http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/letters/story.html?id=5770bbcb-d1d0-4886-b87d-5b53a761ce2a&k=14719
<http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/letters/story.html?id=5770bbcb-d1d0-4886-b87d-5b53a761ce2a&k=14719>
Oncologist apologizes for any distress his remarks caused people with
ovarian cancer
Letter
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Re: Caring North Shore oncologist a blessed change from blunt opinions,
Letter of the Day, March 11
I apologize for the distress my remarks have caused for many people
affected by ovarian cancer. I care deeply for my patients, and want them
to have access to the best treatments possible.
After 30 years attending women with ovarian cancer, I'm all too familiar
with the many frustrations posed by the disease.
Gratifyingly, there are satisfactions, too. Public advocacy and
awareness are increasing (Ovarian Cancer Canada, and the National
Ovarian Cancer Association are notable) and drive an increasingly
dynamic pace of research (for example, OvCaRe, the consortium of B.C.
ovarian cancer researchers). Today's treatments are more effective and
more tolerable, more selectively used. The number of classes of
chemotherapy drugs available to B.C. patients is unexceeded in any other
province. The direct result is a provincial five-year survival rate for
those with ovarian cancer that has improved more over the last decade
than for any other cancer.
I am not involved in the provincial process that adjudicates funding
decisions for drugs such as Caelyx.
It's all too easy for those with interests other than the patient's to
exploit unmet needs. This demands that all proposed treatments be
assessed dispassionately; the more expensive isn't necessarily the best.
It's critically important that each patient has an understanding of her
disease, and the realistic goals of treatment. Sensitively shared
knowledge protects against unwarranted fears and unrealistic expectations.
I'll continue to try to do my best on behalf of all our patients.
Dr. K.D. Swenerton
Vancouver
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
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