3 ms·

Having witnessed my mother fight and pass away from cancer rather recently, signs of cancer are definitely obvious in hindsight but they never strike anyone as

Having witnessed my mother fight and pass away from cancer rather recently, signs of cancer are definitely obvious in hindsight but they never strike anyone as such at that point in time. Basically: "Yeah, looking back on it that was cancer wasn't it? God damnit..."

jseliger 3y ago
Ditto, except for myself: https://jakeseliger.com/2023/07/22/i-am-dying-of-squamous-cell-carcinoma-and-the-treatments-that-might-save-me-are-just-out-of-reach/ https://jakeseliger.com/2023/07/22/i-am-dying-of-squamous-ce... One problem is: how often do those signs turn out to be cancer, versus something else? There are now circulating tumor cancer DNA tests (ctDNA), though they're presently expensive: https://www.natera.com/oncology/signatera-advanced-cancer-detection/ https://www.natera.com/oncology/signatera-advanced-cancer-de.... If they get cheap enough, they'd be interesting as part of, say, an annual blood panel. Mine were like $5k each, however, so that's not going to happen in the general population in the short term. I was using the Signatera tests to try to determine whether I should start prophylactic chemotherapy after a total glossectomy. The answer turned out to be "yes," but three days before I began chemo, a CT scan ordered to ascertain whether I could use a jaw-stretcher device showed six to eight new tumors, less than two months after the surgery. So the direction was correct.
- Dalewyn 3y ago
  ...God damn, man. I'm glad you're still here with us, but I... don't know what to even say.
- joelfried 3y ago
  Thank you for speaking and not being silent when life is hard.
- sam2426679 3y ago
  According to an oncologist I spoke with, there are “shedders” and “non-shedders,” i.e. whether a tumor sheds DNA into the bloodstream or not. Apparently I’m a non-shedder :/
- copperx 3y ago
  I thought the circulating tumor DNA tests were $1k. I know because I was interested in getting them.
- Teever 3y ago
  Any idea why they're so expensive?
poulsbohemian 3y ago
What examples do you have in mind? I ask because both of my in-laws passed from very aggressive cancers, but there really isn't much I can point to as meaningful signs. In hindsight, it did seem like a lot of people in their neighborhood also passed from various cancers, but even then they were all different types and I'm not sure it was statistically significant.

jseliger 3y ago

Ditto, except for myself: https://jakeseliger.com/2023/07/22/i-am-dying-of-squamous-cell-carcinoma-and-the-treatments-that-might-save-me-are-just-out-of-reach/ https://jakeseliger.com/2023/07/22/i-am-dying-of-squamous-ce... One problem is: how often do those signs turn out to be cancer, versus something else? There are now circulating tumor cancer DNA tests (ctDNA), though they're presently expensive: https://www.natera.com/oncology/signatera-advanced-cancer-detection/ https://www.natera.com/oncology/signatera-advanced-cancer-de.... If they get cheap enough, they'd be interesting as part of, say, an annual blood panel. Mine were like $5k each, however, so that's not going to happen in the general population in the short term. I was using the Signatera tests to try to determine whether I should start prophylactic chemotherapy after a total glossectomy. The answer turned out to be "yes," but three days before I began chemo, a CT scan ordered to ascertain whether I could use a jaw-stretcher device showed six to eight new tumors, less than two months after the surgery. So the direction was correct.

Dalewyn 3y ago
...God damn, man. I'm glad you're still here with us, but I... don't know what to even say.
joelfried 3y ago
Thank you for speaking and not being silent when life is hard.
sam2426679 3y ago
According to an oncologist I spoke with, there are “shedders” and “non-shedders,” i.e. whether a tumor sheds DNA into the bloodstream or not. Apparently I’m a non-shedder :/
copperx 3y ago
I thought the circulating tumor DNA tests were $1k. I know because I was interested in getting them.
Teever 3y ago
Any idea why they're so expensive?

poulsbohemian 3y ago

What examples do you have in mind? I ask because both of my in-laws passed from very aggressive cancers, but there really isn't much I can point to as meaningful signs. In hindsight, it did seem like a lot of people in their neighborhood also passed from various cancers, but even then they were all different types and I'm not sure it was statistically significant.