Cancer Treatment in Other Countries

[HappyHiker]

Curious about something. Have a friend just diagnosed with Stage 3 Breast Cancer. She's going the traditional way of treatment here...chemo, radiation, hormone therapy, breast removal, etc.

I'm wondering if this is the route used in different parts of the world??

Anyone have any knowledge of other methodologies to treat cancer?

I'm not going to recommend/suggest anything to her (unless she brings it up) as she's chosen her path, but am wondering. How we treat cancer here in the U.S. seems so harsh...

[Teacher Terry]

A friend goes to Germany for prostrate cancer and what ever they do there doesn’t come with side effects. It costs 20k and he has to go a few times a year. It also doesn’t cure it. He has a rich MIL.

[bae]

Whatever I picked, I'd go with evidence-based medicine.

The US tends to be at the top-of-the-chart of survival rates.

The US also tends to spend a lot of money and engage in very aggressive treatment for *some* late-stage cancers to buy another 3-4 months, but with *some* small chance of remission. There's a personal decision to be made there - my FIL decided to refrain from treatment of his, probably cost him a year of life, but he was nearly 90 already and the quality-of-life issue was heavy on his mind.

[catherine]

I've been impressed with the more targeted therapies emerging. There is a lot going on with cancer treatment to get excited about, IMHO. Depends on the cancer, of course.

[Teacher Terry]

Bae, I think your fil was smart.

[flowerseverywhere]

Bae, I agree so much with your FIL. I live in a retirement community and from what i’ve Seen of people in their 70’s and 80’s going through aggressive treatment , I’m not going to spend my last days alternating between sitting on a toilet and throwing up in it.

i will say I knew someone who went to Mexico for a treatment not approved yet in the US. She was endstage by that time so it was no help.

[San Onofre Guy]

My dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 87 and given three weeks to three months maybe longer to live. He didn’t treat it and lived seven months and drove the car three weeks before death. The final ten days he was bed ridden but before that he had a full life.

[befree]

U.S. has the highest survival rates for breast cancer. Overall, U.S., Japan and France all in top 3 for survival of all cancers combined

[jp1]

Several women in my life, all in their 40’s or 50’s, all American have been diagnosed with breast cancer. All did the ‘typical’ American treatment scheme. Two, who were both stage 4 at time of diagnosis, are dead. The rest are alive and well. For all the dreadfulness of the treatment, it seems to work.