Is the Therapy Worse than the Disease?
Dr. Paul Meyers: We certainly understand that chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy can have devastating side effects on patients, and that there comes a time for many patients when they want to discontinue therapy. They think that the therapy is worse than the disease.
My experience teaches me otherwise. My experience teaches me that no matter how bad things are with treatment, to have cancer out of control is worse than any treatment that we could devise. And the vast majority of side effects that we're talking about are transient and reversible, but the benefits are permanent. And I would urge you to continue treatment as long as you possibly can, because every day you stay well is a day we may get closer to a true cure for your disease.