Naively I once thought that Chemotherapy must be reasonably effective given that it’s so heavily promoted and used. The statistics are shocking and to the contrary. I’ve learned in life that there is a time to speak and a time to remain silent. Let me simply quote from the research and let it stand on its own:
Results: The overall contribution of curative and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adults was estimated to be 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA.
Conclusion: As the 5-year relative survival rate for cancer in Australia is now over 60%, it is clear that cytotoxic chemotherapy only makes a minor contribution to cancer survival. To justify the continued funding and availability of drugs used in cytotoxic chemotherapy, a rigorous evaluation of the cost-effectiveness and impact on quality of life is urgently required. Morgan, G. et al. (2004). Clinical Oncology 16, 549e560
You heard it. If you survive 5 years after cancer and chemotherapy, chemotherapy contributed to your survival in only 2.3% of the cases in Australia and in 2.1% in the USA.
Here is the paper:
