Chop Shop Medicine
This is pretty exciting stuff — using the body's own immune cells multiplied billions of times to successfully fight off advanced melanoma.
But this isn't the first time we've heard exciting news about a non-invasive cancer breakthrough, only to never hear about it again.
I remember back in the 50s and 60s when the American Cancer Society urged Americans to fight cancer "with a checkup and a check." That was a lot of years and a lot of checks ago. And although there certainly have been advances — and, since 1950, a dramatic decline (PDF) in cancer death rates in people under 65 years old — the primary treatment of cancer is still surgery.
There's got to be a better way.
Comments
That is exciting news, especially since it uses our own cells to fight the cancer. The horrible chemicals used to treat most cancers are almost worse than the disease itself.
I wouldn't be surprised if a cure along these lines does end up being the answer some day. We all have cancer cells growing in us, but our immune cells normally take care of wiping them out.
Posted by: Kathy | June 19, 2008 01:14 PM
Kathy, I have great faith that science and technology will solve this problem, just like it solved so many others.
Posted by: abi | June 19, 2008 05:29 PM