Terry Thompson’s Blog

I am a pro-lifer, and that’s not limited to abortion.  To me, respect for life is one of the most basic of spiritual, ethical, and social values.  I do not believe an 80-year-old has any less right to live than an unborn, a child, or a 30-something parent.  Having said that, I must say that, as we grow older, cancer treatment decisions do take on a different set of factors to consider.  By 2030, Americans 65 and older will comprise 20% of the population, up from about 12% now.  Since the chances of getting cancer increase with age, there will be many more cancer cases involving seniors in the next few years.  How might cancer treatment decisions be different for the over 65 crowd?

I will only speak for myself.  I will be in that proud group of over-65-ers in less than three years.  As I consider what I would do if diagnosed with cancer, I become more and more opposed to opting for aggressive conventional therapies with every year that passes.  I hope to live to be a hundred, but if cancer hits me at 70, I truly believe that I would only accept conventional treatment that is essentially guaranteed to eradicate it with very little intrusion and physical harm.  Failing that assurance, I would not be interested in conventional treatment.  I am absolutely convinced that, if diagnosed with Stage IV incurable cancer, I would request the best immune system enhancing protocol and would focus on a mega-healthy lifestyle.  I would bring every spiritual, social, and emotional force available to bear on the experience.  I would then leave the rest up to God.  This might not have been my response 20 or 30 years ago.  Oh, I still have many significant goals to pursue, and I want to be with my family and friends for many more years.  But, essentially and realistically, I have lived a fulfilling life, and the last thing I would desire now is to spend it’s last months in the misery of conventional cancer treatment.

Everyone has the right to choose his or her health care at any point in life.  An 80-year-old has every right to pull out all the stops and aggressively fight cancer.  Nevertheless, there are good reasons not to take that approach in the waning years of our lives.  This is another example of how cancer treatment should be an integrative process involving the oncologist, the spiritual counselor, the family, and numerous other advisers.  That is an essential part of integrative oncology.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 31st, 2009 at 17:13 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.