@Linkat,
Linkat wrote: but why would someone want to test out a new process on their child when there is one that exists that has a history?
ask my parents
they started me in an experimental treatment program when I was about 4
the doc who started it is long dead, I'm still a test subject for the program 50+ years later - I'm now one of those people they look at for long-term effects/complications
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My guess is that they were hoping for even better success than the existing treatment protocols - and it seems they were right.
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It's a bit of a family thing. My uncle was an experimental treatment subject for his asbestos-based cancer. He did survive an extra month or so, and the overall protocols have improved in the last 20+ years. My mother had an experimental pain protocol during her final months.
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My instinct is pretty much always yes - as long as I know the alternative option is not less successful. If it's equal or better, I'm likely to go in on it.