One thing is for certain: never underestimate someone who is battling cancer. Conservative radio talk show host, Rush Limbaugh, has been facing advanced lung cancer and has undergone a number of different treatments. Despite people doubting him, he is proving everyone wrong and still fighting.
Limbaugh, 69, revealed that he had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer on his radio program “The Rush Limbaugh Show” in February. Initially he kept his battle with cancer out of the public eye, but recently he’s been keeping fans updated on his overall health and stages of treatment. While celebrating the 32-year anniversary of his talk show, Limbaugh stated that he’s been underestimated by his peers, friends, and family throughout his entire life, but that only makes him want to succeed more.
Read MoreLimbaugh’s determination to beat the odds, having always fought to prove others wrong, likely helped him throughout his cancer journey. He’s opened up about his two previous treatments that didn’t work, saying he had such a bad reaction to clinical trial drugs that he had to stop them immediately. Now, he’s starting his third phase of treatment, and is confident he’ll be around for a few more “extra innings”.
“It is a blessing that in my third at-bat, the last shot that I had at this, I got on base and I stole second, and I’m chugging on to third, and I’m very confident that I’m gonna score. I’m very confident that this is gonna go into extra innings,” Limbaugh wrote on his website.
Stage 4 lung cancer survivor Millie Torchia encourages patients to be grateful for a specific moment
Navigating an Advanced Lung Cancer Diagnosis
Stage 4 lung cancer means that cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as the bones, brain or liver. While the diagnosis is understandably scary, there are a number of treatment options currently available thanks to increased research — including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and targeted drug therapies.
Immunotherapy is a relatively new treatment option which has shown immense promise in lung cancer treatment. This method harnesses the power of your immune system to fight the cancer, but choosing this option depends largely on the characteristics of the tumor and how it interacts with your immune system.
“[Immunotherapy] works for anywhere from 25% to 35% of our patients,” says Dr. Ken Miller, Director of Outpatient Oncology at the University of Maryland, Greenebaum Cancer Center. “We do know within several months of treatment whether it’s going to work or not. When it does work, it may work really, really well. We see the white blood cells essentially going to the sites of tumor and killing cancer cells. So immunotherapy certainly has a role if we find that you have advanced lung cancer.”
Dr. Ken Miller explains how immunotherapy can help advanced lung cancer patients
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