Where are all these sites proclaiming bone mets a chronic condition…I’m good with a google and I don’t see them?
To repeat…not all bone mets are controllable.
Jane
Hi Jane…my onc has never used the word chronic. I’m still thinking of myself as terminal.
I googled ‘‘definition of chronic illness’’ several sites came up, one of the first was medicine.net…a U.S. site have copied their definition below…Must admit the 3 months or more they quote seems a very short time to live with a chronic illness!
Definition of Chronic
Chronic: This important term in medicine comes from the Greek chronos, time and means lasting a long time.
A chronic condition is one lasting 3 months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. In ancient Greece, the “father of medicine” Hippocrates distinguished diseases that were acute (abrupt, sharp and brief) from those that were chronic. This is still a very useful distinction. Subacute has been coined to designate the mid-ground between acute and chronic.
Now in a googling frenzy and have come up with this definition below…another U.S. site…my google search doesn’t seem to throw up much in the way of U.K. sites. If you find any Jane I’d be interested to read the U.K. medical view of chronic. I read breast cancer was listed as a chronic disease in further pages of medicine.net…posted it under first definition here.
Ena… Good Luck for next week.
The word “chronic” is typically used for conditions, illnesses, and diseases lasting three months or more. Often, chronic conditions are characterized by lasting symptoms and/or pain that persists, sometimes even despite treatment.
Chronic illnesses are the opposite of acute illnesses; acute conditions come on fast and usually don’t last a long time. This isn’t to say that people with chronic conditions are continually suffering; rather, a chronic condition is one that is expected to last a long time. Many patients, in fact, are able to manage their disease to live relatively healthy and normal lives. Others often have conditions that go into remission - that is, the symptoms disappear for a time
2nd definition.
Chronic disease: A disease that persists for a long time. A chronic disease is one lasting 3 months or more, by the definition of the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. Chronic diseases generally cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication, nor do they just disappear. Eighty-eight percent of Americans over 65 years of age have at least one chronic health condition (as of 1998). Health damaging behaviors - particularly tobacco use, lack of physical activity, and poor eating habits - are major contributors to the leading chronic diseases.
Chronic diseases tend to become more common with age. The leading chronic diseases in developed countries include (in alphabetical order) arthritis, cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks and stroke, cancer such as breast and colon cancer, diabetes, epilepsy and seizures, obesity, and oral health problems. Each of these conditions plague older adults in the US (and other developed nations
Interesting Belinda…thanks.
This may be the historical and etymological (is that a word?) origins of chronic but I think those in the medical profession who seek to redefine cancer as a ‘chronic’ condition are doing a cover up…basically the ‘war on cancer’ has been going on for years, and there really isn’t much progress in finding a cure…this is a western shocking embarrassment and all kinds of people have a vested interest in pretending that great progress is being made when its not.
Then of course there’s the queasy reluctance in parts of the west to use the word ‘terminal’ or to mention the shocking ‘D’ word…goodness think you might die of cancer…you loser…get positive, get chronic, you can live for ever kind of philosophy.
Jane
Perhaps talking about bone mets as being both chronic and terminal is most accurate? I think what it is that I am objecting to so much is making ‘terminal’ invisible.
Cancer actually doesn’t fit the acute/chronic spectrum.
Jane
Hi Jane, yes I agree…the pink and sparkly take on breast cancer is ever growing…Off on a tangent now but my heart sank at the sight of the BCC ‘shopping basket’ now visible…I guess for (some) oncs it’s an easier option to tell a patient the chronic rather than the chronic AND terminal news. Have just added a further definition to my previous post…seems not just bone mets are chronic but breast cancer as a whole.
Again, it is the terminology that causes the confusion. What exactly is a chronic illness and what is a terminal one. The lay perception is probably that chronic is a manageable conditon, one that grumbles away and affects quality of life, but won’t necessarily kill you - eg osteoarthritis. In this context, secondary cancer most certainly is not chronic. Terminal, on the other hand usually makes us think of death in the near future. However, there are many diseases which although chronic, ie they last for a long time, will eventually kill, such as cystic fibrosis, chronic leukaemia and a whole load of others. I agree that terminology is important as classing secondary cancer as a chronic disease certainly makes it seem less dangerous somehow, but nevertheless, technically in many cases, it probably is a chronic condition.
Hi all,
I just thought I would add my comments to this thread. I was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in Feb 05 with spread to the bones. My Oncologist at the time was very serious about the implications of this spread and said that I was looking at a statistical prognosis of 18mths - 5 years. I was put on heavy hitting Taxotere straightaway which had no affect whatsoever other than making me very ill and which had to be stopped after 4 cycles as my Onc said the chemo would kill me before the cancer! I’ve been fighting ever since that time to contain the spread and for 2 years this was fairly successful but then in Dec 07 it was found to have spread to my liver. Following a lot of intensive treatment last year the liver is currently in remission but it still continues to spread in my bones.
I had a very depressing conversation with my Onc in November last year when she described the bone mets as a very serious spread indeed and that if your bone marrow is compromised this can cause a lot of complications. I’m currently on pamidronate, Avastin and was taking Xeloda but this has been stopped and am about to start another round of chemo next week.
My Oncologist obviously doesn’t see bone mets as a “chronic” disease and I wouldn’t either from my own experience but everyone reacts differently to treatment so I suppose each case has to be judged individually. My Oncologist tells me I have limited life, we don’t know how long, but the not knowing is what keeps me going.
Best wishes
Spike
A long-time poster on bcmets.org died recently. As far as I know, she only had bone mets and had not exhausted her chemo options.
I guess bone mets can be categorised as chronic illness but ‘chronic’ does not rule out ‘lethal’.
Obviously wish all you bone mets ladies long and healthy lives…
Jenny
x
Hi Spike
well, your post makes it clear not all oncologists see bone mets as a chronic illness.
I saw my GP yesterday to get replacement drugs and we talked about prognosis. He said it was difficult for oncologists to call, but he said that my bone spread was “pretty grim”. So, he doesn’t take it lightly. He did say, however, that new drugs are coming along all the time and cancer can be controlled for longer than before, often.
Ena x
I have been following this discussion with great interest and have been wondering about sharing my experience of bone mets. I hope none of my views offend any-one.
Like another forum member I was diagonsed stage 4 for the beginning 2yrs ago after falling and fracturing my L hip.(I had attended the breast clinic previously but was told the lump in my breast was a cyst and not to worry about it,buts that another story) I had my hip repaired, commenced on femara and zoladex and three months later I had a L mastecomy and ALC( 1 out of 16 nodes affected). From the outset my Onc has always stated that although not curable bones mets, in some people, can be managed for many years and that much depends on the type of BC you have and how you respond to treatment. I have been fortunate that, up until now, I have had no spread of my bone mets,(L HIP, no other areas) I experience no pain and I continue to live my life as I did prior to my diagnosis…mother to 2 children, work full-time and now look after my elderly mother who has recently been diagosed with BC. I am fully aware that BC will shorten my life and I will probably not see my children grow into adulthood. As to whether bones mets is a chronic condition well at my last appointment I was asked if I wished to be referred for breast reconstruction. When I, naturally, questioned why they would consider reconstruction in some-one with bone mets I was told that they expected me to be around for a long time and that they had no concerns regarding my bone mets, pity I can not say the same!! So as you can see every-ones experience will be different, it is the definition of chronic illness that may require to be clarified. A secondary BC, in my opinion, should not be classified in the same category as COPD, OA, MS or any other truly chronic condition. Onc may now refer to secondary BC as a chronic condition but this is probably due to that fact that the condition,in some cases, can be managed longer than it could be previously, thus, making it a ‘chronic’ condition for some people.
I really wish I could consider myself as having a chronic disease, I really do. The fact is I know that I don’t. The first thing I read on being diagnosed with secondaries was very clear. It told me to make my arrangements, will, funeral etc, as soon as possible. I would have no good reason if I had a chronic condition now would I.