<story><title>Death rates are declining for many common cancers in the U.S., report finds</title><url>https://www.statnews.com/2021/07/08/cancer-death-rates-2021/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>cancerhacker</author><text>I created this account on July 28, 2014 [1] - I had(have?) stage IV Colon Cancer with liver metastases. I did a FOLFIRI regime with cetaximab, then a colon resection with a general surgeon.&lt;p&gt;My oncologist was great (ucsf medical center) - but the surgeon refused to address my liver mets - they were too large and distributed.&lt;p&gt;My wife found out about a specialist at Sloan-Kettering in Manhattan that uses something called a Hepatic Arterial Infusion Pump - a hockypuck that delivers 50x a chemo dose directly to the liver. That was implanted in my abdomen and I flew between SF and New York to get it refilled every 4 weeks for six months. Their surgeon then resected 75% of my liver. (Skipping a few steps here. I had another met that they couldn’t get surgically and they got it with 10 rounds of radiation.)&lt;p&gt;My company was very supportive and our health insurance picked up most of the cost - over US $2million (so far?)&lt;p&gt;I was hospitalized several times after the surgeries for post operative infections - in a way they seemed far more difficult for the doctors to address than the cancer itself.&lt;p&gt;Oh, while the Cetaximab shrank the tumors, the skin rash it caused was absolutely wretched - my cuticles would bleed and had to wear finger cots and gloves to protect them. And my eyelashes grew about 3x their normal length.&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&amp;#x2F;item?id=8095321&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&amp;#x2F;item?id=8095321&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>Abishek_Muthian</author><text>Thanks for sharing, Your fight is very inspiring.&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt;My company was very supportive and our health insurance picked up most of the cost - over US $2million (so far?)&lt;p&gt;This is the first time I&amp;#x27;m hearing something good about a insurer in a very long time, That too for a such a large amount. I presume it&amp;#x27;s likely because you work for a large client and they&amp;#x27;re very supportive. I&amp;#x27;m glad this is happening.&lt;p&gt;Meanwhile, I have bone related issues(Achondroplasia) and the insurers here(tied up major international brands) outright deny me a health insurance policy[1] against the guidelines of regulatory body and numerous supreme court verdicts on related scenarios.&lt;p&gt;After COVID disaster, It seems like the health insurers don&amp;#x27;t even try to wear their disingenuous masks anymore.&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;abishekmuthian.com&amp;#x2F;insurers-are-putting-the-lives-of-sick-and-disabled-at-risk-during-covid-19-pandemic&amp;#x2F;&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;abishekmuthian.com&amp;#x2F;insurers-are-putting-the-lives-of...&lt;/a&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>Death rates are declining for many common cancers in the U.S., report finds</title><url>https://www.statnews.com/2021/07/08/cancer-death-rates-2021/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>cancerhacker</author><text>I created this account on July 28, 2014 [1] - I had(have?) stage IV Colon Cancer with liver metastases. I did a FOLFIRI regime with cetaximab, then a colon resection with a general surgeon.&lt;p&gt;My oncologist was great (ucsf medical center) - but the surgeon refused to address my liver mets - they were too large and distributed.&lt;p&gt;My wife found out about a specialist at Sloan-Kettering in Manhattan that uses something called a Hepatic Arterial Infusion Pump - a hockypuck that delivers 50x a chemo dose directly to the liver. That was implanted in my abdomen and I flew between SF and New York to get it refilled every 4 weeks for six months. Their surgeon then resected 75% of my liver. (Skipping a few steps here. I had another met that they couldn’t get surgically and they got it with 10 rounds of radiation.)&lt;p&gt;My company was very supportive and our health insurance picked up most of the cost - over US $2million (so far?)&lt;p&gt;I was hospitalized several times after the surgeries for post operative infections - in a way they seemed far more difficult for the doctors to address than the cancer itself.&lt;p&gt;Oh, while the Cetaximab shrank the tumors, the skin rash it caused was absolutely wretched - my cuticles would bleed and had to wear finger cots and gloves to protect them. And my eyelashes grew about 3x their normal length.&lt;p&gt;[1] &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&amp;#x2F;item?id=8095321&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&amp;#x2F;item?id=8095321&lt;/a&gt;</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>nradov</author><text>Thanks for sharing your story. It&amp;#x27;s a good reminder about how oncology is still as much as art as a science, and outcomes vary widely depending on whether you have access to the right providers.</text></comment>