Single Cure for Cancer: Is it Possible? (Essay Example)
Cancer; among the leading causes of death around the world is single-handedly changing modern medicine as we know it. Cancer is a deadly and violent tumor-forming disease that is caused by a genetic mutation in human cells. The way people obtain and treat this disease varies due to environmental or genetic reasons. Cancer cells are diverse like people are, meaning curing this disease will be very difficult and there cannot be a single cure for cancer.
What is cancer and how does it start? Cancer is a disease where cancerous cells grow and spread throughout the body. All cancerous cells begin as one of the trillion normal human cells. However, when the tumor suppressor genes are overrun by a gene mutation when dividing they create a cancerous cell that will grow out of control. Cancer can be mostly caused by genetics but can be caused because of chemicals, UV rays, age, etc. Cancerous tumors start by changing one or a small group of cells and then spread through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system and build their way into a tumor that tries to overtake an entire organ.
All cancers are different meaning a single cure for cancer is unlikely. According to the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR), cancer is an umbrella term for a much more diverse disease. Cancer can be detected, diagnosed, and treated very differently making it very difficult to treat. Cancer cells that appear to be in the same part of the body could be in a different grade of cancer and react very differently to different treatments. A grade of cancer is determined by the number of cancerous cells and how fast they are multiplying and spreading– a grade of one cancer can also determine the survival rate of the patient. For example, stage 4 is when cancer starts to overtake another organ with fast multiplying of cancer cells with a more aggressive treatment has a low chance of survival. On the other hand, a Grade 1 cancer has very few cancerous cells and a low multiplying of cancer cells will be treated with a more gentle treatment with a higher chance of survival.
Cancer has traits and characteristics that are very similar to that of an infectious disease. The evidence stated in the article “Infectious Diseases Are Analogous With Cancer” by cancer experts and specialists, Daniel Benharroch and Lidia Osyntsov, say “when searching for the similarities, they seem to be found superficially in several aspects of the two categories of illnesses.” This article talks about how there are similarities in the means of spread, the role of immunity, and the characteristics of terminal events in both diseases. When both carcinogenesis and microbes spread throughout the body it goes through the lymphatic spread, hematogenous dissemination, and spread through body cavities as well as along nerves even though they use different processes. Secondly, both cancer and microbe cells have to overcome the body’s natural deterrent; the immune system. The immune system; however; can cause the cells to become more aggressive which promotes both diseases.
A single cure for cancer cannot be created since it is a very diverse and complex disease. Restating the topics above, cancer cells are created due to gene mutation in regular cells thus creating this disease. The spread of the cancerous cells allows for tumor growth that is very persistent in the body. Though; detecting, diagnosing, and treating this disease varies from person to person; curing this disease can be compared to curing an infectious disease. A cure for infectious disease can be compared to curing cancer because they are very similar in means of using the same methods of transferring the disease, and are very harmful to the body. Curing cancer will not be easy; but; we can look at solutions from other cures that are similar to cancer.
Work Cited
“Are We Any Closer to Curing Cancer?” Foxchase.org, 26 June 2019, www.foxchase.org/blog/are-we-any-closer-curing-cancer#:~:text=There%20will%20likely%20not%20be,the%20uncontrolled%20production%20of%20cells..
“Stages of Cancer.” Cancer Research UK, CRUK, 29 Oct. 2014, www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/stages-of-cancer.
Benharroch, Daniel, and Lidia Osyntsov. “Infectious Diseases Are Analogous with Cancer. Hypothesis and Implications.” Journal of Cancer, vol. 3, 2012, pp. 117–21, https://doi.org/10.7150/jca.3977.
“Cancer Susceptibility | Center for Cancer Research.” Cancer.gov, 2018, ccr.cancer.gov/news/horizons/article/cancer-susceptibility.
