Now we just need to wait and see what the medical boards and experts determine is a ‘reasonable’ amount of time for people to be eligible for treatment… Living for 3 more weeks? 3 more months? 3 more years? Hmm… They’re the experts, I guess we’ll need to rely on their judgement.
That being said, most cancer patients are over 65 and on Medicare, so the government is footing the bill for most of these outrageously expensive chemotherapy treatments, and I'm sure Medicare would love to save billions on refusing end-of-life chemo for patients with a less than 1 year prognosis.
It should be up to the patient to accept or refuse chemo, NOT THE GOVERNMENT OR INSURER.
No expert but I have stage 4 prostate cancer 4 years ago doc said 2 years to live. Last week PSA less than .1 my guess is at least 4 more years feel fine life good
Traditional, platinum-based chemotherapies come with terrible side-effects as they kill both cancer AND healthy cells. They're reasonably effective for some cancers, and a shot in the dark--at best, for others.
In the last decade and a half however, we've seen both targeted therapies and immunotherapies that do wonders both in fighting the disease and not killing the patient. Are there side effects with these drugs? Sure, there are side effects with nearly all medicines...some more tolerable than others.
But, these medicines target and attack specific parts of the cancer cell and kill them. Alternatively, some medicines stimulate the body's own immune system, which is often hi-jacked and tricked into allowing cancer to grow in the first place.
There's a lot of disgust toward modern medicine and I don't ask you to take this information blindly. Look into these drugs and read the success stories out there. There is some hope for cancer patients that doesn't come with a lower quality of life or a few more months on Earth.
Medical schools should take in some Haitian cannibals—I am sure that diversity will add to this discussion.
;-)
“When Canada’s Supreme Court decided that euthanasia was an acceptable solution, I wonder if they realized how many people they would be condemning to an earlier death with such a decision?”
What kills cancer patients in Canada is delays in treatment from socialized medicine.
But it is a fair point, in my opinion, but who decides how much is spent on treatment?
If its “free” then the decision is different than if it is “out-of-pocket”.
The question and answers are as complex as people. Ive seen folks leave survivors destitute chasing long-shot treatments. Ive seen others accept the inevitable truth of a terminal illness.
As much as folks want to perch on the moral high-ground, there is a practical limit to medical costs if we are being honest. In our upcoming era of government austerity, we will face this issue more frequently. If you dont have the money, socialism wont be able to ride in to save you with high-cost treatments.
Is it fair? Depends on whether it is someone important to you or not.