Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a leading US oncologist and bioethicist, discusses why he will stop preventative screenings and other major medical treatments after he is 75-years-old. #CNN #news
Leading US doctor says he won’t get treatment if he gets cancer after 75
Those who think Dr. Emanuel’s opinion is “insane” (their word) perhaps may not have personally experienced a high level of medical suffering. I’ve endured multiple extensive (painful) surgeries, multiple organ removals, chemo, and permanent medical appliances as a result of stage 4 cancer. I’m alive and grateful beyond words to be so, but in 24/7 agony as a result of treatment. I’m 58. If I were to be diagnosed with another cancer at 75, I certainly wouldn’t subject myself to more surgeries and chemo. I suspect Dr. Emanuel is being careful in his answers (to not scare patients), but he clearly knows the suffering that medical treatments—even the successful ones—can bring. As an oncologist, he sees it every day, just as I do. And he has decided that he does not personally wish to suffer greatly at the end of life. It’s a shame this isn’t discussed more with patients, because quality of life—what you are and are not willing to endure to survive—is an enormously important aspect of decision-making. I applaud his efforts.
@Polite Reminder: I don’t think anyone here is saying you should not have ever lived! Goodness! We are simply describing how we feel about it for ourselves! You have a passion for life – great! You don’t say how old you are but this discussion started as one for elderly people who have already lived full lives and the odds of living beyond 75 are low. For us, it’s a choice between quality of life vs. living in misery for only a few more years.
@Polite Reminder:
As long as someone is happy and no burden, financial or otherwise on others, I agree. Live your life as best you can.
Thanks for writing your personal experience on this.
I don’t think his opinion is insane, I think he’s brave to say. But it’s a personal choice. I was diagnosed with stage 2 colorectal cancer at age 56. Lucky for me I survived resection surgery and treatment. I’ve been NED since my CT scan of November 2021.
I think I was diagnosed with another cancer it would depend on my quality of life in making my decision. Can I get lucky and beat cancer twice, I hope I never have to find out.
@The WITCHER Thanks for reading it and being receptive.
I agree, I work in a hospital and I can tell you most drs die at home not taking intensive treatments in a hospital unlike a lot of their patients. Once you fall into the medical black hole of life extending treatments you will not climb out and all you’ve done is make it more difficult for yourself to die peacefully and easily and surrounded by loved ones. It’s definitely a personal choice but it’s important to realize that keeping your body alive is not always living.
@Carlos Martinez my words exactly!
Screening test after screening test. Constantly worry about death. If you watch YouTube, it’s like everyone is dying. Let’s talk about death as a normal part of life. Most people unfortunately will need to save for old age.
@Shifty McGee You’re right that keeping someone alive who is suffering and has no quality of life is selfish but that’s why families need to have the discussion of what they want and don’t want for end of life care. If it’s clear what care your loved one wants it relieves the guilt when a family is asked to make a decision regarding continuing care. I had the discussion with my parents so when Mom had terminal cancer and Dad had Alzheimer’s I knew what their wishes were. I’m a retired nurse so I knew the importance of having the uncomfortable conversation ahead of time. It’s not easy losing a loved one but you can make a difference if they die in comfort or die suffering. I’ve always said that dying is the easy part but it’s the survivors who find it hard and need care. Just my opinion
Happening right now for a friend, intubated! And hooked onto everything…stuck in bed.
@Jeremy DeCaro I’m not understanding the relevance of your comment to the topic of the video or the comments
i have patients who are afraid to sleep for fear they will die in there sleep 😢
In my opinion, this dude is completely on track.
My mother died this year and it was relief after years of cancer treatments robbed her of any quality of life. Was devastating watching her lose all ability to take care of herself just to survive another year of agony.
@Midwest May It sounds like you have been through this terrible journey firsthand. My condolences for the tragedy of the suffering you and your family endured. It does change you and how your memories survive. I pray that you come to some level of peace with the past and are able to move forward with your own life with purpose and joy.
@attyml Yes. The man I had been married to had died 6 months before his body finally gave in to his cancer. I was a living widow caring for a man who had lost all cognitive understanding of his own life. I confess to relief for myself as much as for him.
@Of Course Some people visit Switzerland where aid in dying is legal.
My farmer father was very smart and capable and physically fit until he broke a hip at 94 after chopping wood and falling on a concrete slab when filling his wood stove. He recovered from that and lived to be 100 and only needed extra care the last two years. He was beloved and enjoyed all he could until the last. In terms of quality of life — he had that until the last year when his organs began to not fight infections. He decided against treatment and had hospice care at the end. Not everyone is blessed with a good constitution and good care, but 75 would have been young for him.
The doctor didn’t say he wanted to drop dead at 75, just that he wouldn’t take life extending care if his quality of life wasn’t going to be what he considered worthwhile. Obviously, your dad had quality of life and no health problems into his 90’s and if the doctor has the same situation, he will also live as long.
He sounds very strong too – a lot of people don’t exercise in their old age
Totally agree with you. How can you pick an age to call it quits. Doesn’t make sense and is very individual. My mother lived a long life with some ups and downs but no where near 75 was it time to give up.
@Wolit51 how do you broadly define “quality of life” ?
Hi Jp
The world has 8 billion people, yikes. Also my dad got diagnosed with stage 3 bone marrow cancer. Doctors forced him into treatment. His last year and a half was a nightmare.
They did not force him it was his choice. Everyone has the right to say no. However possibly that generation who did not believe they could disobey their dr.
I’m so sorry.
Good for this doctor. I took care of my friend who got Cancer at 57. He was obviously dying, but his doctors decided to do surgery and Install an artificial hip. He died a month later after the hip surgery. He didn’t have insurance and never paid into the health system. The whole thing doesn’t make sense. I’ve also taken care of relatives in their 80s and 90s. Dementia can ruin the lives of the caretaker.
Why did they do that ?? The surgery took a vast toll and it would never heal well..
@Richard Beman / They don’t care. Money dictates.
@RBS Exactly. Doctors often get kickbacks for performing certain procedures. It’s disgusting
@shizzyfinn Its all in the training also!
Just use a pillow.
My dad recovered from a cancer surgery at 84 . That was over 10 years ago . He is now 95 and going strong !
Majority of 90+ will not be going strong. Death is part of life. Open your eyes
@Christine Benson THANK YOU CHRISTINE FOR HELPING AMERICA PRESERVE PRECIOUS RESOURCES FOR MIGRANTS OF COLOR – I MEAN, EVERY PRIVILEGED & SELFISH OLD WHITE MALE IN AMERICA OUGHT TO FOLLOW THIS WOKE DOCTOR’S LEAD !!
@ christinebenson518 my aunt is 90 and almost blind, she lives alone and is very satisfied with her life.
@Christine Benson thiis can also be said about children born with rare genetic abnormalities that have a decreased quality of life or anyone for that matter with severe health complication regardless of age. This comment is advocating for eugenics and is ageist and ablest. PROBLEMATIC
@Stan Wilson You can save resources and self terminate.
My husband died of cancer at age 67. It was not pretty. He was in constant pain, suffered dementia due to metastasis so that he never knew what was going on. He became belligerent and hard to handle physically. Chemo just made it worse. I had to keep working because i became the only breadwinner and maintained the medical benefits. Even with insurance the cost to us drained our reserves to nothing. The burden fell on the children who had lives of their own. One son gave up his schooling to stay home with his dad. All of this during the pandemic. It may sound cruel, but it was a blessing for him to die. None of us can easily remember my husband in his good years. The memories of the end are too vivid. I will not put my children through that again. Indeed my son has already said “I can’t do that again”. I am in full agreement with Dr Emanuel.
@Michelle Thank you for your kindness.
Thank you for sharing.
May your husband rest in peace
@Corinne Hernandez Thank you Corinne.
@RiteMo LawBks Thank you for the kind words. I can honestly say that as difficult as the situation was, I am not depressed. Sadness was real and inevitable, but I can still feel joy for the time we shared and for the life I still have with my family. My intent for sharing was to shed a bit of light on why some may choose to make the end of life decisions that they make.
@Phoenix17 I’ve been a nurse for decades. There are situations worse than death, and the blessing of death is more for the patient than the family. Glad you haven’t had to experience that part of caretaking.
Me too. My Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer at 82 and she denied treatment, had 6 weeks with us kids and died in peace.
@Alpha Omega exactly right
It is our responsibility to repay our parents the cost of raising us, to tend to them in infantile old age
@Automedon Iliad what if they did their best to mess you up as a child and now want what they never gave to you then
You are blessed with a smart and thoughtful mother.
@Alpha Omega Religion talks about an afterlife, meaning a life after death. You are clueless.
As a doctor, I am grateful for this message to the general public.
Too often people and family want to cling onto life without realizing what they’re truly signing up for.
Every situation is different, but awareness from this video is important, so thank you.
Agreed!! I worked in a hospital, and in oncology, and have witnessed some horrible suffering. I wish all doctors would be empathic, but HONEST, with someone’s prognosis. Quality of quantity for me!
@GO OlSEN what?
“Want to cling on to life”
Yes, we who value life want to cling to it no matter age.
Agreed. As an RN, I can’t say enough about the horror stories I’ve witnessed when families have insisted that we do “everything” to keep a sick and dying geriatric patient alive against their wishes.
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I love that there are people like Dr. Emanuel, who know firsthand what happens when doctors/hospitals take charge of your illness, and instead, encourage us to weigh the pros and cons (quality of life, quality of care, etc.), and to take charge of all medical treatment and preventative testing ourselves. He’s one of a kind, especially for an oncologist. I’m with him 1000% and always have been. Thank you for having him on your show.
@Anita Kristensen But you should have the choice to live and get care as long as you want. This bureaucrat Doctor wants death panels, hes talked about it before. You believe in CHOICE?
@Douglas Reagan STOP BEING SELFISH – ONCE YOU BECOME OLD AND OBSOLETE AND USELESS TO SOCIETY YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE THE CHOICE WASTE RESOURCES TO KEEP YOU ALIVE – ALSO OVERPOPULATION IS BAD FOR CLIMATE
No one is forced to have cancer treatment its their choice no doubt some people are coerced by both family and medical staff
@Douglas Reagan where’s the mention of death panels??
@Douglas Reagan to a point. When they start giving blood transfusions or etc. on a regular basis to a elderly dying person, then I say no. Things like that I don’t agree on. The person is dying, give the blood or etc. To a younger person. Then maybe the younger person can live a more productive life. There is times when enough is enough.
This is how I feel. The treatments are barbarically difficult. It’s worth it at some ages, and not so much at others. Every life has a season. I have already outlived one of my parents by a couple of decades. I consider that a gift.
If people are happy to end their lives and do not want treatment that is fine but not to take what is offered when you could have treatment and then enjoy more years of life is a little unwise imho but yes those treatments can be harsh and also the pressure on the care giver is intense and takes their life away unfortunatey.We need different solutions.Obviously if life is not worth living because of physical pain and misery then of course it does not make sense to carry on, but people need to be very careful that some medical staff and politicians or family will not encourage someone who wants to live to die.There is a lot of ageism around at the present and if you remember the boomer remover days of early covid there are many who will happily say ‘oh well he/she lived her life’ now they can go etc or that old people really do not matter and ought to die to get out of the way. That doctor has the right to do what he wants but I am not sure encouraging people not to be screened is helpful for all.
some will exploit such a decision
@catty else You are correct about ageism, that is surely the case, but you’re assuming that societal opinions have sway in my life. That will be true for some people; but we can’t legislate out the right to self-determination just because some people make choices we don’t agree with or for reasons that may seems foolish. I don’t think fear is the way to handle policy or bioethics. It’s how certain totalitarian congresspeople approach policy. Speaking of wisdom, they are examples of how unwise it is not to understand the outsized role of fear in American lives.
So true !!! My father passed away at age 53. He had a massive heart attack at age 49, that destroyed half of his heart. My mother lived to be only 73, but she was overweight, drank way too much and chain smoked. She went through 3 horrible years of radiation and chemo for lung cancer ( I lived nearby and shared the experiences ). Finally she died from all of that.. I learned a lot, I need to loose a bit of weight and am very lucky. My next hurdle will be to pass her age of 73..
@catty else
He was not encouraging everyone, just those who will agree that life quality is more important than clinging to a life with pain and causing harm to caregivers who love them.
Dr. Emanuel is a great and principled man. I hope more of us are like him.
As a hospice nurse the message it sends is great, individual quality of life is key !!!
Yes quality beats quantity any day of the week, dear!
I cannot understand why older people don’t choose hospice first so they can live life to the full.
@debbie lazenby hospice is where you go to die
Yea,nah.Whose to decide what is “quality”? It’s like a hike,the hills that are difficult were on the trail just for you.Nobody needs a shot of morphine for you to find peace.
Thank goodness someone is saying this out loud, I am same age as doctor and I wholeheartedly agree! While I’m on Medicare now and best coverage I’ve had in a long time, I have no interest in extraordinary efforts should I have a major problem. Also, when I see what the retirement ‘experts’ say we’re supposed to have saved for retirement health care out of pocket including long term care I just have to laugh. Worked for a large nursing home care company and that will be the last place I volunteer to go!!! Bravo for covering this topic.
We need universal healthcare, our system is so uncivilized. Why do corporate funded right wing channels like cnn never report on it?
I completely share his thinking, and have for as long as I can remember. My husband works in the ER and it’s IMO cruel to keep people alive artificially, especially when they are in their 80’s. The line isn’t always clear, but it’s often prolonging someone’s death when these measures are taken.
I’m a retired nurse and I’ve given this topic a lot of consideration. I’m so glad this good doctor has the courage to come out and talk about it because I agree with him! I’ve worked in nursing homes for instance and personally (I also have a chronic illness) I would not want to live year after year that way. Meanwhile the nursing home takes chunks, monthly, out of the assets of the residents or their families. Last time I checked it was around 5 thousand per month, but that’s probably changed. I want my assets to go to my grown children after I’m gone, and I have spoken to my them at length about what I do and don’t want done before I die. I tell them that if my mind starts to slip and my body withers to call Hospice. I am very passionate about this topic and I know a lot of other nurses who feel the same. None of us is getting out of here alive! It’s best to work on spreading love and peace to others throughout one’s life, and that’s what remains after we’re gone! ❤
I completely agree. I have no interest in chemotherapy after watching friends suffer and then die miserably. Thanks for your comment.
American culture doesn’t value their elders anyways, so I’m sure your opinion is the majority there, sadly.
I am a retired nurse as well and I agree with you. Quality over quantity
Try $12,000 a month
I was a social worker in a dialysis facility and I learned that life is a crap shoot for us all.
I am 63.
I was diagnosed with cancer over 8 years ago.
I’ve not been treated.
I just eat relatively well and stay active.
Getting debilitated from treatment and wracking up unpayable medical expenses did not appeal to me.
I in fact, hiked all the way from Central Florida to Santa Monica Beach in California between July 2018 and January 2020.
I was barely slowed down by the illness and I continue to walk nearly everywhere today.
I am convinced that if I sought all the textbook treatments I’d be dead by now.
People cling very hard to life but never actually live.
How are you doing now?
Hello
That’s inspiring. Wish you many more years in good health and peace. Thank you for sharing your story.
I would say you were misdiagnosed all those years ago. No one beats CA that is malignant and functions as you describe. *former trauma nurse*
Your were just lucky, the type you had, some people are dead in a month.
We lost my mom to cancer last year, and the treatments she had over the last six months of her life made her absolutely miserable. My dad still thinks a lot of her treatments made no difference, and there were a lot of decisions that were made based on the fact that her health insurance paid for them, not because they would prolong her life in any meaningful way.
I can absolutely see why someone would feel this way.