Does Cuba's Cancer Hope really work?
The truth is that it barely works at all. As Cuba's Cancer Hope admits in a single throw-away line, "Cuban clinical trials show that it extends life three to five months on average." The five-year survival rate for its users is about 15 percent, roughly the same as that for patients treated with approved U.S. cancer therapies.
Why are some US cancer patients flying to Cuba for treatment?
Cuba has faced more than 50 years of US sanctions. Now, for the first time, a unique drug developed on the communist island is being tested in New York state. But some American cancer patients are already taking it - by defying the embargo and flying to Havana for treatment. Judy Ingels and her family are in Cuba for just six days.
Did Fidel Castro improve public health in Cuba?
Its supposed advances in public health under Castro are imaginary; it ranked near the top of Latin America in life expectancy, infant mortality and a variety of health statistics before Castro took power, a fact that PBS once knew. (As for current health-care data from Cuba, about the only person who believes any of it is Bernie Sanders.)
Can a Cuban drug extend the life of lung cancer patients?
And while she is in the country, Ingels, 74, will have her first injections of Cimavax, a drug shown in Cuban trials to extend the lives of lung cancer patients by months, and sometimes years. By travelling to Havana from her home in California, she is breaking the law.
Who is Fidel Castro and what did he do?
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (/ˈkæstroʊ/; American Spanish: [fiˈðel aleˈxandɾo ˈkastɾo ˈrus]; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 2008.
How much does Cimavax cost?
In Cuba, a four-shot dose of Cimavax costs up to $100 to manufacture, Dr. Lee said. Mr. Phillips, of Appleton, Wis., estimates that he pays about $9,000 for his annual supply of Cimavax, or about $1,500 a dose, which a visiting nurse administers every two months.
Do people go to Cuba for cancer treatment?
Cuba has faced more than 50 years of US sanctions. Now, for the first time, a unique drug developed on the communist island is being tested in New York state. But some American cancer patients are already taking it - by defying the embargo and flying to Havana for treatment.
Is CIMAvax FDA approved?
Today, CIMAVax was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical trials at Roswell Park and the first trial is scheduled to begin in 30 days.
Does CIMAvax work on other cancers?
It has been suggested that CimaVax may also be effective in other types of cancer that are dependent on EGF/EGFR, including many cases of prostate cancer.
Do Americans go to Cuba for medical treatment?
Thousands of people from other countries go to Cuba each year for what is known as medical tourism: travel abroad for surgery or other medical care, often because the treatment is less expensive there or is not available where patients live.
Is medical treatment free in Cuba?
In 1961, the Cuban government created a new National Health System (SNS, for its acronym in Spanish) and began to phase out all private healthcare and expand public services. Today, all healthcare is regulated and financed by the government, and is provided to Cubans free of cost.
Is there a vaccine for cancer in Cuba?
Introduction: CIMAvax EGF is a therapeutic anticancer vaccine developed entirely in Cuba and licensed in Cuba for use in adult patients with stage IIIB/IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
U.S. is giving South American leaders cancer, claims Chavez as Argentine president de Kirchner becomes FIFTH to contract disease
The U.S. government could be responsible for a recent spate of cancer among South American leaders, according to Venezuela's outspoken president Hugo Chavez.
LEADERS STRUCK DOWN
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez received treatment in Cuba earlier this year for an unknown cancer. He had his fourth and final bout of chemotherapy in Cuba last month. He had surgery to remove a tumour from his pelvic region in June and is now being evaluated by doctors, who hope he may fully recover.
Who is Judy's husband?
For now Bill Ingels, Judy's husband, isn't worried about falling foul of US authorities.
Is health care free in Cuba?
For Cuba's residents, all health care is free. One beneficiary is Lucrecia de Jesus Rubillo, 65, who lives on the fifth floor of a block of flats in the east of Havana. Last September she was given two or three months to live. What began as pain in Lucrecia's leg, was diagnosed as stage-four lung cancer that had spread.
Is Cuba under embargo?
The US embargo against Cuba has been in place for more than five decades, and though relations thawed under President Obama, seeking medical treatment in Cuba is still not allowed for US citizens.
Is Cuba on the top of his in-tray?
So far, Cuba has not made it to the top of his in-tray. There is a large constituency of Americans who believe that Cuba does not deserve the kind of recognition and status the association with the Roswell Park Cancer Institute brings.
What is Cuba's cancer hope?
Cuba's Cancer Hope, with sharply illustrative prose and graphics, gives a lucid account of this part of the story. But when the tale turns to Cuba's development of a lung-cancer vaccine called CIMAvax that enhances the immunological approach with genetic engineering, the show goes off the rails.
Who raised Cuba from a sinkhole into a model of public health that rivals anything in the First World?
The answer, of course, is the resplendent humanitarianism of Fidel Castro, who raised Cuba from a pestilent sinkhole into a model of public health that rivals anything in the First World. Though the United States gets a little credit for imposing that nasty embargo that forced Cuba to become heroically self-reliant.
How long does Cuban cancer last?
As Cuba's Cancer Hope admits in a single throw-away line, "Cuban clinical trials show that it extends life three to five months on average.". The five-year survival rate for its users is about 15 percent, roughly the same as that for patients treated with approved U.S. cancer therapies.
Did Cuba do anything?
A much more accurate answer would be: Cuba did nothing of the kind. It was anything but isolated —its top immunology researchers learned their trade at the University of Texas. Its supposed advances in public health under Castro are imaginary; it ranked near the top of Latin America in life expectancy, infant mortality and a variety of health statistics before Castro took power, a fact that PBS once knew. (As for current health-care data from Cuba, about the only person who believes any of it is Bernie Sanders.)
What type of cancer does George Keays have?
Onscreen: George Keays has stage 4 lung cancer. To receive his cutting-edge treatment, he travels 2,000 miles to Cuba. Keays: I think it was March of 2015, I went for an annual physical with my primary care doctor. He said at that time, you know, your cough looks kinda like maybe an allergic cough.
Who is George's doctor?
George’s doctor and close friend Dr. William Blanchet is in Havana to lend support.
Who said "I'm not trying to break the law"?
George Keays: You know, I’m not trying to break the law. I’m not, but I’m also not gonna die.
