High-Priced Chemotherapy Treatments Bankrupting Families

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NaturalNews.com

October 20 2008

 

High-Priced Chemotherapy Treatments Bankrupting Families for a Few

Months of Low-Quality " Life "

 

by David Gutierrez

 

(NaturalNews) The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will

soon encourage doctors to discuss the financial costs of chemotherapy

as one of the side effects that patients should consider in deciding

which treatment to proceed with, or whether to use treatment at all.

 

Many cancer patients know that they cannot be cured, but use drugs to

seek a longer and higher quality life for the time that they have.

For these patients in particular, the cost of drugs can be an

important factor. Dr. Leonard Saltz of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering

Cancer Center points to two different drugs for metastatic colon

cancer, one of which costs $60,000 more than the other.

 

The more expensive drug does not cause hair loss, but can cause

damage to hands and feet. While these alternate side effects are

normally discussed with patients, many doctors feel uncomfortable

discussing cost.

 

" These are awkward discussions, " Dr. Allen Lichter of the American

Society of Clinical Oncology said. " At least we can bring this out in

the open. "

 

Saltz also points to a pancreatic cancer drug that costs $4,000 per

month, but only extends survival for an average of a few weeks.

 

" Is it a good investment, a high-risk investment, or buying a lottery

ticket? " he asked.

 

The price of cancer drugs is rising at a rate of 15 percent per year,

in particular as new and expensive biotechnology drugs hit the

market. Some of these drugs may cost $100,000 or more for a course of

treatment.

 

Not all drugs are created equal, and doctors need to be honest with

patients about this, said Neal J. Meropol of the Fox Chase Cancer

Center in Philadelphia and head of the panel writing the new ASCO

guidelines.

 

" Chemotherapy is a fraud, " said consumer health advocate Mike

Adams. " Its main purpose is not to save lives but to generate profits

for the drug companies. In order to protect these profits, the FDA

and FTC routinely discredit safer, more natural and more affordable

cancer cures that really work, " Adams said.

 

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