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Thompson's illness is slow, serious
Sacramento Bee ^ | Sept. 13, 2007 | Robert S. Boyd

Posted on 09/13/2007 8:21:01 PM PDT by 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.

-snip-

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.

(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cancer; duncanistas; electionpresident; elections; fredthompson; lymphoma
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To: Kirkwood

“Life is a terminal disease.”

Wrong.
Life is a terminal condition.
Liberals lives are terminal diseases.


21 posted on 09/13/2007 8:35:10 PM PDT by Rennes Templar ("The future ain't what it used to be".........Yogi Berra)
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To: Rennes Templar

It occurred to me that if that woman, Mrs. Clinton, were to be elected, we’d have to hear about her annual pap and mammogram.


22 posted on 09/13/2007 8:35:32 PM PDT by hocndoc (http://www.lifeethics.org/www.lifeethics.org/index.html)
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To: Rennes Templar

He’ll likely die after he inaugurates his Presidential Library.


23 posted on 09/13/2007 8:35:57 PM PDT by Rudder
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To: Rennes Templar
When your face looks like this, how long do they give you?


24 posted on 09/13/2007 8:36:52 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
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To: doc1019
We are all going to die … aging is part of life (so to speak).

One of the stories in Herodotus' Histories is that as Xerxes was reviewing his immense army crossing into Europe, he was seen weeping. Asked why, he said: 'Yea, for after I had reckoned up, it came into my mind to feel pity at the thought how brief was the whole life of man, seeing that of these multitudes not one will be alive when a hundred years have gone by.'

25 posted on 09/13/2007 8:37:25 PM PDT by Lucius Cornelius Sulla (IF TREASON IS THE QUESTION, THEN MOVEON.ORG IS THE ANSWER!)
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To: hocndoc

I’ve had enough of Hilliary’s pap already.


26 posted on 09/13/2007 8:37:46 PM PDT by Rudder
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To: Rennes Templar
I have a friend who went through this over 10 years ago. She has been in remission for some years = Let's not get sucked into letting this be an issue... I find it interesting that no one is bringing up Gulliani's very debilitating bout with cancer. Point is, any of us or the candidates could get run over by a bus tomorrow. This needs to be a non-issue, like in push it off the table/

My youngest son was diagnosed with a rare, and deadly, bone cancer: Ewings Sarcoma. It has a very low survival rate, particularly when located where his was. He went through the tortures of the damned with the cut/burn/poison treatments. He was told he had very little chance of surviving, that he would loose his arm and that if he did survive, he'd not have children due to the treatments.

That was 25 years ago. His attitude was "Yeah, watch me." He has his arm 0 and three beautiful children, ages 10 to 16.

Forget statistics. Reality is Fred is fine now and with his attitude on life and his demeanor, I rather think he will be around some time longer than his 8 years in office - and so will we...which might not be the case if hitlery and gang get in.

Let's not let the enemy parade this slyly as an issue not to vote for Fred

27 posted on 09/13/2007 8:38:25 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (",,,but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." LINCOLN)
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To: Sue Perkick


Nobody here gets out alive.

28 posted on 09/13/2007 8:40:21 PM PDT by Petronski (Tribe still -11 . . . Jake Westbrook is a bum.)
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To: MaxMax

However, Cheney was not running for President. There really is a big difference. The international perception of the US government is always closely tied to the President. The VP is an asterisk. The Republican Party would be crazy to nominate a candidate who can reasonably be expected to die or be very ill and close to death before the end of his first term.


29 posted on 09/13/2007 8:40:29 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: hocndoc
It occurred to me that if that woman, Mrs. Clinton, were to be elected, we’d have to hear about her annual pap and mammogram.

I just jammed a shrimp fork in my eye. I prefer the pain to thinking about whatever the hell you just posted.

30 posted on 09/13/2007 8:42:29 PM PDT by Petronski (Tribe still -11 . . . Jake Westbrook is a bum.)
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To: Petronski

Oh darn. I made plans & everything.


31 posted on 09/13/2007 8:43:01 PM PDT by Sue Perkick (And I hope that what I’ve done here today doesn’t force you to have a negative opinion of me….)
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To: Rennes Templar

We all have a disease that is slow and serious and will kill too, it’s called aging!!!


32 posted on 09/13/2007 8:43:25 PM PDT by gbs
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To: Rennes Templar; ANGGAPO

I can’t prove Hillary has the cooties but she gives me the heeby jeebys!


33 posted on 09/13/2007 8:43:44 PM PDT by Grizzled Bear ("Does not play well with others.")
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To: Rennes Templar

If only his health was the only thing that he is attacked on! He’s already getting heavily attacked from all directions on everything and on nothing at the same time!


34 posted on 09/13/2007 8:44:43 PM PDT by johnthebaptistmoore
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To: trumandogz
He will pick Rudy as his VP.

I hope he wont pick any of the runners.

I'd like to see him pick someone like Michael Steele.

..

http://www.steeleformaryland.com/ideasVideo.htm

..

go this site and watch some of the videos (after watching the first one, click on videos on upper left screen) from his last election

35 posted on 09/13/2007 8:44:48 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (",,,but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." LINCOLN)
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To: maine-iac7

The type of cancer Rudy had would very rarely kill within 10-15 years. With treatment such as he had, it usually doesn’t kill at all. Even if it comes back, it’s usually very slowly, and the man ends up dying of some common old age ailment first. It’s really not at all comparable to non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Thompson is very likely to require heavy duty treatment, with debilitating side effects, at some point between January 2009 and December 2012. Giuliani is not.


36 posted on 09/13/2007 8:45:08 PM PDT by GovernmentShrinker
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To: Lucius Cornelius Sulla

As a student (and teacher) of history, I thank you for the reminder.


37 posted on 09/13/2007 8:45:45 PM PDT by doc1019 (Fred Thompson '08)
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To: Rennes Templar

Hillary’s cancer is *Bill. Doesn’t seem to slow her down...


38 posted on 09/13/2007 8:46:35 PM PDT by Libloather (That's just what I need - some two-bit, washed up, loser politician giving me weather forecasts...)
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To: Rennes Templar

**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. **

What they are doing with cancer these days IS totally amazing, isn’t it?


39 posted on 09/13/2007 8:46:48 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: ANGGAPO
Sounds like another plant by the Donks

Exactly - wolves, sheep's clothing...and are we going to be sheeple who let this even be a 'soft' issue

Push this off the table

40 posted on 09/13/2007 8:46:57 PM PDT by maine-iac7 (",,,but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." LINCOLN)
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