Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Take a break from all the bad news, and praise hope

J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD
Physician
July 6, 2019
572 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Reading the headlines in the morning newspaper lately can downright depressing. It was with that feeling that I recalled three conversations I had recently with people who have various cancers. And I realized that despite all the chaos around us, maybe it’s time to say something in praise of hope.

Hope is very real, especially when you or a loved one or someone you know is diagnosed and treated for cancer. Hope is that to which we cling to get us through the difficult days and weeks. Hope is what keeps us looking forward, hope is what we pray for.

We know hope itself cannot change the physical world. It can’t create success. If it could, no patient would ever succumb to this dread disease. However, for the three folks I spoke to, there are very real reasons to be hopeful.

One was a person who had previously been treated for cancer, and now had a new and different cancer detected. Biopsies of the tumor did not result in a diagnosis beyond an undifferentiated cancer. What treatment to offer was uncertain. The outlook was grim. Then a consulting physician suggested doing a genetic analysis of the biopsy, and lo and behold: a genetic “signature” was found that is strongly associated with another very rare type of cancer. A type of cancer that is treatable. Treatment was adjusted, the cancer is responding. Hope.

Another conversation was with someone seeking counsel to resolve conflicting treatment recommendations about their cancer. As we wrapped up our chat, I asked about their family. Turns out their spouse had a GIST tumor diagnosed in the early in the 2000s. GIST is another rare cancer that used to be almost universally fatal.

Following surgery, they were placed on imatinib (Gleevec), a drug that had been recently approved for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia and was also found to be effective in the treatment of GIST tumors. We had no clue back then whether it would be effective in keeping the cancer at bay after surgery. They remain on imatinib to this day, doing well and tolerating the drug. Once again, hope.

The third “conversation” was an email from a lung cancer survivor and personal friend who almost five years ago had widespread metastatic disease, including in the brain. Included in the email was a recent magazine article about her and other lung cancer survivors. At the time she was diagnosed she had a genomic test done (not a common procedure at the time) and the cancer was found to have a rare lung cancer mutation called ROS1. She started on an experimental drug (which is now approved for more widespread use), and remains alive, well, and expecting her first grandchild in March (a doting grandmother to be sure, as early signs suggest). Again, hope.

So let’s take a break from all the blaring bad news, and praise hope. For these three and so many more, there is so much more hope than we had in the past. Let us never forget that hope is all around us. As I learned from my own experience, we should not forget to seek it.

J. Leonard Lichtenfeld is deputy chief medical officer, American Cancer Society. He blogs at Dr. Len’s Cancer Blog.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com 

Prev

MKSAP: 69-year-old man with chest pressure and dyspnea

July 6, 2019 Kevin 0
…
Next

Is the journey in medicine leading me to my best self?

July 6, 2019 Kevin 1
…

Tagged as: Oncology/Hematology

Post navigation

< Previous Post
MKSAP: 69-year-old man with chest pressure and dyspnea
Next Post >
Is the journey in medicine leading me to my best self?

More by J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD

  • Why won’t unproven COVID treatments go away?

    J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD
  • How can we improve the quality of medications?

    J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD
  • Sunscreens: The balancing act between safety and cancer prevention

    J. Leonard Lichtenfeld, MD

Related Posts

  • Are negative news cycles and social media injurious to our health?

    Rabia Jalal, MD
  • The opioid crisis: Doctors cannot lose hope

    Linda Girgis, MD
  • In the face of uncertainty, choose hope over fear

    Shreya Kumar
  • Patients turn to GoFundMe when money and hope run out

    Mark Zdechlik
  • Are hospital ads just unregulated false hope?

    Elina Serrano
  • I always hope that a sense of humanity will supersede the status quo

    Erica Jaclyn Mark

More in Physician

  • The dark side of medicine: an urgent call to action against greed

    Don Gaede, MD
  • Dr. Glaucomflecken for president!

    Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD
  • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

    Edward T. Creagan, MD
  • Do residents deserve the title of physician?

    Anonymous
  • When an MBA degree meets medicine: an eye-opening experience

    Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA
  • The hidden gems of health care: Unlocking the potential of narrative medicine

    Dr. Najat Fadlallah
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care

      Nana Dadzie Ghansah, MD | Physician
    • Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy

      Mohammed Umer Waris, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The dark side of medicine: an urgent call to action against greed

      Don Gaede, MD | Physician
    • The surprising power of Play-Doh in pediatric care: How it’s bringing families together

      Alexander Rakowsky, MD | Conditions
    • Breaking free from gaslighting [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The pros and cons of using ChatGPT for your health care needs

      Liudmila Schafer, MD | Tech
    • Dr. Glaucomflecken for president!

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 1 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • How Did Pulse Oximeters Perform in Black Kids?
  • Coffee and Heart Function; Ionizing Radiation and CVD
  • Health Inequity Should Be Labeled as a 'Never Event'
  • Healing the Damaged Nurse-Physician Dynamic
  • Doc Moms, Mind the Gap -- $3M Earning Difference by Sex

Meeting Coverage

  • Switch to IL-23 Blocker Yields Deep Responses in Recalcitrant Plaque Psoriasis
  • Biomarkers of Response With Enfortumab Vedotin in Advanced Urothelial Cancer
  • At-Home Topical Therapy for Molluscum Contagiosum Gets High Marks
  • Outlook for Itchy Prurigo Nodularis Continues to Improve With IL-31 Antagonist
  • AAAAI President Shares Highlights From the 2023 Meeting
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • The struggle to fill emergency medicine residency spots: Exploring the factors behind the unfilled match

      Katrina Gipson, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Healing the damaged nurse-physician dynamic

      Angel J. Mena, MD and Ali Morin, MSN, RN | Policy
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician
    • Beyond the disease: the power of empathy in health care

      Nana Dadzie Ghansah, MD | Physician
    • Deaths of despair: an urgent call for a collective response to the crisis in U.S. life expectancy

      Mohammed Umer Waris, MD | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • The hidden dangers of the Nebraska Heartbeat Act

      Meghan Sheehan, MD | Policy
    • The real cause of America’s opioid crisis: Doctors are not to blame

      Richard A. Lawhern, PhD | Meds
    • Nobody wants this job. Should physicians stick around?

      Katie Klingberg, MD | Physician
    • The vital importance of climate change education in medical schools

      Helen Kim, MD | Policy
    • The fight for reproductive health: Why medication abortion matters

      Catherine Hennessey, MD | Physician
    • Resetting the doctor-patient relationship: Navigating the challenges of modern primary care

      Jeffrey H. Millstein, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • The dark side of medicine: an urgent call to action against greed

      Don Gaede, MD | Physician
    • The surprising power of Play-Doh in pediatric care: How it’s bringing families together

      Alexander Rakowsky, MD | Conditions
    • Breaking free from gaslighting [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The pros and cons of using ChatGPT for your health care needs

      Liudmila Schafer, MD | Tech
    • Dr. Glaucomflecken for president!

      Aaron Morgenstein, MD & Amy Bissada, DO & Corinne Sundar Rao, MD | Physician
    • What is driving physicians to the edge of despair?

      Edward T. Creagan, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today iMedicalApps
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Take a break from all the bad news, and praise hope
1 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...