This is one of the most controversial topics circling around today. Some believe there is a secret cure for cancer that just hasn't been publicized, and possibly never will due to the vast amount of money the industry brings in. Others, like me, believe that there is no plausible way that there is a cure for cancer that is unavailable for use... yet.
Before you continue reading if you're intrigued: I want to apologize in advance if I offend anyone. I'm simply stating my opinion, but yours is also valued and respected.
Before you stop reading if you're appalled: if none of the following matters to you, skip to the very last couple of paragraphs, please. You won't regret it.
There are some arguments that just don't make sense in this debate.
First off, what is cancer? We know it's a dreaded word in the doctor office, but what exactly is it? Is it even an "it?" The group of diseases can be commonly understood as any kind of abnormal cell growth, which the body fails to exert control over. Cancerous cells grow, attack, and destroy surrounding normal tissue, but have a wide variety of causes, symptoms, and appearances. Do you know how many different types of cancer there are, not including each of their subtypes? The previous understanding alone can be applied to over 100 different diseases alone.
Each type of cancer and their sub-types require a different course of treatment and action, never mind the fact that every patient responds differently to treatments. What works on one patient may not work on the next. A 40-year-old male diagnosed with AML (acute myelogenous leukemia) will require a different treatment plan than a 6-year-old diagnosed with AML. There can’t simply be a cure; there will need to be multiple cures for cancer. When fighting cancer at the biological level, nearly every cancer will have to be treated differently and carefully.
Cancer is tough to treat because of what it isn’t. There isn’t a virus or bacterium that directly causes the malignancy. It isn’t contagious; you can’t simply “catch it.” It is a group of genetically processed diseases. Our bodies basically turn on us and cause a genetic mutation, allowing for the cells to proliferate uncontrollably. In the long run, conquering a genetically processed disease means discovering a cure that works at the genetic level. Are we getting there? Yes, we are.
Decades of research are finally stumbling upon revolutions for cancer therapy, while tremendous strides have already been made. The raw number of United States cancer survivors, being anyone who has been diagnosed and remains living, is on the rise as well. It isn’t the “automatic death sentence” that it once was, as harsh as that might sound. While the statistics are encouraging, they’ve been achieved with medical techniques that will one day be looked back on as crude: the triad of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Each of these separately, or sometimes in a combination of, carry risks and side effects, becoming potentially as harmful as the disease itself.
Slowly, but surely, we’ve moving from an understanding of what composes the genetic structure (thank you, Human Genome Project) to understanding how it works in a dynamic system. As we reach this understanding, we can start looking for an answer to the question of what to do when things go wrong. But that’s entirely too straightforward.
There are tens of thousands of scientists working worldwide to find cures for this group of diseases. To find these cures, hundreds of different approaches must be tested with massive barriers in the way. The research division today can be easily summed up as promise and chaos. It’s promising because the amount of genetic decoding that has already been accomplished and the speed at which further research is proceeding, but chaotic in the sense that the more we learn, the more complex the disease is revealed to be.
Our knowledge of these diseases is progressing at a remarkable rate and the approaches to treating them are evolving just as quickly. With that being said, none of the approaches have the intentions to be effective against multiple cancers, or even applicable to all people with the same type of cancer.
Cancer is such a unique group of diseases; no two diagnoses are the same. For the group of diseases to be completely curable, hundreds of cures must be developed and uniquely designed for the patient at hand. Is it possible? Of course it is, but does it seem very plausible at this point in time? No, I don't believe it does.
Someday, I believe cancer will not be a dreaded word in the doctor office. Instead, we'll simply laugh when we hear the word, because we know we can beat the group of diseases. But until then, we'll paint the world purple with awareness. Not pink, orange, or dark blue, but purple, for all cancers. Until we can laugh at the downfall, we will celebrate, remember, and fight back.
This might sound familiar to anyone who is involved with Relay for Life. If it doesn't, Relay for Life is an organized, overnight community fundraising walk, where teams camp out around a track. It is a family-friendly environment for the entire community. The events are life-changing and help communities across the globe fight back against cancer. We are a family of survivors, caregivers, and volunteers, but also a family of loss and hope. Together, we walk hand in hand to fight this group of diseases. We honor those who are fighting and remember those who have lost, but each of these are equally important in our fight.
Together, it is possible to find the cures needed. Together, we can fight. Together, we can win.
