The world that we are currently living in is full of exciting advances. We’ve managed to put men on the moon, developed new energy sources, and treated various diseases. But there is still a disease that is beyond a legitimate cure – cancer, as it still seems to be beyond our grasp. Despite billions of dollars in research per year, this disease continues to impact far too many people. The highly dangerous disease of cancer affects not just the patient, but also his/her loved and dear ones. This disease has time and again caused misery, pain, and often the end of one’s life as we know it. Doctors and medical professionals have been researching the ways in which humankind can completely eradicate the generation of cancer from the face of the earth.
Despite all the scientific advancements, we still wonder if there is a certain cure for cancer? If so, how close are we? To get an answer to all these questions, it’s important to understand the difference between Cure and Remission:
• A cure eliminates all traces of cancer from the body and ensures it won’t come back.
• Remission means there are few to no signs of cancer in the body.
• Complete remission means there aren’t any detectable signs or symptoms of cancer.
One thing which we need to understand is that Cancer is not just one disease, but hundreds of diseases combined together. Cancer is as individually unique as the person who has it. Cancer is a combination of various groups of diseases that we might not be able to cure completely, but scientists are positive that vaccines, personalized medicines, and healthy lifestyle choices will enable us to prevent and treat a much greater proportion of cases than it does currently.
Finding a proper cure for cancer may sound like something to check off a list. But that would just be presumptuous and over-ambitious. Cancer is a very complex disease, more so than we thought 50 years ago. Cancer is merely a general term to a long list of ailments. There are a variety of cancers in different tissues that act in different ways. Not all cancers are caused by the same mutations, therefore they won’t respond to the same type of treatment and cure. There cannot be one possible cure for cancer because more than 200 individual diseases fall under the “cancer” category. All of these facades are characterized by the uncontrolled production of cells. People are diverse, and cancers are too. Two types of cancer might occur in the same organ, but they might not react to a certain treatment in a similar manner. Even genetic elements can further complicate/ease the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers.
Even though prevention is better than cure, finding newer and better treatments for cancer is the call of the hour too. The treatment for cancer has changed dramatically from past years, as Chemotherapy and Radiation aren’t the only possible treatments to cure Cancer. The breakthrough Immunotherapy has changed the face of cancer care on a wide scale. You can’t possibly talk about cancer treatment and skip immunotherapy. It has been a great scientific advancement in the last 20 years, as the immune system plays a highly vital role in fighting cancer. Immunotherapy makes the immunity if a cancer patient is stronger so that it can efficiently fight the cancer cells in the body and emerge victorious in the battle of cancer.
Science is trying to move up the hill with cancer. By making gradual but enough progress, medical professionals are making a difference, which eventually leads to new insights in the field of treatment of cancer.