If you gave anyone the opportunity to wish for the elimination of any one illness, the chances are that cancer would be pretty high on the list. And it’s not much of a surprise. Given that one in three of us will get some form of cancer at some point in our lives, and that almost everyone will experience a friend or family member suffering from it, the reality is that cancer affects everyone.
Clearly, when it comes to health, one of the big questions on everyone’s lips is – how far away is the cure? The simple truth is that it is a complicated question to answer. However, here’s what we know so far…
The current status
Finding out you have cancer is never good news, of course. But if you get a diagnosis today, you are far better off than at any other point in history so far. In the 1970s, a cancer diagnosis meant you have less than a one in four chance of beating it – now, the survival rate is more like 50%.
The bad news
However, according to cancer specialists, there are still some forms of cancer that are incredibly hard to treat, and survival rates are worrying. For example, only one percent of pancreatic cancer sufferers are still alive ten years after their initial diagnosis. Lung cancer sufferers are better off – but only mildly – as five percent will survive the next decade. The biggest problem lies in the fact that cancer is our own cells losing the ability to control their growth, and eventually form into tumors which can go on to change their biology and become resistant to treatments like chemotherapy.
Modern treatments
There is a tremendous amount of work going on in the background in the fight against cancer. Chemotherapy is an obvious example and is improving people’s life chances as we speak. But other work, including using grafting technology on small mammals and animals – you can find out more about Hera Biolabs and xenografts – are also helping us gain deep insight into improving targeted therapy. And this concept of targeted therapy is incredibly important if you are prepared to listen to one of the leading minds on cancer.
The good news
According to one of the world’s leading cancer experts, the cure for all types of cancer could be as little as 5-10 years away. Karol Sikora thinks the solution could be in a more personalized, targeted approach to treatment. The respected oncologist – once the World Health Organization’s cancer chief – believes that individual risk assessments and plans are the answer, so each cancer patient is treated to their precise needs. Too many sufferers end up with broad treatments that are imprecise and can sometimes end up causing far too much collateral damage to surrounding tissue.
Will it happen?
Who are we to argue with one of the most respected oncologists on the planet? Clearly, there is no silver bullet to cure all types of this horrible disease with one hit. And the work done by researchers is uncovering new, valuable information about cancer almost every day. We wouldn’t bet our house on the cure coming within ten years, and there is obviously still a lot of work to do. But if we all cross our fingers – and perhaps donate to researchers – as much as possible, you never know – it could make a difference.
