Have you ever been puzzled by the “Big Pharma conspiracy theory?” I’ve lost count of the numerous times I heard accusations on social media that there’s a conspiracy between doctors and Big Pharma to hide the cure they’ve found for cancer so they can continue to rake in money through treatments and medications. I find that hard to believe. Doctors and biopharmaceutical employees and their families get cancer and use the same treatments they recommend to the public. If a cure existed yet, they would be using it themselves. But they die from the disease just like anyone else.
I’d like to fill you in on what my husband and I experienced firsthand and put the conspiracy theory to rest. We saw the strides made in just the last several years on treatments for advanced, terminal lung cancer. I saw Chris benefit from clinical trials for six years, achieving no evidence of disease three times from the disease that would likely have taken his life in six months if it weren’t for the treatments. There are so many different gene mutations in lung cancer alone, different treatments must be found for each type. There is no “one treatment fits all.”
I’ve seen the extensive process involved in testing drugs on humans to ensure the patient’s safety as much as possible. It’s not an overnight process or cure. It can sometimes take years for a drug to be FDA approved, even when put on the “fast track” when a drug is found to work exceptionally well. If special testing is required for clinical trials that insurance won’t cover, the drug manufacturers usually pay for the tests—which aren’t cheap.
I know of instances where patients couldn’t afford treatment and the biopharmaceutical companies gave them the life-saving medications at no charge under compassionate use. We received all clinical trial medications and countless tests for free at the expense of the drug manufacturers. Yes, cancer treatment is very expensive. Medical degrees take years of intense training and are expensive to earn, and there is a lot involved in developing successful treatments for any medical condition.
After reading the Cure magazine for cancer survivors and their caregivers, I have a greater appreciation of the research being done and the scientific breakthroughs that are being made at a pace more rapid than ever before.
Chris's former oncologist at UT Southwestern has identified a blood-based biomarker that may predict which patients are most likely to develop toxicities from immunotherapy. He has also developed a biomarker test “that can be performed on archival tissue (with results available in under 3 days) that can be used to select patients for a novel targeted therapy.” And he has also shown that “skin biopsies could be used instead of lung tumor biopsies as a less risky and less costly option to demonstrate treatment biologic effects.”
Remember to thank your medical team. They are focused on saving lives.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. My late husband’s birthday is also in November. In honor of both, I will be offering free shipping within the United States on all purchases made via my website for the entire month of November. (Use the promo code LUNGCANCERMONTH at checkout.) I will also donate 10% of the profits to LUNGevity for lung cancer research.
Click on the “Home” tab to order Cancer on Two Wheels and His Love Carries Me.