Why is treatment in Canada different?

[mailroom02]

I have non hodgens lymphoma

[zittz]

Not different - it's free because of our national healthcare program.

[susandoyle54 in reply to zittz]

Yes, treatment is free but I also have Arthitise so have to take auto-immune drugs to suppress it and they hurt my survival rate for any length of time. The only drug that will help both will cost me over 30,000 dollars a year and our health care system WILL NOT pay for that! What am I to do now except suffer from this on a daily basis as I do or take my chances with these drugs? Not much of a choice if you ask me

[pestofall]

I have non Hodgkin's follicular lymphomal I am stage 4 grades 1,2 and 3. I am in Canada I received the CVRP regime..this is cyclophosphamide, vincristine, rotuximab, as well as prednisone. Are you in Canada or the US...as far as I know the differences are the approvals of the medication..for example rotuximab was discovered in the 60s yet it was only approved to be used in 1999. In Canada there are prescriptions that are allowed in some provinces yet not others...I do not understand the reasoning at all, but I do know if my provincial health care didn't cover my prescriptions I would be dead...because I could not only not be able to afford the med...but I couldn't afford to go alternative either...I am blessed that the chemo and complimentary therapy worked well together and I am now cancer free for the past year and a half..I realize that it COULD return... But in the mean time with my attitude..if it knows what is good for it..it will stay out of this body...I hope I answered some of our questions