Medicine is stagnating in cancer treatment and research?
If you ask the typical layperson, he or she will say that medicine is doing wonders today in cancer treatment and research but the FDA published a 'panic bulletin' in 2008 noting that the number of new drug approval requests had declined for the first time since the approval process was established, and the typical patent attorney will tell you that the drug patenting laws are now inappropriate because they were designed to protect major therapeutic breakthroughs which are no longer happening. The death rates for many forms of cancer have not improved significantly for decades at all.Well in short, medicine is stagnating, but the public is being told the opposite with cancer treatment and research.The cancer foundation and all non profit ,public and private sectors are getting whopping money that is outrageous for cancer treatment and research !!With little to no improvements at alll in the past 20 to 25 years. What is going on?
Biology - 2 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Progress in research is not linear. Rather it moves in fits and starts. Some of this is dependent on technological advances. For instance, the invention of the PCR reaction revolutionized molecular biology in the 80's. One of the other problems is that, especially in this last decade, the new technology has led to the discovery and conclusions that we know far last about how the human genome works than we thought we did just 20 years ago. So, one of the latest discoveries is that even with us collecting data at thousands times the rate at which we used to, we've only succeeding in creating more questions. So, it's not lack of effort as much as it is, that with each bit of data, we are learning how complicated of a disease that cancer is. Cancer (uncontrollable cell division) is really a symptom much like a runny nose that could be initiated by many causes. Science understands cancer better than ever, but scientist also realize how much more we need to learn to win the battle.
2 :
The solution to the mechanism that drives cancer development already exist in the scientific literature in bits and pieces. The problem is one of "publish or perish," and big business control over scientific funding and research. The big drug companies do not want a final answer to cancer yet, they're too heavily invested in other less effective treatments. It's all about politics and money. Honesty and human interest has little to do with it. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/david-cameron-accused-of-ditching-cancer-treatment-guarantees-2026387.html http://medicinesocialjustice.blogspot.com/2010/01/cancer-care-and-hospital-advertising.html
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Title : Medicine is stagnating in cancer treatment and research
Description : Medicine is stagnating in cancer treatment and research? If you ask the typical layperson, he or she will say that medicine is doing wond...