Cancer prognosis improves with time: Statistics Canada

Prognosis of the Canada cancer survivors tend to improve, sometimes significantly, after they survive a year or more, suggests a new report from Statistics Canada.

For the first time, Statistics Canada found survival rates for people who have lived at least a year with cancer. The risk of death is often greater in the first year, the Agency said, and old prognosis of estimates for the following years can no longer apply.

"The good news in this story is, for many, many patients, once they are gone two or three or four years after the diagnosis of cancer, their survival to the general population is really significantly better that it was at the time"", that they first had this cat with their oncologist," says Dr. Heather Bryant, co-author of the report and Vice-President, cancer control for the Canadian Partnership against Cancer.

The researchers analyzed data on patients across the country and 26 different types of cancer diagnosed between 2004 and 2006, looking at the rate of survival at different times after the diagnosis. The estimates are based on the average survival time for large groups of patients, rather than the individual prognosis.

The implications of cancer control are different for each disease, according to the rate of survival at diagnosis and after several years, said Heather Bryant. David MacIntosh CBC.

Researchers collected data conditional survival, which means that they compared patients with cancer survival rates in different periods after diagnosis with survival of persons in the general population who do not have cancer.

"Conditional survival data provide more accurate prognostic information how the risk of death changes over time," said the authors of the report.

"These results could help people who have survived with one or more years after a diagnosis of cancer by adjusting their vision of the future and help in planning follow-up cancer care providers.".

Survival at 5 years for people with cancer of the pancreas is six per cent of diagnosis, but it is 28 per cent among survivors of one year and 88 per cent among survivors of five years.

Similarly, among the survivors of cancer esophageal for at least five years, the estimated survival rate is 83 per cent, although the initial prognosis is 13%.

For the five surviving cancer of the colon, cancer with survival at 5 years estimated initial 63 per cent, the prognosis of update is 97 per cent, the authors say.

The rate of five-year survivor of breast cancer rises to 93% 88% at diagnosis, according to a new study. Eric Gaillard/Reuters.

The findings have implications for the fight against cancer, said Bryant.

For cancer such as colorectal cancer, where the initial prognosis is poor, health care providers would concentrate improve early detection to improve the chances of survival.

But with cancer, such as breast cancer, where 5-year survival rate is high enough, the focus should be to help patients beyond these first five years.

"If the patient lives five years, which is his chance to live five others still 10 years or more, because that is where the differences will be made,"said Bryant."

A surprise in the study, she said, was that there was no improvement in chronic apparent prospects for survival during the first five years after the diagnosis of Lymphocytic Leukemia, or CLL, with a ratio of about five years of relative survival remaining to little less than 80 per cent.

In the case of CLL, the findings suggest doctors and researchers should not focus all their attention on 5-year survival rates, since they are relatively stable, but look for ways to prevent future recurrence of the disease.

The national study gave researchers the opportunity to examine smaller, rarer cancers and tease the few differences that correspond with clinical understanding of these diseases, said Bryant.

Prithwish of the Canadian Cancer Society epidemiologist, said treatment could explain part of the results in terms of improvement in survival time, but added more research must be done to find out what treatment role plays effectively against other factors affecting survival.

Chart of survival of cancer. Statistics Canada

The group is working on the construction of information of cancer survival of specific stages for four major cancers - breast, colorectal, lung and prostate - since the chances of survival for five years differs depending on the stage when it is diagnosed.

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Cancer patients lose EI during treatment

A Vancouver cancer patient whose employment insurance is about to run out is criticizing a gap in federal coverage for working people who get sick.

"you pay into [ei] and you expect it to be there when you really need it the most," said Carlo Pellizzari, 26.

Pellizzari works in retail sales and is being treated for his second bout with a rare, serious form of blood cancer called paid large cell lymphoma.

During both treatment periods, he was able to get AR for 15 weeks, the maximum allowed for sickness coverage. He said after that he was left with no income for several months while off work trying to recover from aggressive chemotherapy.

"the fatigue is pretty bad," said Pellizzari. "during the treatments I was very sick." "Different vomiting every half hour or every hour after."

During his first cancer battle in 2008, Pellizzari said he was off work from March until October. When he applied for AR, he was very ill, so he didn't pay much attention to the limits on sickness benefits - until he was notified his checks were going to stop.

"It's pretty unfair to anybody in this situation," said Pellizzari, "you pay into it every paycheque - and then to be told you only qualify for 15 weeks." "It's tough to take when you're looking at being off for six months or a year."

Pellizzari, seen here with his girlfriend, is an avid photographer who has been working full time in retail sales for years. CBC

Pellizzari is now trying to recover from a second round of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant. His hematologist wrote a letter to the federal government on April 8, indicating he needed to be off work for three to six months.

However, Pellizzari said his EI coverage is set to run out early - again - in May.

"It's back to zero income, for however much longer I am off," said Pellizzari, who is now living with his parents. "I can 't imagine the stress I' d be under if I had a mortgage and family at this point."

Medical professionals told CBC News the federal government has left a big crack in the system, which thousands of patients fall into each year.

Workers with no extended benefit plans can turn to EI for 15 weeks. After that, their illness has to be "serious and prolonged" to qualify for PPC disability coverage. Medical professionals say in cases they have seen, patients have to be sick for at least a year before they can get that coverage.

That means there is an eight-month gap during which sick workers can't get any help from Ottawa.

"I will never get used to sitting beside someone newly diagnosed with cancer and telling them that they will only get ar sick benefits for 15 weeks," said Beverley Biggs, a Vancouver social worker who helps cancer patients. "people are shocked and feel betrayed by the canadian government."

Pellizzari thinks it is unfair that self-employed workers like him can get only 15 weeks of EI for sickness, while unemployed, healthy workers get up to 50 weeks of coverage. CBC

Biggs said she has seen numerous patients in dire financial straits, including family breadwinners stricken with cancer, who paid into EI for years.

"There is nothing else for them intended to apply for regular income assistance [welfare] except, which for a single person [in B.C.]" "is only $606 per month," she said.

Pellizzari believes because he has assets and assistance from his parents, he couldn't even qualify for welfare.

"You'd have to transfer vehicles out of your name and that kind of stuff." "I m just not willing to do that," he said.

Pellizzari said he finds it frustrating and ironic that healthy workers who are unemployed can get AR for up to 50 weeks. He believes if he were willing to cheat - and ask his employ to lay off him - he would easily get more coverage.

"I m not dishonest." "I d rather be making nothing than cheating the system," said Pellizzari. "the honest person basically gets screwed."

In 2010, 61,393 workers collected sickness benefits, while more than 10 times that many — 683,815 - collected regular AES.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada told CBC News the average worker on sickness benefits collects for 9.4 weeks. However, 31.4 per cent claimed the maximum 15 weeks in 2008/09 - a figure that suggests thousands would collect for longer if they could.

Dr. John Shepherd, director of the Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program of B.C., estimated 20 per cent of his patients have no extended coverage from their employers.

"We have patients who will say, 'I' ve got to get out of here as soon as possible because I have got to pay my bills'-and that is a significant concern for us," said Shepherd.

Dr. John Shepherd, director of the Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program of B.C., wants the federal government to look at extending EI benefits to cover cancer patients until they are well enough to go back to work. CBC

He said advances in medicine mean more seriously ill patients do recover enough to return to work, instead of going on long term CPP disability. He said he would like to see the federal government catch up to that reality.

"The individual who we fully expect is going to recover - and is going to be able to go back to the workforce - is the individual who currently does have the problem," he said.

"There needs to be an ability for those people to be able to deal with their disease and the treatment of their disease without having to worry about facing an undue financial penalty because of it."

The Canadian Breast Cancer Network (CBCN) surveyed 446 breast cancer survivors about the impact their disease and treatment had on their personal finance. Last year, it reported 80 per cent of respondents experienced an economic impact, often with "devastating long-term financial consequences."

The group is lobbying Ottawa to increase EI sickness benefits to a maximum 40 weeks.

"CBCN's report found that there was an average gap of 23 weeks between the end of EI sickness benefits and the end of treatment based on an average treatment time of 38 weeks," the group wrote in a submission on the 2011 federal budget.

"As a result of the financial strain, 21 per cent of respondents returned to work before they were fully able... women who struggled in their jobs due to fatigue and side-effects from treatment."

CBC News asked the three major federal parties for their position on this.

Conservative Party spokesperson Ryan Sparrow indicated it would not make changes because every Ars extension costs money and this would be a "significant cost."

An email from the Liberals read, "we are in favour of a complete review of EI benefits, including special benefits like sickness benefits." The NDP indicated it would extend sickness benefits to a maximum 52 weeks.

"It's got to be addressed," said Pellizzari. "It doesn't have to be just cancer patients, or I mean it could be anybody in any kind of medical situation where you can't work."

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Clinic promotes smoking as cancer cure

A clinic in Indonesia that cigarette smoke can cure cancer and to treat emphysema. Tobacco is addictive and harmful, but Indonesians take the habit in getting gr??eren-- and jüngere--numbers.

An Indonesian woman exhales cigarette smoke into the mouth of a gaunt, naked patients in a hospital in Jakarta, where tobacco is openly propagated cure as cancer.

The Western patient suffers from emphysema, a condition that they developed from decades of smoking. It is just a the complaints along with cancer and autism clinic Griya Balur claims that it can heal with cigarettes.

"I that missed" says the woman, a regular customer with an American accent, such as Phil Collins' "I can feel it" roaring in the background.

Griya Balur would be down in many parts of the world, but not in Indonesia, one of the developing countries new frontiers for the big tobacco companies, because it tries, its dwindling profits in the West replace health-conscious.

Regulation combined with poor long traditions of tobacco use and billions of dollars flowing into government coffers of the tobacco industry mean places like Griya Balur go unchallenged.

The "treatment" for the suffering emphysema contains bubbles of 'divine cigarettes' smoke from their infused "free radicals," with "Nanotechnology" cancer causing you remove through a tube into her diseased lungs.

Smoke is blown in her ears and nose, while she holds a cup of aspirin over her right eye. Phil Collins, it seems has no healing properties.

Griya Balur founder Gretha Zahar told AFP she had dealt with tobacco smoke 60,000 people in the last decade.

Doctorate in Nano chemistry Padjadjaran University in Bandung, West Java, Zahar believes that through the manipulation of mercury in tobacco can smoke all diseases such as cancer reverse to heal, and even the aging process.

"Mercury is the cause of all diseases." In my cigarettes-we call it divine cigarettes - there are scavengers, you extract the mercury from the body, "she said."

On her website she says she must not their theories, the clinical trials are subject to, or publish in journals, nor has the money "fight" with "Western physicians."

Zahar's claims presented where farmers and legislators of the tobacco law challenge hub of Central Java, which recognizes the sheet as addictive recently at the Constitutional Court.

ARIS Widodo, a Professor of Pharmacology University of Brawijaya in Malang, East Java, told the Court that he never someone die from smoking is had. On the contrary, he said, was smoking good for you.

"Smoking can eliminate fear, sharpen to calm concentration and the nerves." It is a good cheap alternative to other expensive drugs such as valium, "he said."

Tobacco is addictive and harmful, but Indonesians take the habit in getting gr??eren-- and jüngere-- numbers, cheered on by the tobacco industry of aggressive marketing.

Addicts puff anywhere from beauty salons, dentist waiting rooms. Parents give children cigarettes to keep them quiet. Cigarettes are handed out for young people together with concert tickets. Laws prohibit public smoking are rarely, if ever enforced, and tobacco advertising is omnipresent on roadsides and television screens of the country.

Costs about $1 for a pack of 20 cigarettes, but they are often the second largest item of expenditure of households to food for the Southeast Asian country's poorest families.

According to the World Health Organization rates have increased smoking six-fold in Indonesia in the last 40 years. Smoking kills at least 400,000 people each year and a further 25,000 die from passive smoking.

But Indonesia is the only country in Asia not to WHO ratified have the framework Convention on tobacco control, sets policy recommendations and benchmarks for countries concerned about the effects of smoking on health.

Indonesia's largest cigarette manufacturer, PT HM Sampoerna, is a subsidiary of Philip Morris International. British American tobacco bought Indonesia's fourth-largest cigarette maker, PT Bentoel, for $494 million in 2009.

The Government employs reaps about $7 billion per year in excise taxes from the industry, the scores of thousands of people on Temanggung in Central Java.

Anti-smoke campaigners say players in the industry from their old marketing textbook of science and paint smoking as cool, masculine, glamorous and even healthy, covering in particular on women and children are dusting.

While the discussion of smoking regulations in 2009 a clause says tobacco the effect of the final draft producing addiction missing. The Government said the omission was a mere provided and later inserted the clause.

Ministry of health, the official BUDi Sampurno in question provided he was, but claims that tobacco companies had nothing to do.

"Never." Is there a proof? We have never raised by tobacco companies have been. That said not legal practice, "he."

Hakim Sorimuda Pohan, was a Democratic Party legislator helped Bill who said health, without a doubt, it was big tobacco behind the shenanigans.

"she did the same thing in 1992." Tobacco companies successfully the same clause omitted from the law had, "he said."

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