Dr. Salwitz is a blogging oncologist. Anyone who has cancer, or has a friend or family member with cancer, may find his blog a good place to visit.
...There is confusion that the more side effects a chemotherapy agent produces the more likely it is too work. The patient is saying, “Reassure me that this therapy does have side effects, because I know they are important. I just want you to know I can take it. Doc, you can be the Mohammed Ali of oncology. “Float like a butterfly – Sting like a bee.” Slug me hard and slug my cancer harder. I want to live.”
However, this is like saying that the more pepper you put in the casserole, the more likely your guests are to enjoy it. Too much pepper and the whole mess becomes intolerable; chemotherapy is the same. Use the correct drug for the specific disease and give the correct amount; use too much and life becomes dominated by intolerable complications.
I agree, as you know I saw my uncle go through two years of hell on earth before the chemo itself finally killed him.
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