Is One cancer Worse Than Another?

 

It’s not uncommon for people to categorize some cancers as worse than others.  While there might be some that have lower survival rates when you’re the one facing a cancer diagnosis yours is just as bad as the ones that might be considered “worse”.  Bottom line is that the diagnosis is devastating, irrelevant of the type or stage.

 

 

Staging

 

If you’re diagnosed with cancer and your Dr tells you that it’s Stage 2 and your treatment is chemo do you feel differently than Stage 4 and the same chemo? Maybe but neither situation is ideal. Both scenarios are scary. Both are an uphill battle. You could live or you could die from either.

 

cancers are staged for a reason. According to the National Cancer Institute cancers are staged to help your doctor 1) understand the seriousness and survival rates of your cancer. 2) Develop the best treatment plan for you. 3) Identify trials that could be available. Definitely valuable information for your physician.

 

I’m not sure it’s valuable information for you. That kind of information might only increase the worry meter for the patient.  I am not sure that a Stage 2 person says “oh good, it’s not stage 4”.  If your Dr says your cancer is Stage 4 your thought might be – “I’m going to die”. If your Dr says your cancer is Stage 2 your thought might be – “I’m going to die”. See what I’m saying here?

 

How about we let the Dr worry about the stage and we say – “I am strong and I can win”.  Either way, it’s a fight, and either way, there is hope that you can overcome. The reality is that you could live or die with either diagnosis.

 

 

We Are Snowflakes

 

I’ve said it before, but this conversation warrants it again, cancer patients are snowflakes. There are no two alike and not everyone responds the same. Please remember that I am not a medical doctor, and these are my opinions as a person who has been diagnosed with cancer seven times. This is a time when you need to feel powerful.

 

A Stage 2 patient who has health issues other than cancer or maybe hasn’t taken care of themselves is a very different patient than an active, fit patient with Stage 4 cancer. The number just doesn’t seem like it should be relevant to the patient. Let it be a tool for the Dr to use to determine the plan of action. Don’t let the number let your brain decide if you can beat the disease.

 

Instead of focusing on the severity of what your diagnosis may mean, focus on your mental strength and if possible, work on physical strength. Exercise, even a walk to the end of the driveway, does wonders for your mental strength and keeps you moving. I know that’s not an option for everyone but if it is for you then make it part of your routine.

 

 

Is There A Good cancer To Have?

 

When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer people often said, “if you’re going to have cancer, that’s the one you want” and “that’s a good cancer to have”. I found myself parroting those sentiments when I told people about my cancer so they would feel ok about my diagnosis.  A good cancer to have, the one you want? Those are ridiculous statements. How about I don’t want to have cancer at all, and I don’t need to rosy it up. I wrote those very words in a blog post back then, so I must have found peace and hope in that thought.

 

When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, I had a four-year-old and a two-month-old.  Yes, an infant. I’ll tell you that the treatment I went through wasn’t easy. The treatment at the time was surgery and then radioactive iodine. Basically, a pill I had to swallow and not be around anyone for a week so I wouldn’t expose them unnecessarily to radioactive waves. Imagine that, I had something INSIDE my body that was so powerful it could expose others that were closer than an arm’s length away and it was something I voluntarily swallowed.

 

Sounds kind of easy right? Well for 10 weeks prior to that I had to starve my body of thyroid hormone which made me tired and irritable (not that I’m admitting that). I really had no idea all of the things that your thyroid manages but I can tell you my body was going in many directions. Add postpartum hormones to that perfect storm too.

 

The “Good” cancer scars

 

I had surgery to remove my thyroid and had/have a scar on my neck that for years people would awkwardly ask me “what happened” in a tone that suggested the story was along the lines of me being held at knifepoint. I’ve never felt the need to cover my scars. They are medals to me. The picture here is my scar today.  It was always small but it’s been so long that it’s faded.

 

 

 

 

Are Some cancers “Worse” Than Others? Are Survival Rates Lower?

 

Of course. There are cancers that have lower rates of survival but on the flip side of that, while the survival rate may be low, THERE ARE SURVIVAL rates!!  Your scenario may help that rate increase. How can that not give you hope? I was told that the survival rate for traditional chemo with my first recurrence that had metastasized to my lymph nodes was 15%. That was 10 years ago. So, while 15% sounds AWFUL, it’s better than 0%.

 

I’ve had many women reach out to me and say that it gives them hope that I lived. I lived, that’s it. There aren’t a lot of people in my situation who have lived, but I have and there are others. Just knowing that someone lived when facing a similar diagnosis and scenario is empowering.

 

 

 

Science

 

Another consideration is science. The science associated with cancer research is ever-changing and changing the way cancers are treated. Not all cancers have abundant trials but it’s worth looking into if you have been diagnosed. The statistics associated with some of the trials are different and more promising than the stats that you might read about with traditional treatments. The 15% I mentioned above was the survival rate with traditional chemo. The trial I opted to do at that time was seeing a response rate of 31%. There’s a big difference between 15% and 31% when you’re talking about odds at living.

 

Clinicaltrials.gov is a good place to start. The information can be overwhelming so talk to your Dr about the options that you find.

 

There are many things to consider when participating in a trial. I have participated in a few and will share why and my experiences in the weeks to come.