Discussion On Can Cancer Be Cured

Is Cancer A Business

I am about to enter into the conspiracy view of a subject that has some rational common sense. This is not to say that I am a believer in this conspiracy theory on cancer cure but it is an issue I thought worth presenting here for my readers.

During periods of my life when in a philosophical frame of mind ( most times from the deck of a boat late at night while in a good anchorage) one of the questions I would pose to the universe from time to time was “What could exterminate the human race????? Apart from asteroid strike, comet collision or the sun disintegrating I thought about epidemic disease. The world has and continues to deal with many contagious outbreaks of disease in many forms Eg. Bubonic plague, Smallpox, Malaria and recently Ebola. I am now left wondering if the epidemic disease that deserves more attention as being the worlds largest threat is actually cancer in any of its forms.

 Thinking about what I have just written above, raises  Some other big questions that need to be answered, such as: “Is the incidence of cancer increasing in the world,” “What is causing any cancer increases” and “Can cancer be cured”??? Well, according to the World Health Organisation, the incidence of cancer is expected to increase by 70% within the next two decades. That means there will be an increase from 14 million new cases in 2012 to 25 million new cases per year by 2032. The scope of that statistic is amazing if you consider it is the equivalent of Australia’s current population, every man, woman and child being diagnosed with cancer every year. Over the same period of time cancer mortality rates world-wide are expected to increase from 8 million in 2012 to 13 million deaths per year.

The causes of the increase in cancer diagnosis is subject to speculative arguments but does correlate to the massive changes in living standards for the majority of rich countries over the past 100 years. The increase in the consumption of red meat, industrialisation and rise in air pollution, the discovery and manufacturing of chemicals used in everyday cleaning and many more influences that found their way into our modern-day way of life. The increase in life expectancy is also a reason given for the increase in cancer rates. The statistics tell us that by the age of 85, 1 in two men and 1 in three women will have experienced a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime.

While medical establishments and governments continue to advise the public that a search for the cure for cancer continues, the cure remains as elusive as ever. What the medical and pharmaceutical establishments have been very succesful at; Is in the overall management of cancer treatment including improved screening methods. Advances in the initial primary treatments of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have been amazing as has the success of new cancer drugs developed. As a result of these advances the 5 and 10 year survival rate for cancer patients has increased dramatically.

This then brings us to the key issue of this article and the question “Can cancer be cured” ?????  Well now, this statement raises a whole lot of other assumptions because if you look at cancer treatment worldwide from a business point of view, you will soon realise it is worth an under-estimated trillion dollars annually and is also a growth industry. The conspiracy theorists could be forgiven for asking the question in this way “ Why would a trillion-dollar a year growth industry want to find a cure and close itself down”???????

If the true answer is in favour of the conspiracy theorists there are two main sides that need to be given more thought: The world is based on capitalism. Even if you happen to be Russian, Chinese or whatever, the money-go-round is essential for our wellbeing. Consider this. Huge profits are made by large corporations and distributed to share holders who in turn will use those funds in other areas. Thousands of individual people including medical researchers throughout the world, also earn a living from this industry. On the other side of the coin, moral issues need satisfying when you consider that every family on earth will be touched by cancer in one form or another. Time will be the judge on this matter in the long-term. As Popeye might of said “It is what it is, and that’s all that it is.”

Is this Humanity??

My personal view is that with advances in screening recently and those expected in the future, most early cancers can be cured successfully. I have a belief that new types of cancers will appear as time goes by as a consequence of lifestyle changes affecting our lives in the future. Generally I feel that sadly, cancer will be with us for many years to come.

Lee aka Popeye