Afraid of Their Own Medicine

Chemotherapy has been proved to extend the lives of cancer patients, but only in a minority of cancers, such as Hodgkin's disease and testicular cancer. For the vast majority of cancers, critics claim that chemotherapy is not effective in any meaningful way.

There are three parameters by which success in chemotherapy can be measured: One is tumor shrinkage, where the tumor is going down in size. The second is the quality of life. The third is survival and length of life span. Chemotherapists focus mainly on tumor shrinkage, but patients, by and large, find that the most meaningful parameter is whether the drugs they are given actually extend life, and secondly, what the quality of that life is.

Trial after trial has shown that chemotherapy for solid tumors, especially where the disease as metastasized, is not helpful. There may be minimal effects, or tumor shrinkage, but no life prolongation.

In one survey, most oncologists specializing in lung cancer reported that they would not take chemotherapy if they had the disease. Yet, everyday these doctors give their patients chemotherapy. In conversation with an investigative reporter, one brain cancer specialist admitted that he would never submit to radiation if he had a brain tumor. Nevertheless, he continues to send patients for radiation, because he would be kicked out of the hospital if he didn't follow the accepted protocol.  Based on information in: Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, Jan 1998; Spectrum, Mar/April 1998