Health update 11 January 2022

 Visited colorectal specialist yesterday. Given the words of my GP and looking at some reputable websites, I was expecting to be in surgery in fairly short order. However the plan is colonoscopy and then most likely chemotherapy.

We had a useful discussion about five year survival rates. If you have a look at this article you will see that the second paragraph gives a five year survival rate (for my type of cancer) of just 13.4%.

However my specialist made the following points:

1. Due to improved treatments in recent years, even the recent data will be somewhat out of date.

2. This is a national figure that doesn't take into account any specific demographic or other distinctions. Even within Sydney, if you go to a particular treatment centre in Western Sydney the five year survival rates sit at about 20%. The place I'll most likely be treated at, on the North Shore, is probably closer to 40%. Clearly other factors are at play, most likely demographic rather than relating to quality of treatment.

3. Five year survival rates are a useful but blunt instrument. You may be completely cancer-free after treatment, and then at the five year mark die of a (probably) unrelated cause like a heart attack. You would still be included in the statistics, even though the death couldn't be specifically ascribed to cancer.

It was a good conversation. Clearly 20% or 40% survival rates are significantly better than 13.4%, though still cause for concern.

If you or someone you know has a cancer diagnosis, there is a lot more relevant information to consider than just what can be discovered via Dr Google, as my friend Dave McDonald reminded me.

Speaking of which, find his book about his cancer experience, Hope Beyond Cure, here. The clever title gives the clue as to what it's about. Recommended!