Lantos suffered from esphogial cancer(EC). EC is usually discovered too late and most don’t survive for a long time.
Ann Richards also died of this disease.
If you are taking those little purple pills for GERD..then you also are at tisk and should be carefull to have frequent check ups by good Doc.
I’m a 14 year survivor of esophogeal cancer... very lucky to have found it early (at age 46) by a very good internist and then quickly referred to the best surgeon in the world at Sloan Kettering. 10 days elapsed from the time my tumor was “discovered/determined” and when it was removed. If I was living in Canada... well, I’d hate to consider the result.
Advice to fellow Freepers: when your body starts giving you signals, pay attention and get a good doc to look for the cause.
RIP, Rep. Tom Lantos.
Remember the Rule of Three. Lantos, Scheider and who's next?
Btw, certainly prayers UP for their families. I disagreed with both politically but both were fine men.
Yep. I have another appt. for a gastroscopy next month. It's a pain to have to bother someone to take you to, and pick you up from the hospital, but it is for a good cause. I have a friend whose family has a history of EC. One brother died from it, while the other had to have quite a bit of his stomach removed. I continually tell people who complain about chronic heartburn and don't want to see a doctor, that they are a good candidate for EC. My sister is one of them. Like a lot of people, they don't think that it can happen to them.
EC is one of the most aggressive cancers and it is an awfully painful way to pass. My husband has been fighting EC for a year and thankfully due to totally out of control aggressive treatment plan plus his youth and general good health he is now NED. To treat EC ... one first gets chemotherapy in hopes of shrinking the tumor which is preventing one from swallowing, then a course of radiation and finally surgery (Ivor-Lewis) to remove one's esophagus and the upper portion of the stomach. Oh, and don't forget the joy of using a "J" Feeding Tube inserted into one's intestines to get calories (bag feed). This is of course if the disease has not advanced into the liver and lungs.
Oldexpat is right - if you have GERD or RELUX you need to get an endoscopy as esophageal cancer is the fastest growing cancer in the U.S. at this time. Anecdotally, it is suspected the rise it due to so many people are self-medicating with the little purple OTC pills and not seeing a doc until it is too late. It used to be an 'old man's' disease but more and more young men (and more women) - 30's-50's - are being diagnosed.
Again, prayers for the Lantos family.
Are you saying these drugs are carcinogenic?
My maternal grandfather died from EC. The doctors removed his esophagus and replaced it with a nylon tube. His 205 lb, 6' 4" body withered to 80 lbs before he passed on. His mother died from stomach cancer. Rolaids or Tums at bedtime is a must to get a decent night's sleep.