Strouse 1

Kim Strouse
Mr. Jorgensen
English 1010
May 5, 2016
Cancer Treatment: Living Miserably Longer
In June 2015, thirty-two year old Jessica, who was six weeks pregnant at that time, had
been experiencing symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI) and proceeded to the doctor. She
did not have a UTI, but stage IV cervical cancer with bladder metastases. After having a
miscarriage and enduring three months of chemotherapy and radiation in which she suffered
severe agony, Jessica died. During the time of treatment, she begged her doctors to discontinue
her treatments, but was pressured into continuing. Unfortunately, this is an unnecessary harsh
reality for many people. No one should be pressured into suffering during their final days.
Jessicas obituary stated she died peacefully, but this is simply untrue. She died in misery,
which could have been avoided had her family and cancer team listened to her pleas. Dying
peacefully does not include fourth degree burns or debilitating diarrhea, fatigue, and nausea.
When given the unfortunate diagnosis of cancer, saying no to conventional treatment is
simply unacceptable in todays society. The cancer-stricken individual is often pressured by
family, friends, or their doctor(s) to pursue expensive, invasive, painful, and harmful treatments
designed to kill cancer, or in known terminal cases, reduce the size of the tumor(s) for temporary
relief. They are often labeled by their loved ones as selfish for not wanting to undergo such
torturous procedures. While its understood why family members wish to see their loved ones

Strouse 2

live a bit longer, its actually selfish of them to expect such, as it comes at a terrible cost to the
patient.
Common treatment options available for cancer patients include surgery, chemotherapy
hormone therapy, and/or radiation therapy, all of which have significant side effects that
negatively impact a humans well-being, sometimes so much that the person would rather avoid
them than deal with the torment. Common side effects of some or all of these treatments include
but are not limited to: constant excruciating pain, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, internal and
external burning, ulcers in the mouth, throat, or other areas of the body, digestive changes, blood
disorders, partial or complete hair loss (depending on method of treatment), and fatigue.
Unfortunately, these treatment options dont only kill the cancer, they often kill the
affected individual too. In fact, in 2011, the number three cause of death in the U.S. was
anthropogenic causes. Despite much evidence to support that statement, Dr. George Cannon, a
radiation oncologist at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah, argues there is no
deterministic outcome in which patients have a calculated decrement in their length of life if they
survive (Par. 5). He does admit there are known stochastic events that could conceivably
shorten someones life, but the risk is low (par. 5). A local doctor by the name of Steve was sixty
years of age was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He completed his eight-week radiation
treatment, feeling great and optimistic. Three days later Steve passed away of a pulmonary
embolism secondary to radiation therapy, which was proven via autopsy.
Throughout the years, the medical industry has realized cancer treatment is probably the
most prosperous business in the United States, claims John Thomas (Par. 2). Why would they
ever want to discover a cure when cancer is so profitable? It is agreed upon by many
professionals in the medical industry a cure for cancer would benefit only the patient and that is

Strouse 3

simply unacceptable to those who will suffer financially as a result of a cure. Robert Ryan, B.Sc
argues cancer, in most cases, is due to environmental and lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet,
pollution, sunlight exposure, pharmaceutical drug intake, and having certain medical procedures
performed, yet few medical professionals have acknowledged that as the primary cause (Par. 3).
Dr. Cannon, however, does believe abstaining from smoking is the single most important
preventative measure one can take and counts far more than any other healthy lifestyle choice a
person can make (Par. 6).
Todays cancer treatments have led to positive outcomes for many. One example is
Colette Szabo, who developed colon cancer at the age of 40 and was cured with surgery and
chemotherapy. Interestingly enough, under her testimonial in fine print it states No case is
typical. You should not expect to experience these results (Szabo Par. 7).
Its no secret cancer treatment weakens the immune system and makes it difficult, if not
impossible, to fight off something as simple as the common cold. It is, however, not commonly
know that chemotherapy drugs designed to kill rapidly moving cells may also kill healthy cells.
In addition to immunity suppression, the side effects of chemotherapy subject the patient to far
more pain and suffering than the cancer alone could provide. I personally observed cancer
patients while employed at the radiation oncology department at Intermountain Medical Center.
Lisa, who was receiving radiation therapy for anal cancer, said, If this cancer comes back, I will
never do this again! (Personal communication, 2015) as she sobbed tears of pain and limped to
the dressing room. Lisa suffered severe burns to the inside and outside of her genitalia region. A
fifty-six year old gentleman named Joe was receiving dual therapy of radiation and
chemotherapy for lung cancer. He said, I didnt want to do this. Im doing this for my wife
(Personal communication, 2015).

Strouse 4

With these significant side effects and evidence that cancer treatments, in some cases
actually cause death, why are more people not choosing natural remedies? According to Dr.
Cannon, Unfortunately people who have cancer are often times in desperate straits and willing
to try about anything as a possibility. I advise patients not to break the bank on these
homeopathic interventions and to at least pursue the known treatments (par. 7). The known
treatments, however, are actually killing some people, not the cancer. Dr. Michael Farley, a
former forensic pathology consultant, N.D. who worked as an autopsy tech during his training,
said when doing an autopsy, you look at the organs. Youll get the medical record of the patient,
the name of the patient and the cause of death: cancer. You open them up and theres a fried liver.
The cancer didnt kill them, the fried liver did from the radiation (Farley and Bollinger, 2012).
He also notes, You see cardiomyopathy. The heart muscle is almost totally dead. You look at the
medical record and you see that chemotherapy was given and you find out one of the side effects
is heart damage. Again, it wasnt the cancer that killed them, it was the heart damage from the
chemo (Farley and Bollinger, 2012).
For those with a relatively curable diagnosis, conventional treatment is an excellent
choice and may be worth the side effects. Those who are faced with a grim diagnosis, such as
liver, pancreatic, brain, and lung cancers, comfort measures are simply a better choice. Had
Jessica not succumbed to the pressure from her doctors and gone that route, she likely would
have lived longer and had a better quality of life during that time. No one should have to endure
the pain and suffering that Jessica was subjected to during her last months because they were
pressured into treatment.
A thirty-six year old mother of five named Jenny was diagnosed with stage IV colon
cancer in September 2015 and was told she is terminal. She has chemotherapy every fourteen

Strouse 5

days and will do so until she eventually passes away. This is done to extend her life, however,
Jenny states she is sick for several days following each chemotherapy treatment, but admits she
feels fine other than when she is experiencing side effects from chemotherapy, so why does she
continue? It breaks my heart because we have five young children and I dont want to leave
them, Jenny said (Eaton par. 13). It must be argued that, knowing she is terminal, Jenny could
spend more quality time with her children during her last months if she opted against therapy, as
she is literally spending half of her time too ill to care for them and much less quality time with
them.
Some doctors who actually encourage patients to participate in cancer treatment admit
they would never seek treatment themselves. Ken Murray, professor of family medicine at the
University of Southern California, admitted that himself, as well as most practicing doctors,
would not put themselves through cancer treatments (Scurr par. 5). Ken said Like most doctors,
I understand that much of the care we offer patients who have serious, life-threatening illnesses
is ultimately futile (Scurr par. 2). He then states most doctors wont disclose this to their
patients, but instead prescribe such treatments. He added, If I had the disease, I would not
attempt any of the treatments for it because it can be grueling and misery-making, and the
success rate is extremely low. I would rather have painkilling palliative care, which can do great
things in helping to make you feel comfortable while you are dying (Scurr par. 10).
In some cases, patients experience something called radical remission, which is a
spontaneous remission of cancer for no known medical reason. Those who experience this type
of remission are patients who were deemed incurable and/or failed all conventional therapies
available. Kelly Turner, PhD and author of Radical Remission: The Nine Key Factors That Can
Make A Real Difference, states doctors are so perplexed by this type of remission that they dont

Strouse 6

even study it or try to explain it, chalking it up to a miracle (Par. 1). Kelly, however, has
researched the subject extensively and believes there is nothing spontaneous about it. According
to her findings, there are nine key factors that employed by these miracle patients including
radically changing their diet, using herbs and supplements, increasing positive emotions, and
increasing spiritual connection. Matthew, a twenty-seven year old who was diagnosed with
terminal brain cancer, was prescribed hospice. With literally nothing to lose, he practiced the key
nine factors faithfully, and was proven to be cured two years later via brain MRI (Rankin Par. 6).
For those patients who are fortunate to survive cancer and western treatment, they are
soon forced with another harsh reality: the bills. These are usually hundreds of thousands of
dollars, but why? When asked about incentives for prescribing unnecessary treatments, Dr.
Cannon states, I can understand why society would be suspicious of the costs of cancer care,
however, a large portion of this is the new chemotherapeutic and biologic drugs over the past 1015 years and the American health care system (and patients) seems to end up holding the (overpriced) bag in the end (Par. 9).
As Dr. Farley said, If you arent being honest in cause of death, how can you ever
progress in medicine? The sad part is the truth of medicine is kept from the people. So how can
one make a decision in their treatment protocol without ever knowing the facts? (Farley and
Bollinger, 2012) It is most unfortunate that people are kept from the truth. If doctors did not
withhold this information, many terminal people could save themselves from suffering more than
they have to. Cancer treatment is appropriate for some, but certainly not for all. All people shall
be allowed to leave this world with as little amount of pain as possible, not begging to die sooner
because of the very thing that is supposed to cure them.

Strouse 7

Works Cited
Cannon, George M., MD. "Cancer Treatment: Life or Death?" E-mail interview. 14 Apr. 2016.
Eaton, Nate. "Young Mom of 5 Turns to Faith While Bravely Battling Terminal Cancer."
KSL.com. East Idaho News, 18 Apr. 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.
Farley, Michael and Bollinger, Ty. "Is Cancer REALLY a Cause of Death?" YouTube. YouTube,
04 Oct. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2016.
Rankin, Lissa. "9 Key Factors Affecting Radical Remission From Cancer." Lissa Rankin. N.p.,
18 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Ryan, Robert. "Cancer Research - A Super Fraud?" Cancer Research - A Super Fraud? N.p., n.d.
Web. 12 Feb. 2016.
Scurr, Martin. "Why MOST Doctors like Me Would Rather DIE than Endure the Pain of
Treatment We Inflict on Others for Terminal Diseases: Insider Smashes Medicine's Big
Taboo." Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers, 14 Feb. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Simon, Stacey. "57-Year Breast Cancer Survivor to Celebrate 90th Birthday." Stories of Hope.
American Cancer Society, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 2 Feb. 2016.
Szabo, Colette. "Colette Szabo." Our Journey of Hope. Cancer Treatment Centers of America,
n.d. Web. 21 Apr. 2016
Thomas, John P. "The Cancer Industry Is Too Prosperous to Allow a Cure." Health Impact News.
Health Impact News, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2016.
Tweed, Vera. "Cancer 'Miracle' Survivors: What Do They Have in Common?" Newsmax.
Newsmax Health, 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.