A Couple of Executives Tackle The Enemy
Last Thursday I said that I would write about the new treatment guidelines today, but other news preempts the subject til Thursday because you might find this more interesting.
I've just spoken with two relatively newly diagnosed patients. Like the rest of us, they were stunned by their diagnoses, but unlike most of us, they are well connected and have the means to seek medical treatment wherever they wish.
Immediately, both began to tackle the problem as they might tackle a major problem within their companies. They sought advice from experts. They learned about their options. They read every study they could get their hands on. They questioned their doctors' opinions and recommendations.
And you know what they learned? There is no universal agreement that one treatment or another is best. (The options will be Thursday's entry).
One doctor recommended R-CVP while another recommended Rituxan only. Still another recommended watch and wait and yet another suggested R-CHOP. Both patients asked about using RIT up front. One told me that his doctor was intrigued by the "amazing results" (the doctor's words) Bexxar had shown for front line treatment, but still recommended R-CHOP.
Ultimately, it came down to these patients making their own decisions. One is still in the information gathering phase. The other concluded that flurdabine followed by Zevalin would give him the best possible chance to achieve a long-term, durable remission and maybe even a cure. He's half way through treatment and still flying around the country running a company.
We could all learn from these men. When diagnosed, neither sat back and waited to be told what to do. Instead, both took action, learned all their options, and either made or are making decisions that feel right for them.
That's something we can all do. Though few of us are high-powered executives who have the means to do what these men did, we can participate in making our own treatment decisions. We can learn about our options and make our choices with which we are most comfortable.
Betsy