Overview
- Lafer publicly disclosed his illness after keeping it private for about two and a half years, and he first spoke to major outlets in late May that his lymphatic cancer is no longer curable and has spread through his body.
- After trying alternative therapies, Lafer began conventional chemotherapy earlier this year and is about to start his sixth cycle while reporting heavy weight loss and hair loss from treatment.
- Physicians are declining to state a specific life expectancy and Lafer says survival estimates vary widely, though several reports note signs that the chemo is containing tumors and his treating professor gave a written note suggesting he could live for years with the disease.
- Lafer says he is in an emotional 'crisis phase' and that a heatwave is worsening his symptoms, yet he remains publicly active, supported by his wife, children and colleagues, and he has expressed a wish to visit the Mount Everest base camp.
- Lymphomas are a mixed group of diseases with very different courses so the current focus is disease control and quality of life, and the next key developments to watch are how durable Lafer's response to chemotherapy proves and how his care balances further treatment with personal priorities.