How do you decide when to stop traditional cancer treatments? To be extremely clear for the SurvivorNet community, this is the most personal kind of decision and one that doctors say should absolutely not be followed by others without intense consideration and careful medical consultation.
Criscilla Anderson, wife of country music singer Coffrey Anderson, has been open with fans about her battle with colon cancer since her diagnosis. However, in an interview with People, Anderson revealed that she plans to stop chemotherapy treatments and let her faith heal her.
Read MoreCriscilla Anderson’s Battle With Colon Cancer
In 2018, Anderson experienced severe stomach pains which would leave her doubled-over in pain. She visited her doctor and was initially diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2018, but went into a brief remission. In November 2019, she found out her disease had reoccurred and developed into stage 4 metastatic colon cancer. According to Anderson, her oncologists told her that the disease was “treatable, but no curable,” but Anderson’s disease has been improving as she shared that her tumors have shrunk and blood proteins are lower.
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Cancer Patients Making Their Own Decisions During Treatment
Following a cancer diagnosis, some patients may struggle with understanding the right treatment process for their disease. Cancer survivors tell SurvivorNet that it’s important patients speak up when they don’t believe certain therapies are the right way to go.
Matthew Zachary was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 21, and told SurvivorNet that his doctors wanted him to get chemotherapy after he already had radiation and surgery. As a concert pianist, Zachary was afraid that chemo would get in the way of his ability to play piano so he said no.
“As much as you want to think you have control over what drugs you get and what your options are, you don’t,” Zachary said. “I really believe this and the revolution that is in play. What personalized medicine means has nothing to do with the drugs; it has to do with what’s important to the person so they can make decisions that are best for them on their terms and no one else’s.”
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