Thanks, Leroy, for fielding my question with great grace. I think you, again, have captured the voice of survivors and caregivers everywhere. I hope that your scans next week show good news but even if they dont, loyal readers will be here to offer hope and support as you continue the fight on your own terms.

Sent by Andrea Clay | 10:22 AM ET | 10-19-2006

I'm glad that the topic came up today, Leroy. I have had the experience of several people offering their own versions of something that is supposed to cure cancer. Like you, I know that they mean well, but it gets rather tiresome. It can also get very expensive to take some of these different treatments, and you're mostly going on faith that they'll do anything for you.

Sent by Nancy K. Clark | 10:24 AM ET | 10-19-2006

I concur on traditional vs. alternative cancer treatments being a very personal decision, and personally I believe you made a wise choice. Where I concur with the alternative crowd is prevention, not curing. Although I use cinnamon, exercise and diet to control by blood sugar in the stage of PreDiabetes, it's not full blown Diabetes (hopefully I'm delaying it, or avoiding it), but Cancer isn't a "Pre" condition. Cancer treatment is where drug companies shine, it's not a lifestyle drugs like the Statins.

I'm all for many holistic remedies, but cancer is not something to experiment with. Wise decision Leroy. Crossing my fingers for you. You're terrific.

Sent by Laura | 10:27 AM ET | 10-19-2006

I have been overwhelmed by the choices we have to make that can determine the difference in length and quality of life even within the established medical community. I was with a wonderful group of oncologist but they never suggested I see a surgeon or pursue other courses of treatment other than chemotherapy. Eventually I did this on my own and had a liver resection. After that I did change oncologist and when the cancer came back I had to go through chemotherapy again and saw the "differences" with that group and my previous group. Each has very different strengths but have my decisions altered how long I will live or my quality of that life? All any of us can do is to try to make the best decisions we can that are comfortable for us as individuals. Personally, I'm willing to take some risk and would rather go down fighting than passively complying.

Sent by Dona | 10:29 AM ET | 10-19-2006

Dear Leroy,

It is good that you are so clear about your right to follow the path you choose. I have been clear about the path I want to follow, but not clear enough about my right to choose that and not have it questioned. I am getting a lot of pressure to continue perusing treatment, either clinical trials, non-traditional, or even very mainstream. As a result of this pressure, I was beginning to doubt my motives and even my sanity. Why was I giving up hope? Did I have a death wish? So, I went to see our resident psychologist, friend and colleague. He explained to me that often others feel threatened by my choice to face death head on. Once I realized that, I was able to let go and not necessarily follow them down their particular rabbit hole. It may work for them, but I have the right to chose what will work for me. Thank you for articulating that.

Sent by Stephanie | 11:27 AM ET | 10-19-2006

People would like to believe that there are simple answers to cancer, like one friend, who told me to eat more blueberries (I had Stage III breast cancer). I share your frustration and only wish the answers were that simple.

Sent by Jen | 12:15 PM ET | 10-19-2006

I would differ with you on only one thing. Everybody does have the right to get angry at whatever they want. They can choose to live angry lives, or they can choose to accept reality with empathy and forgiveness. When they go beyond anger to getting into your face with their opinions, of course that's intruding on your rights to privacy and respect. When I get these insistent people coming on strong I try to understand their well-meaning, but I don't feel any obligation to argue with them or let them get me emotional about their anger problem.

Sent by Bob Gamage | 12:19 PM ET | 10-19-2006

Leroy,

Thanks for replying to Andrea's post yesterday. This has been one that's been on my mind for a while now. I know that my friends and coworkers mean well when they offer alternative treatments. But before I decide to try that exotic tree bark extract that will cure everything from hangnails to my liver tumors, I'd like to see some results from a rigorous well-designed clinical study that shows that 1) it won't hurt me or make my condition worse 2) there is some actual improvement seen from the treatment. Anecdotal evidence is not conclusive enough for me to switch from something that has a more solid statistical backing. Sorry, but the skeptic in me sees too many "miracle cures" and people eager to make a quick buck off patients who are often desperate for a cure when conventional treatments seem to be failing. If tree bark extract seemed to work for you, that's great. I'll continue on with the conventional chemo — it seems to be working, or at least shrinking the tumors pretty well (will know better after next weeks PET scan), and I'm willing to tolerate the side effects. And for the people who take issue with how we patients make our choices for treatment, please remember the name of this blog — it's "MY cancer."

Sent by Bob Maimone | 12:22 PM ET | 10-19-2006

Alternative treatment is a broad topic. It can cover vitamins, herbs, foods, physical and mental therapy/stimulation, meditation, etc. When I was on two chemo drugs, adriamyacen and cytoxin, I had to stop all vitamin and herbal supplements as it interfered with the chemo drug. To this day, there are many herbal remedies I cannot take due to the type of breast cancer I had/have... estrogen receptor positive. All of the herbal remedies that improve hot flashes are plant-estrogen based, and therefore, forbidden in my situation. Even soy products are iffy. Bummer. So while there are many opportunities available to us in terms of alternative treatment, not all of them are appropriate for everyone.

Sent by Carol | 2:56 PM ET | 10-19-2006

The first time I was diagnosed with breast cancer a friend recommended a Reiki Healer to me. He was very helpful in that he taught me how to meditate and relax. I used his techniques as well as chemo to shrink my tumor before having my lumpectomy. When it came time for my lumpectomy, he tried to talk me out of having it as he was sure I was "cured". I thankfully did not listen to his advice. My lumpectomy revealed that my tumor was eighty percent invasive carcinoma without clear margins. Hence I had a mastectomy and much more chemo. Exactly four year and eleven months later I had a recurrence. I still use Reiki for relaxation but modern medicine has once again prevailed, I have been in remission (again) for the last three months. So basically I believe alternative treatments may be used along with modern scientific treatment if you choose to do so.

Sent by Sherri | 5:08 PM ET | 10-19-2006

When my husband (then boyfriend) was diagnosed with cancer seven years ago we got all sort of well-meaning advice. What he ultimately decided was to listen to experts who had been studying cancer for their entire careers, not Joe the writer who happened to read in the New York Times that a certain combination of herbs was guaranteed to cure cancer.

That's not to say that we blindly followed what one doctor told us. My husband got several opinions, and was fortunate enough to have an oncology nurse for a sister. He picked the treatment that he thought would be most effective.

I was surprised at how people judged him if he didn't take their advice. I am lucky to be married to a man who is confident enough to follow his own heart and mind.

Thank you so much for your blog. Like you mentioned in an earlier posting, cancer patients/survivors often don't talk about their experiences.

Sent by Tammy | 10:29 AM ET | 10-20-2006

Peace to you, Stephanie. When I see a comment from you, I have to smile. I know you are surviving. And to you, Leroy, I read your blog every day. You offer amazing insight, so simply put. I do not have cancer, but my mother, after her second round of colon cancer, has decided not to have chemo or radiation. Signs are now that it has spread. She won't go to the doctor to find out for sure because she will not act on whatever it is he might tell her — "Im not having anymore surgery and I am not having chemo, so why bother knowing?" I can't argue with that one. I can only to respect her decision.

Sent by J.K.V. | 10:39 AM ET | 10-20-2006

Without a doubt, each cancer client has the right to choose their own treatment path, without others judging their decisions. No one but the person with cancer can see the "big picture" and pull it all together for themselves. As a breast cancer "survivor," I can see such variation of types of cancer, treatment options, and paths, just with this one type of cancer! At times, the options can be overwhelming and difficult to weed through. I am typically a fairly decisive person, but after a rigorous course of chemo, when it was time to decide surgery (after an initial lumpectomy without clear margins), I was at a loss to see a clear, obvious choice. Should I try for another lumpectomy, hoping for a clear margin with this one? Or have a mastectomy to make sure all the cancer has been surgically eliminated? What about a bilateral mastectomy? I did a great deal of research, checked again and again with my medical team, talked with many women who had gone before me, and still, the choice was not obvious and I had to make my own personal decision. I did choose to try the lumpectomy again unfortunately got a whopper of an infection and no clear margins, and did end up having to pursue a mastectomy. But I was at peace, knowing I had made my own choice and lived with the outcomes.

All this to say, I am someone who accesses some level of complementary therapies. I had been keeping my rheumatoid arthritis in fairly good control using alternative methods before my cancer diagnosis. But with a cancer diagnosis, I relied initially, like you, on what I felt offered the "best chances to hang around longer." I did use a variety of complementary approaches to ease many of the side effects of chemo and to recover from the multiple surgeries. But I had my naturopath and osteopath in the medical loop with my oncologist and surgeon, so nothing conflicted, and that was draining, in itself, to keep the whole team informed.

As you said so succinctly, our choices are ours alone, and demand respect from others.

Sent by Karen | 10:55 AM ET | 10-20-2006

After surgery and chemo for breast cancer, I went against medical advice and turned down hormonal therapy because the science and its vested interests didn't make sense to me. I sat with my social worker, who specializes in breast cancer patients, and told her of my decision to go with traditional Chinese medicine instead. Because she is main stream, I expected her to scold and scare me. "I just don't believe in the hormonal therapy — I envy the women who do," I said, weeping. "You would be surprised how many women would envy your belief in Chinese medicine," she replied. Sometimes I am scared about the choice I have made. But I know that plenty of breast cancer patients who totally follow the main stream protocol have recurrences, and little is said about quality of life with new drugs such as aromatase inhibitors. I wish everyone well with her or his choice. We make our choices, we do our best to believe, we savor every moment as we go forward. I am so grateful for this site.

Sent by Jane | 11:03 AM ET | 10-20-2006

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer a little over a year ago, my husbands cousin, a prostate cancer survivor of many years, gave me the best advice, which I have returned to over and over: It's your cancer, and you can have it any way you want to.

Sent by Gretchen | 11:13 AM ET | 10-20-2006

A friend of mine was very quick to recommend "alternative" therapies instead of chemo when I was diagnosed with cancer. He swore up and down that chemo killed, and that alternative medicine would save me. Ironically, when is his wife was diagnosed with lymphoma the very next month, the opted for traditional chemo without as much as a second thought. Funny how people will gamble with your life, but not their own.

Sent by Laura | 11:47 AM ET | 10-23-2006

I have prostate cancer. Since it's entirely symptom-free for most men in the early stages, I dont "feel" like I have cancer. "Cancer survivor"? I hardly feel like I qualify, with the other kinds of cancers that can easily knock one down for good.

But you're right, well-meaning people came out of the woodwork in my alternative-health, wholistic-thought area, and offered me all kinds of "remedies".

The arrogance of their promotions! It was as if I were to feel guilty if I chose not to listen to them.

Sent by Marc Mullinax | 11:27 AM ET | 10-26-2006

I believe that the person who is battling cancer is the person who decides what treatment to pursue. It occurs to me, after watching my husband battle cancer over the past 6 months, that there is no other course of significance other than the one he chooses.

He decided, as you did, Leroy, to go with the chemo protocol. That was no light decision — he has just finished his chemo and is still struggling with all its effects. No one has the right to dictate the treatment, except the person who has to undergo the cure. It occurs to me that there are many well-meaning people who just really do not have the whole picture — they have not done the research and certainly are not in fact engaged in the fight.

I believe the best support is to allow the person struggling with cancer to know you support his/her decisions.

Sent by Jean Langlais | 11:36 AM ET | 10-26-2006

I have been following your story on NPR. Better success with traditional medical intervention can be raised with concurrent complimentary medicine. A very good reference is Dr. Russell Blaylock's new book, Natural Strategies on Cancer.

Sent by Dr. Robert M. Cohl | 12:03 PM ET | 11-02-2006