Curing cancer is a misleading term. Cancer is far too complex to be treated as a single disease. Doing so would be akin to coming up with a pill that cures all viral infections -- something that's all but impossible. In his second of a multi-part series on the issues and obstacles facing cancer researchers, our new Senior Fellow Dr. Chris Gerry discusses the multiple challenges that must be overcome, and a new paradigm for treating the disease at the genetic level.
war on cancer
Although no politician has ever been "pro-cancer" several have adopted staunchly anti-cancer positions -- as safe a policy promise as you'll ever find. Richard Nixon waged a war against cancer almost 50 years ago. More recently, both President Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden have promised to cure it. But is this a realistic goal or just political pandering? Here is the first article in Dr. Chris Gerry's series about the scientific realities that stand in the way of a universal cure. Don't miss it.
Since there are so many types, cancer isn't an "it" but a "them." And the semantics of our "war on cancer" mislead us into considering cancer as just one disease. But in reality, just one type — breast cancer — is composed of 10 different sub-types, each of which might require different treatments.
President Obama declared that the U.S. will mount a new, extraordinary fight against cancer, with the aim of finally "curing it once and for all." Unfortunately, this is an impossible task. Throwing money at this disease will aid some researchers but this new initiative will speed progress only slightly, if at all.