2007-06-29 00:54:56 · 6 answers · asked by arigont 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
Well, believe it or not there is no cure for diabetes, asthma, MS, cystis fibrosis, the common cold and a host of other human diseases . . cancer is no different. Cancer is over 200 different types and subtypes of disease, some more easily treatable than others. There is no one pill will take care of all of them scenario . . like there is with infections which are treated with antibiotics . . and work . . almost all the time.
Cancer is quickly becoming a 'chronic condition' much like all the other diseases that remain treatable but not curable. What that means is that people are living with cancer. The best case scenario, of course, is to completely remove all visible signs of cancer and go into what is termed 'remission'. Many, many people go into long term remissions and never have a reoccurence again . . so is that a cure? It is for them. Others will have a relapse and be treated again . . and some can have multiple relapses and be treated for every reoccurence . .it just depends on the type of cancer and a persons overall health.
What confuses the public the most is that they only hear about the advanced and severe cases of cancer .. so they think that all people are the same. They are not. For an idea about 'cure' please take a look at Lance Armstrong who had stage IV testicular cancer. He had mets to his abdomen, lung and brain. He underwent chemotherapy and brain surgery. That was ten years ago and he has not had a reoccurence yet. Is he cured? Well his cure or treatment was the result of a multi-modality approach to remove every bit of cancer they could locate and than use systemic chemo to kill the ones you couldn't see. But . . is he cured . . Probably, but since no one has a crystal ball . . who knows. The reason we might suspect that he is now cured is that the further someone gets from treatment . . the more likely that the cancer will not come back. Not all cancers behave like that though. There are some cancers that are high grade and aggressive and may lay dormant for years before reappearing. The best thing to do is to remain vigilant, understand the type of cancer you're dealing with, get treatment and than get on with living your life.
Lance Armstrong Story
http://www.livestrong.org/site/c.jvKZLbMRIsG/b.736583/k.C7AA/Lance.htm
And, just in case you didn't realize this . . there are many people who use what is referred to as 'Maintenance' drugs to keep the cancer from growing and spreading. The cancer may be present,but it is very small or located in an area that is inoperable but not causing any pain or symptom. These people are living with their cancer. They take daily pills to keep the cancer away or to keep it from spreading.
People Living with Cancer
http://www.plwc.org/portal/site/PLWC
2007-06-29 01:39:16 · answer #1 · answered by Panda 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Treatment is not the same as a cure. Chemo attacks the cancer cells and can shrink tumour size, but it very rarely completely clears the tumour. Surgery can remove a tumour, but the nature of a tumour means that the cells can easily break off and travel elsewhere in the body and continue to grow. Radiotherapy can be inaccurate and difficult to target the tumour exactly. Officially cancer has a "survival rate" rather than a cure rate.
2007-06-29 01:00:13 · answer #2 · answered by huggz 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
"Chemo" and surgery are not cures, only deterrents and some only for a short time.
There are no known cures for cancer, not yet. They have made many advances but, the money for the research isn't there.
Our Government would rather use this money to fight a war, to send rockets to mars and the moon, to use for aide to China.
I could go on and on. We waste more money on cosmetics then on cancer research, did you know that?
They pay grown men to chase a baseball for millions of dollars a year, they pay golfers millions of dollars a year to "play" golf, while a cancer researcher has to have two jobs to raise a family.
This is one reason I had to leave the medical field, I had to eat. I know many others that had to do the same. The janitor for our building was getting more wages then we were.
2007-06-29 01:50:12 · answer #3 · answered by cowboydoc 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Chemo is not a cure. Surgury is not a cure either. There is no cure for cancer once it is has advanced to vital organs. Chemo is a bunch of drugs all thrown in a pile and injected into the patient. Chemo does more damage than cancer does. I know. My mother died of cancer and Chemo stole what life she had left with pain, hair loss, she couldn't eat due to the meds, she was miserable. I have a friend who refused chemo and lived her last days enjoying her family til her last few days of life. You need to do research friend. Chemo is no cure.
2007-06-29 01:00:41 · answer #4 · answered by Stefbear 5 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Because chemo and radiation do not always keep cancer from spreading or returning. That is why the term is "remission" when talking about dormant cancer
2007-06-29 01:02:43 · answer #5 · answered by TURANDOT 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Technically, when the treatments work its in remission. There is always some cancer cells hidden somewhere. If nothing else kills you cancer would. This applies to everyone.
2007-06-29 01:02:00 · answer #6 · answered by Valerie D 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋