Topic: Cancer Patients

Suffering from Cancer Treatment Wait Times?

Published by on March 31, 2021 | Share your thoughts

You’re not alone. It’s true… 55% of cancer patients in Canada are experiencing treatment & testing delays these. A recent article by the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network reveals that even after cancer services have resumed, over half of cancer patients are still reporting that their treatment, tests, and appointments have been cancelled or postponed… “Respondents said they had to wait an average of 34 days to reschedule cancelled or postponed in-person appointments, and 52 days to reschedule surgery and other procedures.” As I have talked about many times before, the sad reality is…even without COVID, cancer treatment wait times are far too long to begin with. You know as well as I do – you need access to proper diagnostics and treatment, NOW.  You need...
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How to Beat Stage 4 Neuroendocrine Cancer

Published by on March 24, 2021 | Share your thoughts

“I’m just really grateful. Because I don’t think Korey would still be here if we weren’t involved with you.” That’s Erin talking about her husband, Korey, who went from a rare, complex stage 4 neuroendocrine cancer diagnosis to remission in less than a year. Sounds too good to be true, I know – but it’s not. This is the power of Precision Oncology. And it all started with Erin and Korey’s unshakable determination to advocate for better cancer care. 🧬 Erin found CTOAM after standard care had left Korey with no more options. She knew she had to find a way to get him the help he needed…and their three young kids needed her to stay strong. She refused to give up hope. So she...
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The Science Behind the COVID Vaccine

Published by on March 17, 2021 | Share your thoughts

So…what, exactly, is the vaccine and how does it work? That’s the question on a lot of people’s minds these days. I wanted to share with you a podcast episode that I found really helpful… It explains the science behind the COVID vaccine in a simple, easy-to-understand way. So you don’t need to be a science expert to get the gist! Here’s the episode👇 The Real Story About COVID Vaccines: What We Know, What We Don’t I recommend you have a listen. The podcast talks about the development of the vaccine… And how the vaccine works to stop a severe reaction or death from the COVID virus.  The experts emphasize that the vaccine is not a cure, nor does it make anyone immune. They give...
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How to Beat Stage 4 Lung Cancer – Thomas’s Story

Published by on March 10, 2021 | Share your thoughts

“5 days ago I celebrated my 75th birthday…I want to celebrate my 90th for sure. And you are my hope.” – Thomas Thomas came to us after standard care told him there were no more options left for him. He’d been diagnosed with lung cancer in 2011…which soon escalated to stage 4 lung cancer. After a long road of chemo, he finally decided to take matters into his own hands. He had no choice. Our cancer expert, Alex Rolland, got him genetic testing and a far more accurate diagnosis than he’d ever received from standard care. Alex also gave Thomas and his oncologist some excellent targeted treatment recommendations, which they were able to access. Thomas is now getting those drugs covered through Pfizer’s compassionate care...
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Why is Standard Cancer Care Lacking?

Published by on January 27, 2021 2 Comments

Find Out Why Standard Cancer Care in Canada is Just Not Good Enough… I hear this all the time – and I bet it’s on your mind, too: “So is this what our medical plan has come to? People with money can afford better, faster cancer care than people with no money??” Yep.  And it’s sadly true…  For now. We’re working to change this at CTOAM. It is our #1 mission, in fact! But what we’ve learned over the past 10 years is… In order to create change, you also need to deal with the situation as it is now.  As in: you need to work within the current system AND outside of it. It’s the only way to actually build a better future. What...
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green tea

Does Green Tea Help with Cancer?

Published by on January 13, 2021 1 Comment

What’s one super simple thing you can do every day to feel better? The answer is steeping in your favorite mug… Green tea! Yes, that’s right. Drinking green tea does so much goodness for your body, like…controlling certain genes in cancers. 🧬 How?  Here’s what our cancer expert, Alex Rolland, has to say about green tea…Watch here ⬇️ Green tea has an active ingredient called ECGC (aka ‘epigallocatechin gallate’…phew, what a mouthful!). ECGC is pretty powerful. 👊 In fact, it’s capable of: ✅ Binding to & activating control regions of certain tumor suppressors ✅ Reducing angiogenesis (as in, when tumors recruit your blood vessels for their own malicious intent.)  But… All green teas are not created equal. Here’s a handy reference chart to see which ones...
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Emotional Support for Cancer Patients: A Simple Way to Get More!

Published by on December 30, 2020 1 Comment

Susan will never forget the day when she was recovering from breast cancer surgery in the hospital. (Who is Susan, you ask? That’s psychologist Susan Silk – and through her experience with breast cancer, she’s learned a LOT…not just about cancer, but about the dos and don’ts of emotional support for cancer patients.) But back to that time in the hospital… Understandably, Susan didn’t feel like having any visitors that day. She was exhausted and just wanted to be alone to rest and recharge. So when a colleague unexpectedly came to visit her, Susan explained to him how she felt. Guess what he said to Susan? “Well, this isn’t about you!”  Hmm… I think you’ll probably agree that this is not the best way he...
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Why Cancer Advocacy is SO Crucial for Patients

Published by on December 9, 2020 3 Comments

A little background on cancer advocacy… Did you know that each month, there are over 1,000 new, peer-reviewed, validated studies published in the field of cancer care?   The biggest cancer conference in the world is currently the American Society of Clinical Oncologists’ annual conference (aka ASCO)… It is the ‘Royal Gala’ of the cancer world.  At this one conference alone, 5,600 new research papers on cancer were presented last year.  On top of that massive amount of information, there are an additional 250 cancer conferences worldwide each year – each of them presenting hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of studies. That’s at least 15,000 new studies released each year on cancer care, diagnosis and treatment. (And that’s using the most conservative estimate!) To break it down… ...
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CT Scan Misdiagnosis

Cancer Misdiagnosis – Should You Trust a CT Scan?

Published by on August 19, 2020 | Share your thoughts

Pretty much everyone dreads finding out they, or a loved one, have cancer. But that’s not even the worst part of a cancer diagnosis – what’s more stressful is wondering about cancer misdiagnosis. No fun. Read on to hear what happened to Gerry and how our research scientists at CTOAM were able to help. Gerry’s Cancer Misdiagnosis Story Gerry had been going about his life as usual. He worked an office day job that he liked, at a large company with decent health benefits. His wife, along with their two young boys, were the light of his life. Things were good. But after a routine work physical exam, everything changed. Gerry was given the news that no one ever wants to hear. A nightmare come...
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Alex Rolland

Why Did Cancer Expert Alex Rolland Start CTOAM?

Published by on July 15, 2020 | Share your thoughts

What’s your ‘why‘? That’s a big question. And one that many cancer patients are likely probably facing as they meet cancer head-on. You know…the deep-down reasons for wanting to get better. Maybe it’s your family, or the dreams you want to pursue, or that trip you want to take, or the granddaughter you want to meet, or that wedding you want to attend. The things that motivate you to keep trying, to keep fighting, to keep pursuing better treatment options. Despite all the challenges and fear and heartache and rollercoaster emotional ups and downs. Just as anyone facing a life-threatening illness is faced with these big existential q’s… So, too, are the professionals who devote their lives to medicine. Why do doctors and medical scientists...
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