I don’t want people to get the idea that I am opposed to prescription drugs and medicine. I firmly believe that there are drugs out there that have done wonders for the human race - and I think it’s amazing that there are people out there creating these wonder-meds… so I figure I should be sure to give credit where credit is due.

The drug Erbitux has been found to extend the life of lung cancer patients by as much as five weeks. Now, five weeks may not seem like much, but five weeks is five weeks when you are dying. Erbitux is already FDA-approved to treat colon cancer and head and neck cancer, and was developed by Imclone Systems (the company probably best known for being the stock that sent Martha Stewart to jail).

I guess I still have mixed feelings about drugs like this. Having had an aunt who died of lung cancer, I can appreciate how valuable five weeks is. On the other hand, when I think about the quality of life she had during her last five weeks, I wonder if she would even want that extra time. I don’t know - it’s impossible to say now. But I do think it is significant and important that scientists are working to come up with treatments for cancer. Lung cancer is the world’s number one cause of cancer death, and it is becoming particularly prevalent in women - even women who have never smoked a cigarette in their life.

So, when it comes down to it, I say more power to the scientists and researchers who are making cancer treatments a reality.