Is the cancer threat soon over?

May 31st, 2010 § 0

The case is still as written before. I have to train my english. So expect this post to have both flaws in grammar and spelling – apart from the obvious flaws in logic and reason buried inside the proposed meaning of the words.

As I sat on a lecture that were supposed to be a summary about cancer and carcinogenesis. And it was, but it was also about the latest news in cancer research.

Everything I’ll write from here on is just from my memory and I don’t have anything else then what that guy at the lecture said. He seemed like a trustworthy guy ;) .

Apparently there are 116 432 human cancers and 353 different histopathological subtypes and 3142 mutated genes that we know of. The interesting part here is that there are only 353 different histopathological subtypes. Not that many in comparison to the large amount of mutated genes and cancers. Further more, out of these 3142 mutated genes only 319 were either supressor och oncogenes (genes that start cancer more or less), and even more interesting is that all are componentes of 12 pathways. (These numbers are from slides which in turn comes from American Association for Cancer Research)

These pathways are apparently kinda well-known and in theory there is a way to block or  stimulate these different paths.

Meaning: In theory, today, there is a way to inhibit any cancer that occurs in humans. If not cure it, at least control it. Just like Diabetes. One could live with the cancer.

There were two problems that were reflected upon during the lecture. There isn’t a final product for each of these pathways today – but the lecturer thought that it could be possible to achieve within three to five years. The other problem is that these medicines do and will cost a fortune. One month with one of these new targeted medicines could cost around 100 000 SEK (which is around 12800 USD). This was said to be because the high research costs.

On the other hand there are not that many patients, but if there is a treatment you can’t really deny anyone it. So it could become a huge problem that the cost is so high. Specially in a country with tax-founded health care like Sweden, and soon USA too?

But if this is true. Then in theory the cancer threat could be a thing of the past in a few years. Good times.

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