Thompson's illness is slow, serious

Sacramento Bee ^ | Sept. 13, 2007 | Robert S. Boyd

[Rennes Templar]

WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson has a rare type of cancer that specialists say is incurable but not life-threatening over the short term.

Although the 65-year-old former senator and actor says his disease is in remission, studies of other cases indicate that it's likely to return within the next two to five years.

But cancer experts say his malignancy -- a slow-growing disruption of the immune system known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma -- can be well managed with drugs and needn't interfere with normal activities.

They say Thompson has an excellent chance of survival for at least five to 10 years, based on the experiences of other patients reported in medical journals.

"My understanding is you can expect to live a normal life expectancy," Thompson said Sunday on his campaign bus. But he acknowledged that "it's something that is always potentially there."

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in the cells of the lymph system, a complex network of specialized cells whose task is to detect and destroy invading microbes.

For unknown reasons, some lymph cells occasionally run amok, traveling through the body and forming cancerous lumps that interfere with the immune system.

Sometimes these unruly cells grow rapidly, causing an "aggressive" non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that's often fatal. Sometimes the growth is slow, leading to a case of "indolent," or painless, lymphoma. This is the kind that Thompson has.

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Thanks to improvements in treatment, patients are surviving longer than they used to. The five-year expected survival rate of 63 percent is up from 48 percent 30 years ago.

Thompson's cancer was detected in 2004, as a lump in his neck. It later spread to other areas. His doctor prescribed a new drug, Rituxan, which drove the disease into remission.

[L.N. Smithee]

Oh, look, it’s a story about why not to vote for Thompson. Gosh, everyone with those ‘Livestrong’ bracelets should now boo and hiss someone who has survived cancer so far.

BINGO! Amen, bro.