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Kirkland woman to hear Monday if Quebec will pay for cancer treatment

Health insurance board has already said no twice

The Gazette
Thursday, March 27, 2008

A Kirkland woman with a rare form of cancer must wait until at least Monday to learn if Quebec’s health-insurance board will pay for a potentially life-saving treatment available only in the United States.
The Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec has already twice refused to pay for the procedure in the United States, which could cost about $150,000.
Ella Marchildon, a 44-year-old mother of five, suffers from signet ring cell carcinoma. Three Montreal specialists who have treated her say the treatment she needs is available only south of the border.
The health-insurance board has told Marchildon that a surgeon at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital will review her case on Monday. Three options are on the table, Joe Marchildon, Ella’s husband, said yesterday.
The Maisonneuve-Rosemont doctor, who had previously indicated he could not perform the surgery, could decide on Monday that he will do the operation, that RAMQ should pay for the U.S. procedure, or that RAMQ should not pay for it, Joe Marchildon said.
Ella Marchildon was in Washington, D.C., three days ago to meet Paul Sugarbaker, the surgeon who pioneered the procedure she needs. He told her she’s a good candidate for the operation, Joe Marchildon said.
The Sugarbaker Oncology Clinic has a 10-year survival rate of almost 75 per cent for patients on whom they have performed this type of surgery.
Marchildon said the condition of his wife, who has tumours in her intestines and vaginal wall, has deteriorated and if the operation is not done soon, “the potential for this to interfere with other vital organs is imminent.”
He said he is frustrated with the attitude of RAMQ, which has previously told his wife that nothing can be done to treat her condition.
“A world-renowned expert has spoken on the file and clearly indicated there’s a possibility of a cure,” Joe Marchildon said. “We recognize that this is a possibility, that it’s not a slam dunk. (But) unless the chances of success are so small that there’s really no opportunity for success, I think you’ve got to provide the person with the opportunity.”
The Marchildon family has a long-standing involvement in West Island hockey, basketball and soccer leagues. A Help Ella Fund has been established and several fundraising events are being organized. So far, about $8,000 has been raised.
The procedure in the United States will cost at least $60,000. But once the extended hospital stay and travel expenses are factored in, the bill may rise to about $150,000, Joe Marchildon said.
A RAMQ spokesperson has said the board will not comment on the case.