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dad’s stage IV diagnosis
my father was diagnosed with stage IV bladder cancer last week that has spread to his lung. His diagnosis is really eating me up inside because I do not know what to expect at all-especially when it comes to how long he will live. I am a 4th year pharmacy student and have one more year to go. I will be done in May 2017.
I have studied the treatment for bladder cancer and I am expecting the worse..vomiting, thrombocytopenia, mucositis, secondary malignancy..etc..I think it makes it harder for me to cope daily knowing the side effects and also that I am currently 500 miles away from my father. I do realize that it may be the last time I see him healthy before I head back to school for good in June.
I guess my real question is, can I expect to see my father again 1 year from now given the current therapies? Also, I know all drugs have side effects but not all people experience them the same. Can someone tell me the most common side effects that may occur in a 72 year old male patient given MVAC?
The 5 year survival rate is 15%, but has that improved any with all of the recent clinical trials?
I just want to get some advice on what to expect as I will not be with my father for a full year as I finish my studies. -
1 Reply
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I am so sorry to hear about your father. It is a difficult time for all of you. No one can answer the questions about “how long” he has. There are numbers, but they are statistics and do not tell anything about an individual’s course. His doctor might be able to discuss this with you, with your father’s permission, since he knows the particular case.
Will be thinking of you
Sara Anne
Diagnosis 2-08 Small papillary TCC; CIS
BCG; BCG maintenance
Vice-President, American Bladder Cancer Society
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