Posted on 09/13/2007 8:21:01 PM PDT by Rennes Templar
WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson has a rare type of cancer that specialists say is incurable but not life-threatening over the short term.
Although the 65-year-old former senator and actor says his disease is in remission, studies of other cases indicate that it's likely to return within the next two to five years.
But cancer experts say his malignancy -- a slow-growing disruption of the immune system known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma -- can be well managed with drugs and needn't interfere with normal activities.
They say Thompson has an excellent chance of survival for at least five to 10 years, based on the experiences of other patients reported in medical journals.
"My understanding is you can expect to live a normal life expectancy," Thompson said Sunday on his campaign bus. But he acknowledged that "it's something that is always potentially there."
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in the cells of the lymph system, a complex network of specialized cells whose task is to detect and destroy invading microbes.
For unknown reasons, some lymph cells occasionally run amok, traveling through the body and forming cancerous lumps that interfere with the immune system.
Sometimes these unruly cells grow rapidly, causing an "aggressive" non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that's often fatal. Sometimes the growth is slow, leading to a case of "indolent," or painless, lymphoma. This is the kind that Thompson has.
-snip-
Thanks to improvements in treatment, patients are surviving longer than they used to. The five-year expected survival rate of 63 percent is up from 48 percent 30 years ago.
Thompson's cancer was detected in 2004, as a lump in his neck. It later spread to other areas. His doctor prescribed a new drug, Rituxan, which drove the disease into remission.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Or lack there of...
Heaven forbid another to have opinion, only Fred heads are allowed that, others need not apply, don’t you know Romneybots, that the FDT are forming a dictatorship!
Duncan!
“Hes 67....”
Let’s see, his birthdate is August 19, 1942. I am trying to calculate 67 years from that. Can you help me out?
"[R]easonably be expected?" Says who? We went through all this nonsense from Dimwits with Ronald Reagan, when the left was trumpeting how voting for him would be silly/wasted/lead to disaster because he was already almost past his normal life expectancy.
Beyond his two terms, Reagan lived what, another dozen years? It's beyond strange how all such idle speculation only applies when the question involves a Republican. For Clinton, he was simply allowed to keep his medical records secret.
HF
I would rather not!
I think I could almost stomach McPain as VP rather than Rooty.
So, the author has discussed Fred’s condition with Fred’s doctors?
He is an expert oncologist who has examined Fred and taken a battery of tests?
He is a proven clairvoyant?
He is a complete BS’er?
NO TWO CASES ARE THE SAME!!!!!!
Who is to say that whoever the next sitting president is, won’t develop some type of cancer and die in office? Could happen to anyone. Just because someone is healthy today, doesn’t mean they will be tomorrow.
This is a complete non-issue.
He will pick Rudy as his VP.
Who is she?
It’s nothing we didn’t already know.
I’d rather the Veep be someone like Steele, Hunter (unlikely,) Mark Sanford, or Jim DeMint...but it might well be Mike Huckabee. Which is tolerable, but not anything to be excited about!
Are you talking to me?
I was replying to petronski, I think you might want to respond to #22 as Petronski was doing.
AACK! Don't you KNOW that Fred is on his deathbed as we type and was dead before he announced?
His doctors know nothing and they lied. Fred knows nothing and is lying about this health so he can...can...well for some reason he's lying about it, you can bet your bottom dollar on that!
(Congrats on your dad's remission and subsequent good condition.)
“wed have to hear about her annual pap and mammogram”
Gag
**************
LOL!
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