‘Not the same’ is exactly the point, which is why cynicism isn’t helpful. In the earlier days of chemotherapy it was pretty much the case if the cancer didn’t get you, the chemo did - and the side effects were pretty unpleasant. Palliative care has inevitably improved over the decades. With a lot of cancers, people eventually run out of road and the last several months or more can be pretty shitty. At the moment I’ve a couple of friends, one with stage 3 bowel cancer, another with prostate cancer. Both have metastasised, they’re into the realm of whack-a-mole, hope, and not heading out of the door just yet.