• Question: Do you think there will ever be a cure for cancer? Also, do you think that they will find new types of cancer? Also how many cancers are deathly?

    Asked by emtungatt to Cat, Daz, Holly, Johnson, Pamela on 15 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by chlocharbell, katec, masterawsome159.
    • Photo: Pamela Lithgow

      Pamela Lithgow answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Hi emtungatt and chlocharbell,
      I think one day they will find a cure for cancer. I also think they will always be finding new types of cancer. These two questions also kind of go together, as each different cancer or maybe groups of cancers will probably have different cures. Different cancers can behave very differently to each other so they will be treated differently. There are lots of people who work on trying to work out cures for cancers and I think they will gradually get there. I don’t know how many cancers are deadly, not all of them!
      Hope this helps
      Pam

    • Photo: Cat O'Connor

      Cat O'Connor answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Hi Emtubgatt and Chlocharbell,

      Really great questions! I hope I can answer the okay.

      I really really hope there will be a cure for cancer but I think we’re a long way off. But thankfully, our treatments for cancer are improving everyday!

      Yes I think they will find new types of cancers. But lets hope they are caused by viruses so what we can create more vaccines to prevent them!

      I’m not sure exactly how many cancers are deadly but I think un-treated most cancers have the ability to kill someone, but this can often happen many years down the line! The important thing to do to stop this happening is visit your GP if you think there is something wrong with you! Oh and especially important for us young people is to make sure we keep an eye on any moles we have on our skin to see if they change in size or colour!

      I hope this anwers your questions!

      Cat

    • Photo: Darren Braddick

      Darren Braddick answered on 15 Jun 2011:

      hi emtungatt and chlocharbell

      No, I do not think there will ever be one single cure. The fact is, cancer is a bunch of diseases and disease states, generally referring to the breakdown of your cells to behave correctly and obey the instruction of the body – they become overly independent and uncontrolled. Since all living cells can arguably ‘go wrong’ like this, all human tissues and cells could generate cancer. Now, the disease that is presented by those cancers can vary hugely. Some are very deadly, others less so, but all are damaging and extremely nasty diseases.

      The thing is, even now, the drugs to treat each of these cancers can be different, and there are maybe hundreds of drugs which are selected (or, ‘indicated’) for very specific kinds – for example cancers of bone, breast, oral, whatever. Since the nature of the cancer depends on the tissue it came from, so do the drugs and the methods to treat it.

      So, I don’t think there will ever be one drug, which really sucks. There will be more cancers, which really really sucks. And too many of them do kill. Fortunately, new drugs and new treatments can really help – they can sometimes fix the cancer, and hopefully they can give quality of life to patients during these awful diseases.

      I hope that answers your question,

      Daz

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