Cancer, Research and Scientists
It appears that much of our research dollars have been wasted on useless studies of mice rather than on the destruction of human cancer cells.
War was declared on cancer in1971 by our president Richard Nixon. The conquest of cancer was to be a national crusade. But the crusade has had few tangible results. A statement on the NCI website says, ” The biology of more than 100 types of cancer has proven far more complex than imagined at that time.” ” One tumor is smarter than 100 brilliant cancer scientists.” says Otis Brawley of the ACS.
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Doctors who treat cancer, and scientists who actually study cancer and do the research sometimes seem not to be on the same page. All the research and important papers written on the subject have little or no impact on the way doctors treat their patients. These leading scientists can receive huge money grants and wide spread acclaim without helping a patient gain one extra day of life.
Mortality from cervix cancer has fallen 60% since 1975 almost entirely due to Pap smears. And by 1980 critics were asking why the vast majority of taxpayers money was being spent on biology that cured millions of mice rather than more practical advances that would cure people. At UCLA Denny Slamon who at first went along with the study on mice wanted to look for unusual genes taken from tissue samples from human tumors.
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He applied to NCI for funding and got nothing. In 1984 Slamon received private funding. He and other scientists found that HER2 caused cancer, rather than being an innocent bystander as was originally thought. They also found an antibody that attaches to HER2 and prevents it from picking up signals to multiply. In 1998 the FDA approved that antibody, called Herceptin for use in breast cancer fed by HER2. After that NCI was happy to fund Slamon. “it was only because we had already shown it would work.” said Slamon. It should be said that NCI funding decisions are made by panels of scientists from Universities and medical institutions, and not by NCI.
Judah Folkman published a paper in 1971 saying that metastatic cells survive, and become deadly by growing blood vessels to supply themselves with nutrients. He was laughed at and ridiculed. NCI turned down his request for funds. He managed to keep up the work and lay the ground work for angiogenesis drugs. Avastin was approved for colorectal cancer in 20
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Scientists have learned that cancer can be caused form outside rather than only the inside of the body. Triggered by stress, inflammatory cells, cells of the immune system and others. It is now thought that signals from the inside and outside of the body causes cancer.
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CHAN LEE PENG | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Well-researched and interesting article and it covers my incomplete knowledge in this field. Thanks!
Lucas Dié | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
A great article, Ruby!
Scientists and doctors still haven’t understood (or are paid not to) that all cancers are one cancer; if you have one, you must check the whole system for cancer cells, because breast cancer often is only the obvious metastasis of a well hidden bone cancer etc. The distinction in different cancer is a pharmaceutical companies’ gag to sell many different drugs for the same illness.
Cancer can widely be caused or triggered by external factors: artificial implants, toxics from teeth fillings, deodorants, and cosmetics, just to name the most well known agents.
Unofre Pili | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
A very concerned piece maam. I love works like this.
Christine Ramsay | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
A well researched and quite disturbing piece, especially the pictures, Ruby. Good work.
Christine
papaleng | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
a very interesting article that everyone should not take for granted.
OhSugar | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
AGAIN, I love the articles you present to us. They are filled with powerful information. I love it, because I enjoy reading and learning about different areas of conversation. Thank you again.
Daisy Peasblossom | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Thoughtful information about a topic we like to ignore–till it happens to us or someone dear to us. On the topic of research funding and grants, my daughter-in-law does this type of research. She has been extremely frustrated with the way grant funding and the hierarchal structure of university research departments work. It is a shame the way reality dampens expectations.
Joe Dorish | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Curing cancer is a jobs program and your article rightly questions the results.
clay hurtubise | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
As someone who sees cancer research from an early stage, I find the article one-sided.
Cancer is enormously complicated. Mice are extremely important. It is beyond the scope of the comment field to address all the issues: suffice it to say that yes, money matters – but there are opportunities for scientist to research abstract ideas.
Thanks for bringing up an important issue.
Clay
xoxo | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Oh my! My mom had a cyst in her right breast. She was operated 3 times. The third time we had the breast removed. Nice info, Ruby. Thank you.
Kate Smedley | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Thought provoking article with some disturbing pictures that reinforce your point so well.
Morgana | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Some scientist good ideas and research propositions but they need the money to begin research. They government doesn’t give money to every scientist.Sometimes scientist with a name for themselves are the ones who get the money and the attention , when there are other scientist who might have better ideas than them.
Darla Cooke | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Interesting article! Thanks for sharing.
lanne | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Very good and timely information Ruby. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with stomach cancer in Feb of this year. She was pretty positive about it until she was told that they would do nothing to treat her because of her advanced age (88) For the past two months we have been made to wonder if there is no treatment or if at her age they just couldn`t be bothered. The Doc would not say: he just babbled on about research, but never gave an answer.
Maybe it just comes down to the fact that there is money in research, but not in cure.
Moses Ingram | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Thanks for this, I’ve expected for a long time that too much money was being spent in the wrong areas.
lindalulu | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Great article Ruby, I am with Lucas on this one…
PR Mace | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Once again, Ruby, you have really done your research. Well, well done.
C A Johnson | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
I agree that you did some great research on this article. Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us.
Shirley Shuler | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
This is a great article Ruby, and very informative, thanks for sharing!
Betty Carew | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Well needed information, very well done Ruby excellent article
NA Staffieri | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
At age 15, my wife (not my wife at the time, of course) was diagnosed with Ewing Cercoma, a cancer that infected her uterus and bladder. She was given only months to live. Five years of chemotherapy and radiation later, she became an official cancer survivor.
You always hope and pray that money spent on the research for medical advancements can give you a 100% ROI, but such is not a reasonable expectation.
Thanks for the article, Ruby.
Elizabeth Abbott | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
interesting.
Elizabeth Abbott | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
Actually discussing research and treatment is like discussing apples and oranges. And yes I agree, mice are very important in research. This is a very broad subject here. Does make one consider many avenues of CANCER. Thank You. E
Eunice Tan | Mar 24, 2009 | Reply
I like this article. Very informative and provoking.
CutestPrincess | Mar 25, 2009 | Reply
a bit scary… thanks for sharing this with us….
Ruby Hawk | Mar 25, 2009 | Reply
My thanks to everyone for your interest and thanks for taking the time to comment. I appreciate that.
NA, I’m so glad your wife is a survivor.I can only imagine what you both have gone through.I hope she will continue to be well.
lanne, I’m so sorry about your mother in law wont be treated because of her age. People are living to a great old age now. I wish her the best.
MMv, I hope your mother will be all right. I have two friends who had breasts removed and they stayed cancer free.
Daisy, thank your daughter for all of us for the good work she is doing.