As a cancer patient myself I would like to elaborate based on my own experience about current state of cancer detection, therapy and search for the cure(s).
First to get this one out: I think that it is an absolute disgrace that after decades of research and untold billions of dollars spent we don't have very much to show for in terms of healing results. It seems to me that cancer research has become a convenient source of funds to provide for various research positions (and research centres) to dabble in ever new opportunities with mostly minor successes where it counts: cancer patients getting cured.
Now back to my experience, and I will finish with some recommendations about how to pick at least the low hanging fruit.
First, how about early detection that improves your chances of survival? I agree with this in principle, but cannot see how it can be done effectively. In my case, I was diagnosed at a fairly young and atypical age (35), but only by pure accident and after a string of misdiagnosed conditions, some offered even by specialists. For several years prior, I would go to my family doctor(s) and complain about certain pains in a certain area, but they would either give me a soothing talk and a look meant for hypochondriacs
, or offer some weak explanations after a cursory check with their fingers (lose weight, torn muscle, inflammation, etc.). In the end, a prostatitis-like pain forced me to REQUEST a visit to the specialist. First specialist did a brief and hurried check of my condition, but misdiagnosed me again. Only after a visit to a second specialist (on my request again) was I sent for the ultrasound, where they found my cancer, already pretty advanced. The funny thing is, they were still looking for something else at the time.
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Here I would like to offer two important points which I would recommend every family doctor to read very carefully. Maybe you will save a life:
1) If your patient comes back again and again to you and complains about similar symptoms, and you don't know what might be the problem, please send him to the specialist. Don't posture to be an all-knowing and calm doctor figure, and send them off home with some "likely" explanation.
2) Your fingers are not fine-tuned medical devices, and yet you so much rely on them. Scores of technical, medical and other researchers and professionals have given us a gift of wonderful medical equipment that can determine what ails your patients so much more effectively than you with your fingers ever could. When in doubt, utilize the medical equipment that is available.
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Now, let's continue... After being diagnosed with cancer (I asked for a second opinion, since I was also almost mis-diagnosed with a wrong type of cancer), I demanded to be transferred to the best cancer clinic in town (luckily we have one). And during my treatment I noticed something else: there are several "schools" of cancer treatment - Western traditional medicine (mainstream around here), Chinese herbal medicine, homeopathic medicine, bioenergy, vitamin-related, macrobiotic, and many other alternatives (in addition to this, I am sure a lot of healing quacks prey on the poor patients, too).
The glaring thing that I noticed is that nobody could help me decide what course of treatment (or combination of treatments) to pursue. I had to decide for myself, without much means, or time, for meaningful research. Most people in those different "branches" of medicine did not have kind words for the other side, or just plain didn't know what to tell me about best course of action towards the cure (except to recommend their own methods for the most part). A lot of healing schools claimed excellent results in their treatment of cancer, but I still haven't heard that a Nobel prize in medicine has been awarded for finding a cure to cancer. In the end, I have decided, mostly on my own (after receiving a stupendous amount of often contradicting advice and information) to pursue a certain combination of treatments and will see what happens. It is not a great feeling to effectively gamble with one's own life.
Based on all this, here is what I would recommend:
- To the government(s): by all means continue promoting all the high-end cancer research, and follow all the paths to discovery that open with new breakthroughs in molecular biology, technology, or whatever, but don't fund every institution that comes along and wants to do something in this area, it just dissipates the cash. Demand measurable results from everyone in terms of new experimental treatments, or clinical trials before you release next round of funding.
- To researchers in all "branches" of medicine: get together for the sake of your patients and organize proper clinical trials to confirm or deny once and for all the effects that various therapies have on cancer treatment. It should not be too difficult to completely examine all of the main options (and their combinations) that are available today. Don't focus on western medicine (drug oriented) alone. After this is done, it will be so much easier to recommend to a new cancer patient a proper combination of treatments that will yield an optimal result. Maybe a cure will require more high-end research, but what if it already exists and we are missing it? You may think that you have a job, but you don't - you have a mission, whether you want it or not.
- Start keeping electronic medical records of people, enhanced with every possible bit of information about their lifestyle and environment. These records should be "from cradle to grave" type, standardized at least on a country level, if not worldwide. What this will allow medical researchers to do is to notice if there are any correlations between various diseases, lifestyle choices, food, location, or anything else, that might help in prevention/cure of not just cancer but any other currently incurable disease. As a few "wild" examples - how do we know that cancer is not maybe caused by having a bad cold enough times under certain conditions? Or having your tonsils removed after a certain age? Or taking showers for too long (chlorinated water)? These records would provide so much data to be analyzed and I am sure many surprising facts would become easily obvious that are now heavily obscured. Fears of privacy invasion should be properly addressed of course, but let's face it - we lost so much of our privacy already, so let's not fret about potential few cases of misuse in case these electronic medical records become a reality. Benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
Some may disagree with me about this posting, but after what I've experienced first hand I fervently believe that so much more can be done in this area and it is not being done right now.
UPDATE: (June 12, 2008) It seems that Canada will lead the way in cancer research that I was rooting for in this post 3.5 years ago. May they have great success! For details, please read this
Globe and Mail article.
