Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Let’s stop calling cancer a war

Don S. Dizon, MD
Physician
June 8, 2017
Share
Tweet
Share

asco-logoI remember, when I was a kid, that my grandmother would spend time at our breakfast table reading the newspaper. Not cover to cover, mind you — she seemed to always focus her attention on the obituaries. Sometimes she would look up and tell anyone sitting around her about the death of someone near her age or, sometimes, someone very young. It was the first time I remember hearing how someone “lost the fight to cancer.” It is something I have heard many times since, and it continues to bother me. I’ve written before how the war analogy implies winners and losers, but even more than that, the analogy assumes only two outcomes: remission or death. No middle ground. And today more than ever, nothing is further from reality.

Such was the case with Mary*. She had seen me for a second opinion for recurrent ovarian cancer. She had been diagnosed three years previously, and following curative-intended surgery and chemotherapy, went into remission that lasted a little over a year. Since then, she had been living with recurrent disease, and when she saw me, her treatment (third regimen) had stopped working. Her cancer had progressed by CAT scan and by CA-125.

She was despondent when we spoke, near tears. She wanted to be “rid of” the cancer, needed to be in remission, and was willing to do anything for it. “I don’t care what I have to do, Doc,” she told me. “I just want to be cancer free.”

I remember sitting back and letting her talk about her focus on remission, the “fight” for cure. Yet, sitting before me was a woman who did not look sick. She had a full head of hair, wore makeup, walked in independently. She had no bowel or bladder issues, was eating normally, and was still able to work full-time. Suffice to say, she looked very much alive.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked.

“Sure,” she replied.

“Why are you fighting for cure?” I asked her. “I mean, you’ve been dealing with recurrent disease for the better part of 2 years, and the treatments you’ve been given have worked, at least for awhile. I’d say you’re very much alive despite this disease, wouldn’t you?”

“Well,” she started. “If I have this cancer, then I am going to die of it, and I don’t want to die.”

It was then that I realized that she was confronting her cancer as black and white: remission or death.

“Mary, it might’ve been that before we had many more choices, patients who relapsed did die of their disease, and did so within a matter of months. While that still happens, it is far from the norm, and as you are proving, it is quite possible to experience a third alternative: living with disease,” I said. She sat up then, as if hearing this for the very first time.

“I feel that for my patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, my job is to try my best — to treat cancer to the best response possible and with as little toxicity to my patient. For those whose disease has recurred a couple of times, I know remission is pretty unlikely, so I try to pick treatments that can keep the cancer is check — to get it dormant, so that it’s no longer growing. If I can do that, and do it without making someone feel sick, it’s a good thing.”

She didn’t talk while I spoke, but at the end, she said, “I don’t think I ever considered that option — to be alive with disease. They say cancer is a fight, and I wanted to win. This disease is so awful, I just want to win.”

“Mary, cancer isn’t a war. It’s a disease and, with new developments, it’s one we can control. There are no winners or losers in this. There is a woman, with a disease, who wants to live in spite of it. This is where I can help. No, I cannot cure you, but I can help you control it.”

She did something then that surprised me: she smiled. “Thinking about it this way makes it so much easier for me. I had so much anxiety about the cancer not being in remission, and what you’ve said presents an entirely different way of thinking about it. I actually see light in this very dark tunnel.”

ADVERTISEMENT

With that, we made arrangements to start a new treatment, one that would be tolerable with a good probability that the cancer would not grow.

Ultimately, Mary showed me that the power in medicine may not lie in our ability to find the next best treatment. It might be in helping our patients confront their own realities. For some, it will be to help them manage side effects from curative-intent treatment, while for others, it will be to help them confront the end of their own lives. But for so many of our own patients, like Mary, it will be to help them mentally adjust to a new reality of living with cancer as a chronic disease. The fact that this is a real option now is a testament to how far we’ve come.

So, let’s stop calling cancer a war. It’s a disease, and one that many can (and already do) live with.

*Name and identifying details changed for patient privacy.

Don S. Dizon is an oncologist who blogs at ASCO Connection.  This article was originally published in the Oncologist.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Think you can do anything you set your mind to? Think again.

June 8, 2017 Kevin 8
…
Next

A physician's 4-point plan to fix health care

June 8, 2017 Kevin 2
…

Tagged as: Oncology/Hematology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Think you can do anything you set your mind to? Think again.
Next Post >
A physician's 4-point plan to fix health care

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Don S. Dizon, MD

  • As an oncologist, this is the hardest role I play

    Don S. Dizon, MD
  • Why physicians should acknowledge the validity of second opinions

    Don S. Dizon, MD
  • A patient who taught an important lesson in doctoring

    Don S. Dizon, MD

Related Posts

  • Hormone replacement therapy is still linked to cancer

    Martha Rosenberg
  • Why this physician teaches first-year medical students 

    Mark Kelley, MD
  • We have a shot at preventing cervical cancer

    Lisa N. Abaid, MD, MPH
  • The pandemic has only further strengthened my passion to become a physician

    Karan Patel
  • Obstruction of medical justice: How health care fails patients with cancer

    Miriam A. Knoll, MD
  • Despite progress in cancer care, cost and equity challenges still must be addressed

    David M. Aboulafia, MD

More in Physician

  • When cancer costs too much: Why financial toxicity deserves a place in clinical conversations

    Yousuf Zafar, MD
  • The hidden rewards of a primary care career

    Jerina Gani, MD, MPH
  • Why doctors regret specialty choices in their 30s

    Jeremiah J. Whittington, MD
  • 10 hard truths about practicing medicine they don’t teach in school

    Steven Goldsmith, MD
  • How I learned to love my unique name as a doctor

    Zoran Naumovski, MD
  • What Beauty and the Beast taught me about risk

    Jayson Greenberg, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why doctors must fight for a just health care system

      Alankrita Olson, MD, MPH & Ashley Duhon, MD & Toby Terwilliger, MD | Policy
    • The human case for preserving the nipple after mastectomy

      Thomas Amburn, MD | Conditions
    • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

      Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company | Policy
    • IMGs are the future of U.S. primary care

      Adam Brandon Bondoc, MD | Physician
    • Why I left the clinic to lead health care from the inside

      Vandana Maurya, MHA | Conditions
    • How physician burnout and system reform are shaping the future of U.S. health care

      Irim Salik, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why primary care needs better dermatology training

      Alex Siauw | Conditions
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How a doctor defied a hurricane to save a life

      Dharam Persaud-Sharma, MD, PhD | Physician
    • What street medicine taught me about healing

      Alina Kang | Education
  • Recent Posts

    • How physician burnout and system reform are shaping the future of U.S. health care

      Irim Salik, MD | Policy
    • How nature is inspiring the future of pain medicine

      Varun Mangal | Conditions
    • Why doctors must fight for a just health care system

      Alankrita Olson, MD, MPH & Ashley Duhon, MD & Toby Terwilliger, MD | Policy
    • Affordable postpartum hemorrhage solutions every OB/GYN can use worldwide [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When cancer costs too much: Why financial toxicity deserves a place in clinical conversations

      Yousuf Zafar, MD | Physician
    • Psychiatrist tests ketogenic diet for mental health benefits

      Zane Kaleem, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 3 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why doctors must fight for a just health care system

      Alankrita Olson, MD, MPH & Ashley Duhon, MD & Toby Terwilliger, MD | Policy
    • The human case for preserving the nipple after mastectomy

      Thomas Amburn, MD | Conditions
    • Nuclear verdicts and rising costs: How inflation is reshaping medical malpractice claims

      Robert E. White, Jr. & The Doctors Company | Policy
    • IMGs are the future of U.S. primary care

      Adam Brandon Bondoc, MD | Physician
    • Why I left the clinic to lead health care from the inside

      Vandana Maurya, MHA | Conditions
    • How physician burnout and system reform are shaping the future of U.S. health care

      Irim Salik, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • Health equity in Inland Southern California requires urgent action

      Vishruth Nagam | Policy
    • How restrictive opioid policies worsen the crisis

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • Why primary care needs better dermatology training

      Alex Siauw | Conditions
    • Why pain doctors face unfair scrutiny and harsh penalties in California

      Kayvan Haddadan, MD | Physician
    • How a doctor defied a hurricane to save a life

      Dharam Persaud-Sharma, MD, PhD | Physician
    • What street medicine taught me about healing

      Alina Kang | Education
  • Recent Posts

    • How physician burnout and system reform are shaping the future of U.S. health care

      Irim Salik, MD | Policy
    • How nature is inspiring the future of pain medicine

      Varun Mangal | Conditions
    • Why doctors must fight for a just health care system

      Alankrita Olson, MD, MPH & Ashley Duhon, MD & Toby Terwilliger, MD | Policy
    • Affordable postpartum hemorrhage solutions every OB/GYN can use worldwide [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • When cancer costs too much: Why financial toxicity deserves a place in clinical conversations

      Yousuf Zafar, MD | Physician
    • Psychiatrist tests ketogenic diet for mental health benefits

      Zane Kaleem, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Let’s stop calling cancer a war
3 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...