to the editor: As mentioned in the op-ed, doctors' lack of communication, navigation, and equity promotion could also mean a lack of up-to-date medical information (“Being insured in the United States is not the same as having access to medical care” March 19). Yes, California ranks high in the rapidly growing field of cancer treatment, but sometimes, whether in our state or across the country, doctors may not be up to date with the latest technology. I know this firsthand as I was diagnosed with terminal cancer in November 2022.
My daughter was four months pregnant and expecting our first grandchild. The doctors didn't expect me to see him based on my prognosis.
But my hospital, Cedars-Sinai, practiced cutting-edge medicine and performed cancer biomarker analysis, which revealed a mutation. Additional treatment with targeted medications after it spread has placed me in the “no evidence of disease” category and I have now lived to meet not just one grandchild, but two.
In today's world, you should visit a “center of excellence” where the best doctors practice, even if they are out of state. It could save your life.
Robin Clough, Santa Clarita
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to the editor: Guest contributor David Robles' article reminded me of my friend Jessica, who at age 50 developed a thymoma, a tumor in her thymus gland. Trying to diagnose a cough, his doctor took an x-ray of his lungs, which showed a slight shadow over his lungs and heart. When further scanning identified it as a tumor, it was stage 4.
The insurance paid for an oncologist who treated the tumor the traditional way, with radiation and, I assume, chemotherapy. In her penultimate meeting with the oncologist, he declared that he had cured her.
Jessica had been doing research and discovered that experimental surgery to remove all the necrotic tissue around the tumor site was the only guarantee that the tumor would not return. Your insurance would not cover the surgery. When he asked, “Well, what do I do now?” the response was, “Palliative care?”
Sure enough, the tumor reappeared after one or two months. To this day, I wish she would have just paid out of pocket and then fought with the insurance company. She could be alive today.
Betsy Rothstein, Long Beach
