[ExI] Jaw-dropping CWRU Alzheimer's breakthrough?

[BillK]

On Sun, Mar 18, 2012 at 5:08 AM, spike wrote:
> A second site which I know to be credible has announced the results of this
> study:
>
> http://www.skinandallergynews.com/news/medical-dermatology/single-article/be
> xarotene-confers-no-survival-benefit-for-mycosis-fungoides/ead99788fa.html
>
> Bexarotene may help your skin cancer but kill you for other reasons.  {8-[
>
>


I think you will find that doctors have become more cautious about
using chemotherapy in the elderly population. Obviously they don't
want to deny treatment that might help a patient, but the elderly
present a complicated decision process.

Most cancer drugs are tested on younger patients, with only the cancer
making them ill. So the side-effects are likely to be more severe in
old people. You might be surprised at how little research has been
done specifically on older patients. Old people are usually more
frail, with a weaker immune system and often have other medical
problems and many other medication interactions to take into account.
Quality of life becomes more significant.

For example, see:
<http://www.cancerforum.org.au/Issues/2008/March/Forum/Chemotherapy_in_the_elderly.htm>

You might be presented with decisions like - either no treatment and
death in a year or aggressive treatment (expensive), really bad side
effects and living in sickness and pain for two years. And there is no
guarantee that chemotherapy will extend survival. It doesn't always
work.

A survey of doctors recently showed that the majority of them would
refuse to have aggressive treatment in end of life circumstances. It
is a very difficult decision to make that everybody must face for
themselves.

Best wishes, BillK