide to stop treatment and live how they wish. This decision is so personal that the individual needs to have full autonomy while making it. 🩷🧘♀️
22 years ago I was dx’d with colorectal cancer that subsequently mx’d to liver (isolated single met). As a 48-year-old with a spouse, young son and growing business … I was feeling pretty low. Even after solid treatment, a clinical trial and good recovery, the five-year survival prognosis (at that time) was less than 50%.
So I ran an inventory of all my functions that still worked well. Cognition, sensorium, functional mobility, business and professional skills. When added up, I was still playing with a pretty full deck. And I had serious family and business obligations as motivation.
After reading accounts of athletes who had successfully managed or overcome cancer, I decided to focus on fitness. Especially sports and activities that were competitive and had social aspects: ice hockey, skiing, tennis. My young son found this reassuring, especially when we did sports together.
I was fortunate. Following successful resection of the isolated liver met and a clinical trial of a monoclonal antibody vaccine, I was essentially cured. While my emphasis on physical activity was intuitive and anecdotal, I was pleased when research regarding cancer, survival and fitness activity subsequently supported my decision.
Following initial treatment of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, I was feeling fragile. Sports helped restore confidence in my body, and I believe they helped at a biological level. I now feel that managing cancer is a matter of accruing incremental advantages. Finally, want to stress there was nothing unusual about the initial treatment - surgery, chemotherapy and radiation - I received. It was just timely, good quality, scientifically proven care. And my surgeons were high volume narrowly focused experts.
This resonates with me in so many ways. After more than a year of treatments for triple negative breast cancer, I took the words of my doctor to heart - "We call it remission, no evidence of disease. We don't use the word cure." Now my life will always be lived with cancer either in the corner or in the centre of the room. It will never not be around. What you said about how we want to live with the months or years we've been given, spending time with loved ones means the most. However, the children and the grandchildren don't' seem to feel the same urgency I do! So the next on my list will be what I spend most of my time on - creativity. I am thankful for all that the world of medicine has brought to cancer treatments. I am alive and have the hope of many more cycles around the sun because of that.
The concept of equity in healthcare discussions can lead to dangerous results. Beware. Otherwise decent descriptions of perceptions of longevity which have parallel considerations in folks as they age with or without a cancer diagnosis in their world.
Following rounds of treatment, I just started my 5th round of treatment in 13 years. The rollercoaster from good to worrisome to shortening intervals and all that along with the side effects, you ar on subject. Bravo!
Spot on! As a cancer patient with an incurable form of blood cancer who relapsed last year, the quality versus quantity of life issue was the discussion I recently had with my oncologist. The maintenance treatment depletes me for a week, and it compromises my immune system even more. So we are trying to spread the maintenance out to longer intervals between doses b cause he says it’s not just about quantity of life.
Hi Jasmine, a small but important thought when you say "Living longer after cancer often means living with persistent symptoms", in my experience of caring for my parents with cancer there's been no definitive 'after', there's 'below detectable levels'
As Daniel Flora shared in an article he wrote "More people are now living well with advanced cancer. Some reach a point where their scans look completely clear. But that doesn’t always mean we stop treatment. In many cases, it’s the treatment that is keeping things that way."
So while I resonate with this:
"Perhaps most importantly, longevity for cancer patients is about reframing success.
Success is not just being disease-free. It is being able to live fully in the years after treatment ends."
For me, these days cancer is more like a chronic illness, and like many illnesses, it's not a finite definition of 'success' but a continuously evolving "what does good look like for the two of us, today, as we navigate life with cancer".
I like the way you're extending the discussion beyond treatment and into the long term. However, I think that with ageing populations and advances in cancer treatment, patients AND their caregivers (partners/family) are having to recalibrate their agility and mindset. We're having to get ok with scanxiety, blood numbers and not let it dominate our everyday lives; "It is being able to live fully" as you said...but with scans, checks and continuous questions - and for older patients, this may not be towards 'restoration'
This isn't a criticism of your article, just an expansion of the lens and great points/questions you've raised to include caregivers, older patients and ongoing treatment.
Have a look around my publication Carer Mentor, I think you may resonate with its content.
Thsnk you! I'm reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King's quote "I'd like to live a long life, longevity has its place, but I just want to do God's will." While I'm not subscribing to a religious viewpoint about this topic, I have resolved to accept what I've been dealt. I will live as best as I can, for however much time God is willing to give me. I've had the hard discussions and I've always had my "things in order". Having said that, I totally get why some decide to stop treatment and live how they wish. This decision is so personal that the individual needs to have full autonomy while making it. 🩷🧘♀️
This is very useful!
22 years ago I was dx’d with colorectal cancer that subsequently mx’d to liver (isolated single met). As a 48-year-old with a spouse, young son and growing business … I was feeling pretty low. Even after solid treatment, a clinical trial and good recovery, the five-year survival prognosis (at that time) was less than 50%.
So I ran an inventory of all my functions that still worked well. Cognition, sensorium, functional mobility, business and professional skills. When added up, I was still playing with a pretty full deck. And I had serious family and business obligations as motivation.
After reading accounts of athletes who had successfully managed or overcome cancer, I decided to focus on fitness. Especially sports and activities that were competitive and had social aspects: ice hockey, skiing, tennis. My young son found this reassuring, especially when we did sports together.
I was fortunate. Following successful resection of the isolated liver met and a clinical trial of a monoclonal antibody vaccine, I was essentially cured. While my emphasis on physical activity was intuitive and anecdotal, I was pleased when research regarding cancer, survival and fitness activity subsequently supported my decision.
Following initial treatment of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, I was feeling fragile. Sports helped restore confidence in my body, and I believe they helped at a biological level. I now feel that managing cancer is a matter of accruing incremental advantages. Finally, want to stress there was nothing unusual about the initial treatment - surgery, chemotherapy and radiation - I received. It was just timely, good quality, scientifically proven care. And my surgeons were high volume narrowly focused experts.
This resonates with me in so many ways. After more than a year of treatments for triple negative breast cancer, I took the words of my doctor to heart - "We call it remission, no evidence of disease. We don't use the word cure." Now my life will always be lived with cancer either in the corner or in the centre of the room. It will never not be around. What you said about how we want to live with the months or years we've been given, spending time with loved ones means the most. However, the children and the grandchildren don't' seem to feel the same urgency I do! So the next on my list will be what I spend most of my time on - creativity. I am thankful for all that the world of medicine has brought to cancer treatments. I am alive and have the hope of many more cycles around the sun because of that.
The concept of equity in healthcare discussions can lead to dangerous results. Beware. Otherwise decent descriptions of perceptions of longevity which have parallel considerations in folks as they age with or without a cancer diagnosis in their world.