I. Is cancer equal to death?
Many people think that cancer is an incurable disease, and having cancer is equal to declaring a person’s death. Some celebrities have passed away from cancer one after another, which has intensified the public’s concern.
Cancer is not a terminal disease, but a chronic disease. There are “3 1/3” in cancer research, which means that more than 1/3 of cancers can be prevented, 1/3 of cancers can be prolonged and cured through treatment (in fact, it is close to half now, and it has increased to 70% in the United States), and 1/3 of cancers can be alleviated and relieved through treatment. The other 1/3 of cancers can be treated to reduce symptoms and alleviate them.
“Therefore, cancer is not an incurable disease, and it is not as terrible as we think.” For example, the cure rate of thyroid cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer is very high, and the cure rate does not affect normal life.
Why do so many people get cancer even though the living standard has improved?
People often wonder why some people who seem to have a regular daily routine have cancer unexpectedly, while some people who smoke until they are 80 years old do not have cancer. How far is cancer from normal people? Is the occurrence of cancer attributed to genetic, environmental pollution or psychological factors? Cancer is highly individualized and each person’s cancer is different, so individualized prevention and treatment are emphasized.
The improvement of living standard cannot reduce the occurrence of cancer, but the occurrence of cancer is related to many factors:
1. The average life expectancy in China has increased: the incidence of cancer is also increasing, “Cancer is a natural occurrence of an organism at a certain time. Therefore, cancer is worldwide and is a natural product that happens to all living things on earth. For example, with age, the incidence of prostate cancer among men over 65 years old is 50%, which means that 1 out of 2 elderly men will get the disease.”
Some cancers come from family genes: for example, the “local cancer” in Guangdong Province is nasopharyngeal cancer, and even after immigrating to other countries or regions, the descendants of expatriates are still prone to nasopharyngeal cancer after a few generations, in addition, for example, the risk of breast cancer of American actress Angelina Jolie comes from family genes.
3, is related to factors such as environmental pollution and personal habits: for example, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and the cumulative effect of environmental factors such as water pollution and crop pollution in the diet. “But the effect of environment on the occurrence of cancer is not a one-day or two-day effect, but a long-term process, and its association is also a consideration of the whole, and not inevitable for each individual.”
4. It is a cause that cannot be explained by science at present: among the types of cancer, about 65% belong to cancer of the digestive tract, such as cancers of the mouth, stomach and intestines; 25% are cancers of the respiratory tract, such as lung cancer; 5% come from heredity; and 5% of cancers are unknown at present.
3. Active treatment, is it effective or not?
In Japan, some people even published a book, arguing that cancer can be cured by one’s own will without doctor’s treatment. In reality, there are also patients who believe that cancer treatment cannot reduce the probability of death, and the more they are treated, the more their bodies will suffer, so they might as well not spend the money since their time is running out anyway.
It is a very wrong view that “cancer should not be treated”. “First of all, 1/3 of cancers can be cured, so why not treat early cancers? In addition, although an organism will die if cancer is not treated, modern scientific treatment can alleviate a lot of pain. To advocate cancer treatment to benefit patients, even if it is not curable, to have a good quality of life during the patient’s lifetime, and to ‘get cured’ by will alone without scientific treatment, is a kind of foolishness.”
However, it is undeniable that the objective reality is that some hospitals do have the problem of over-medication. In fact, the Chinese Anti-Cancer Society, the Chinese Clinical Society of Oncology and other societies have long had clinical guidelines for a single disease, which can reduce excessive medical treatment in the clinic. However, it must be admitted that the threshold of tumor treatment in China is very low, and many unregulated practices have led to poor treatment results. For example, the cure rate of lung cancer in China is only about 10%, while it is more than 30% in foreign countries; 60%-70% for colorectal cancer in foreign countries (only 30% in China); 60%-70% for breast cancer in foreign countries, but only 40% in China. For “as long as you do not die, chemotherapy is not only” the image of embarrassment said. However, for individuals, they need to follow the domestic and international guidelines for individualized treatment, and individualized treatment is basically correct.
Fourth, rely on doctors? Or do we rely on patients themselves?
Should we rely on doctors to give us a plan or rely on patients’ own willpower to treat cancer? First of all, it is necessary to rely on the doctor’s correct diagnosis and then the treatment according to the guidelines of the disease, which is very necessary. The importance of willpower is undeniable. There is a saying that 70% of patients die of fright, but the course of the disease cannot be so short in terms of the development of the disease transition. It is caused by the patient’s psychological burden and mental breakdown.
Whether the family conceals the patient’s true condition or chases the doctor to ask how long he or she can live, it is actually meaningless. The role of the doctor is to take the right treatment plan according to the individual patient’s stage at the time of consultation, to reduce the patient’s suffering, and to achieve the maximum benefit for the patient. It is important for the patient to participate in the treatment by adjusting his or her mental state, diet, and active exercise. Clinically, it is often when the patient’s mindset is correct, optimistic thinking, coupled with scientific and standardized treatment, so that the patient’s condition is stable, or prolonged life, and to ensure the quality of life.
Five, the secret recipe? To believe or not to believe?
In the face of cancer, some patients and their families often spend a lot of money to buy the so-called “prescriptions”, and some even believe in the folk saying of “fight poison with poison” and use the medicine privately. In addition, some patients think that surgery and radiotherapy are too damaging, and some prescriptions are Chinese medicine, which they think is “non-toxic” and hope to cure cancer by using Chinese medicine only.
From the scientific point of view, we should strongly oppose these so-called “secret prescriptions”, which is a very irresponsible and even money-making practice. “Some ‘prescriptions’ can indeed bluff some people, for example, some so-called ‘masters’ give patients with mannitol (a laxative) to treat cancer, and individual patients feel very relaxed after using it. That is actually the patient’s ‘idea’ problem.”
“Cancer is not a poison, but a human being is a living organism that can repair damaged cells by itself. The reason why cancer appears is that the new cell division process has changed. You can’t rely on ‘poison’ to attack cancer.”
Chinese medicine has a unique role in improving the immune system and “supporting the righteousness”, but patients should not expect too much from Chinese medicine alone in treating tumors, and it is recommended that patients should develop an individualized treatment plan that best suits them under the guidance of their doctors. The choice of surgery or radiotherapy has toxic side effects, but it is still an effective treatment after all.