Tag: Blood clot

A mass of blood that forms when blood platelets, proteins, and cells stick together. When a blood clot is attached to the wall of a blood vessel, it is called a thrombus. When it moves through the bloodstream and blocks the flow of blood in another part of the body, it is called an embolus. (emboli = plural)

23Jun 2015 by Ronny Allan 4 Comments

Surgery is risky but so is driving a car

Survivorship, Treatment

I enjoyed reading an article written by Dr Eric Liu entitled The Complications of Surgery. In his article, Dr Liu, himself a surgeon, explains that surgery comes with risks, and patients should be made aware and be able to discuss these risks with their doctors. This got me thinking about my own experience which goes back to the autumn of 2010 when I first met my surgeon. At that time, there were a few articles about whether surgery or 'biochemistry' was the best treatment for certain types, grades and stages of Neuroendocrine Tumours (NETs).To some extent, these debates continue, particularly for pancreatic NETs. Surgery for certain NETs in certain scenarios is a controversial issue for NETs - as outlined in this article - to cut or not to cut. I've…

14May 2015 by Ronny Allan 8 Comments

Chasing normality

Living with Neuroendocrine Cancer, Survivorship, Treatment

Cancer isn’t always a one-time event. It can be a chronic (ongoing) illness, much like diabetes or heart disease. Cancer can be closely watched and treated, but sometimes it never completely goes away. The cancer may be 'controlled' with treatment, meaning it might seem to go away or stay the same, and it doesn’t grow or spread as long as you are getting appropriate treatment. Sometimes the treatment shrinks the cancer, but the cancer is still there – it doesn’t go away and stay away – it’s not cured. More people are living with cancer than ever before and the ratio is on the increase thanks to better treatments. For the first 18 months following my diagnosis, I underwent a significant number of treatments and tests. As I continue living with my cancer, that tempo doesn’t…

UPDATE – Sep 25th, 2023 – Novartis radioligand therapy Lutathera® demonstrated statistically significant and clinically meaningful progression-free survival in first line advanced gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) Phase III NETTER-2 trial met primary endpoint of improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and key secondary endpoint of objective response rate (ORR) in patients with Grade 2 and 3 […]

Lanreotide: Ipsen injection devices vs generic injection devices

Whenever I get a chance to talk to a pharma involved in somatostatin analogue injection devices, I tell them one very important thing …… “To the patient, the injection delivery is almost as important as the drug”. I also add that my opinion is based on thousands of comments about the patient experience in my […]

Cancer doesn’t take holidays (but I do)

Glen Etive Scotland in 2018 After diagnosis in July 2010, with the exception of a planned holiday to Turkey prior to my ‘big surgery’, holidays were put on the back burner, there were too many problems and too many risks – not least of which was the lack of overseas insurance cover for my condition. […]

Update from Ronny Allan: No evidence of progressive disease at any site

Update August 2023. Latest CT surveillance scan reports “No evidence of progressive disease at any site”. Very pleased! With incurable but treatable cancers such as metastatic Neuroendocrine Cancer, ‘Stable‘ is normally not the end of the matter, for many there is still a long road ahead and that road may not be straight or flat. […]

Exercise is Medicine

Exercise is medicine. Clearly I need to be careful with that statement given my aversion for cancer myths. However, those who know me will totally get where I’m coming from, they will know that there is no way I am saying it cures cancer. What I am saying is that the vast majority of doctors […]