Is Chemotherapy Treatment Worth its Expected Life Extension?

ByPrimary Researcher

Executive Summary

  • Chemotherapy is considered an automatic decision.
  • If one analyzes the average life extension, is chemotherapy a good deal for cancer patients?

Introduction

After investigating how much life expectancy is added by being subjected to chemotherapy — a question immediately became apparent, shouldn’t the question of whether chemotherapy is worth the average life extension be asked and analyzed under different scenarios?

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Study #1: Oncology Drugs Average Less Than Three Months Improvement in Increased Lifespan

A 2017 paper published in JAMA Oncology presented some stunning conclusions. Of sixty-two new oncology drugs approved between 2003 and 2013, only 43 percent offered a survival benefit of three months or longer, 11 percent offered a survival benefit of less than three months, 15 percent had an unknown survival benefit, and 30 percent offered no survival benefit at all.

Study #2: 2.1 Months of Extended Life From Chemotherapy Drugs

Most of these drugs only add a few months to cancer patients’ lives, as explained in the quotation from Up, Up and Not Going Away: Cancer Drug Prices.

According to Hertler, 71 consecutive FDA approvals of drugs to treat solid tumors increased survival an average of just 2.1 months, and 70% of the drugs approved over the past two decades had no effect on improving overall survival.

The Reality of the Expected Life Extension from Chemotherapy Drugs

The amount of shocking information in this video is overwhelming. It is only 6:48 minutes long but requires far more than that time to digest.

I recommend that you watch the video and then review my comments below the video, which will help readers absorb what is presented and the implications of what is being presented.

Important Point #1: Ineffective Drugs or Harmful Cancer Drugs Retain FDA Approval

At the 0:30 mark in this video, Dr. Micheal Gregor explains