Monday, June 30, 1997
Cancer survivors gather to learn latest news,
draw inspiration
By JERRY DANIEL REED / Abilene Reporter-News
About 50 local cancer survivors quaffed generous doses of inspiration
and encouragement at their annual gathering Sunday afternoon,
though they had to swallow some sobering medicine as well.
Sandi Saringer, a cancer survivor, and Dr. Christopher Ruud,
a hematologist/oncologist, addressed the gathering at Hendrick
Medical Center's Tom Roberts Conference Room. Ruud is medical
director, and Saringer administrative director, of the Hendrick/M.D.
Anderson Cancer Center here.
Rudd hopes one day to see cancer specialists jump ahead of
the curve in treating cancer.
"In the past 15 years, there is no change in the morbidity
of cancer," he said, citing a medical journal article titled
"Cancer is Undefeated."
On the other hand, he said, specialists in heart and circulatory
diseases have made great strides against heart disease and stroke,
mainly by wrestling down high blood pressure and blood lipids
including cholesterol.
"(Today) we treat people who already have cancer,"
he said. The challenge will be to develop ways to treat people
before they contract cancer. Cancer specialists have many promising
leads to follow, such as the identification of genes that determine
an individual's relative risk of developing cancer.
Cataloging an individual's genetic tendency toward cancer,
however, raises serious ethical issues, he said.
"If somebody is tested to have a predisposition to have
cancer, he may find it impossible to get insurance," he said.
On the other hand, the individual might rush out and buy loads
of insurance if he can.
Another ethical dilemma he sees is what to do medically when
an individual tests genetically susceptible to cancer: For instance,
does a woman at elevated genetic risk for breast cancer undergo
prophylactic removal of her still-healthy breasts?
Saringer told other survivors how her own battle with a breast
malignancy affected her both personally and professionally, and
the support she enjoyed from many friends and family members.
For many years, Saringer was executive director of Hendrick
Hospice Care, formerly the Hospice of Abilene, where she ministered
to many terminal cancer patients.
The local unit of the American Cancer Society sponsored the
Cancer Survivors Workshop.
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Copyright ©1997,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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