HP
This commonly prescribed cancer drug was supposed to help save this doctor’s life. Instead, it killed him
Some provinces pre-screen patients at risk of toxic reactions, but experts say tests don’t go far enough When Dr. Anil Kapoor was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in January his prognosis was positive, and his family was hopeful treatment would buy him several more years. But weeks later, the 58-year-old Burlington, Ont., resident was dead — killed not by the cancer, say doctors, but by the commonly prescribed cancer drug Fluorouracil (5-FU) that was supposed to help save his life. “It was honestly a cruel rollercoaster of emotions,” Anil’sRead more
Family wonders if a quicker cancer diagnosis could have saved Thunder Bay, Ont., woman’s life
It took 15 months and 6 biopsies before Heidi Smith was diagnosed with T-cell lymphoma A nurse in Thunder Bay, Ont., is seeking answers about why her mother — who died last year — couldn’t get an appointment with a blood-disease specialist until she received a cancer diagnosis, and is pushing for changes that would let some patients see one sooner. Heidi Smith died in August 2022 at age 63 of Stage 4 peripheral T-cell lymphoma, a rare form of blood cancer, said her daughter, Mariah Mrakic-TenHave. Smith, who was already a breast cancer survivor, received a number of diagnostic testsRead more