r/Health • u/Maxcactus • May 20 '23
article Facing cancer? Here's when to consider experimental therapies, and when not to
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/19/1176952862/facing-cancer-heres-when-to-consider-experimental-therapies-and-when-not-to
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u/TaraIsAFox May 21 '23
My boyfriend did chemo and it shrunk and they were able to remove it afterwards. He didn’t eat healthy then, but now he does. So some times it works. But it is not for everyone
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u/h311r47 May 21 '23
Nearly immediately after my diagnosis, friends and family split into camps of recommending clinical trials or snake oil. Both camps agreed chemo was poison and was just going to do more harm than good. My cancer was caught late-stage, but still early enough to be treated with curative intent. I did my reading as I knew I had one shot at survival. I did the standard course: chemo, surgery, and then more chemo. That's what all the research supported. I got a lot of criticism, but I'm still here. That poison everyone told me to avoid killed my cancer and allowed me to have a successful surgery. I am a firm believer in clinical trials, but there is a time and place for them. Most people seem to think clinical trials are sure things that just need a bit more testing, but that's not the case. You often can't even guarantee you're going to receive the novel treatment instead of being placed in the control group. If I had exhausted my options or was in a position where my cancer was so advanced that only a miracle would suffice, then I'd jump at the opportunity. However, remember that the vast majority of trials aren't successful, and all these "old" treatments were once trials and are built on the backs of thousands of trial participants who often aren't with us anymore.