Cancer, modern medicine

[greg775]

With the Jimmy V Classic coming up and the fact I have family members battling cancer made me wonder if you guys agree with conspiracy theorists who believe scientists/experts/medical personnel across the world are not trying to find cures for cancer.

 

Almost every family has lost somebody to cancer.

And yet no cure?? Conspiracy theorists would say there's so much money to be made by the medical community that it'd be a distaster financially to cure this horrid piece of s*** disease.

Tell me there is no conspiracy and the medical community is really trying to cure cancer.

You tell me why with all this money being raised yearly there's no cure in site?????

[Balta1701]

First and foremost...because "Cancer" is not a single disease with a single cause.

[HuskyCaucasian]

With the Jimmy V Classic coming up and the fact I have family members battling cancer made me wonder if you guys agree with conspiracy theorists who believe scientists/experts/medical personnel across the world are not trying to find cures for cancer.

 

Almost every family has lost somebody to cancer.

And yet no cure?? Conspiracy theorists would say there's so much money to be made by the medical community that it'd be a distaster financially to cure this horrid piece of s*** disease.

Tell me there is no conspiracy and the medical community is really trying to cure cancer.

You tell me why with all this money being raised yearly there's no cure in site?????

Money != Cure

 

You cant just throw millions/billions of dollars at a disease and cure it. It's just not that easy. My understanding is that each cancer is different. I don't believe there will ever be a single cure for all cancer. A lot of research is being done at universities, which theoretically have no monetary reason to withhold a cure.

[Jenksismyhero]

Wow, so many reasons:

 

(1) it's not enough that thousands of government employees were able to keep the inside job of 9/11 secret, but now we have probably tens or hundreds of thousands who work in oncology who are simply wasting research money to better of their career? Too complicated to be a conspiracy.

 

(2) any medical professional (or group) that finds a cure would be an instant billionaire.

 

(3) as Balta said, way too many variants = complex solution

 

(4) my mother is a nurse practitioner who works in oncology at NW and is a melanoma survivor. I'm guessing she wouldn't continue to work in that field if it was all for show.

 

 

[Chisoxfn]

With the Jimmy V Classic coming up and the fact I have family members battling cancer made me wonder if you guys agree with conspiracy theorists who believe scientists/experts/medical personnel across the world are not trying to find cures for cancer.

 

Almost every family has lost somebody to cancer.

And yet no cure?? Conspiracy theorists would say there's so much money to be made by the medical community that it'd be a distaster financially to cure this horrid piece of s*** disease.

Tell me there is no conspiracy and the medical community is really trying to cure cancer.

You tell me why with all this money being raised yearly there's no cure in site?????

I don't really agree with this. I think there might be more of a valid conspiracy for those diseases in which you need to take significant medication for life and that there might not be a financial interest in a cure since it would prevent you from generating those constant revenue streams.

 

However, for cancer, the revenue generated is soley for trying to cure the disease or depending on the type and diagnosis, they try to comfort you as you pass on.

 

I know for me, my grandma was a cancer survivor but eventually another form of cancer got her (she lived a long life though).

 

I think more conspiracy theorist would point to things like diabetes or HIV as those are expensive drugs that the pharmacutical companies can sell and if there was a one time cure, than that revenue would be out the drain.

 

That said, scientist that are performing the R&D often times work for think tanks and non-profit research institutions so they aren't necessarily incentized by how much money the drug ultimately creates and I certainly believe that people still have the best interest at heart and would never hold out on things like that. Yes, businesses have to make decisions but they also need to act ethical and put out what they feel are the best products available for the consumer benefit (and they'll price it to make money). However, to an extent, R&D money from internal companies is more likely to go to the projects they feel would have the best added monetary value but that is why you have so much government research and grants designated for the development for cures for certain diseases.

 

I believe it will be a great day when the world can find a cure for all of the major diseases in this world (Cancer, HIV, etc)and for one minute I don't believe these cures already exist and are being kept a secret.

[Iwritecode]

I want to find a cure for the common cold.

[CrimsonWeltall]

With the Jimmy V Classic coming up and the fact I have family members battling cancer made me wonder if you guys agree with conspiracy theorists who believe scientists/experts/medical personnel across the world are not trying to find cures for cancer.

 

Almost every family has lost somebody to cancer.

And yet no cure?? Conspiracy theorists would say there's so much money to be made by the medical community that it'd be a distaster financially to cure this horrid piece of s*** disease.

Tell me there is no conspiracy and the medical community is really trying to cure cancer.

You tell me why with all this money being raised yearly there's no cure in site?????

 

A "cure for cancer" isn't much more meaningful than a "cure for virus". There are a lot different kinds of cancers and there are treatments of varying efficacy for many of them (surgery, chemo, radiation).

 

[greg775]

Thanks for the posts.

I just am a bit skeptical about the medical world.

My dad has stomach cancer and is going through chemo. He was getting poor treatment in suburbia and decided to go downtown to u of chicago for treatment and he's undergoing a radical new form of treatment.

Hopefully the university is trying to find a great cure for cancer.

 

[StrangeSox]

I'm sorry that he was getting poor treatment before. I hope the new treatment at UoC works out for him. Stomach cancer is a tough one.

 

Doctors and medical researchers are people, too. People who have dedicated their life to studying various cancers and trying to find treatments and cures for them. People who probably had or will have friends or family who get some form of cancer. As others have said, there's no single cure for cancer because it's not a single disease. It's like asking for a cure for infection--there's many different types, many different pathologies, different treatment options and concerns.

 

[Middle Buffalo]

Wow, so many reasons:

 

(1) it's not enough that thousands of government employees were able to keep the inside job of 9/11 secret, but now we have probably tens or hundreds of thousands who work in oncology who are simply wasting research money to better of their career? Too complicated to be a conspiracy.

 

(2) any medical professional (or group) that finds a cure would be an instant billionaire.

 

(3) as Balta said, way too many variants = complex solution

 

(4) my mother is a nurse practitioner who works in oncology at NW and is a melanoma survivor. I'm guessing she wouldn't continue to work in that field if it was all for show.

 

It would be the perfect cover. Take that in the spirit it's intended.

 

My mom is getting her last round of chemo this week. She's 71, goes every three weeks, and she still shows up for work. After her last treatment on a Friday, she worked a double shift the following day(she's a waitress part-time to keep busy), and then one shift on Sunday. And I work with people who call in sick with minor aches and pains for three days at a time.

[Cknolls]

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=...&id=7827069

 

 

RIP.

[greg775]

I'm sorry that he was getting poor treatment before. I hope the new treatment at UoC works out for him. Stomach cancer is a tough one.

 

Doctors and medical researchers are people, too. People who have dedicated their life to studying various cancers and trying to find treatments and cures for them. People who probably had or will have friends or family who get some form of cancer. As others have said, there's no single cure for cancer because it's not a single disease. It's like asking for a cure for infection--there's many different types, many different pathologies, different treatment options and concerns.

 

Thanks for that post. It made me feel like there are people trying to cure the bastard disease after all.

[greg775]

It would be the perfect cover. Take that in the spirit it's intended.

 

My mom is getting her last round of chemo this week. She's 71, goes every three weeks, and she still shows up for work. After her last treatment on a Friday, she worked a double shift the following day(she's a waitress part-time to keep busy), and then one shift on Sunday. And I work with people who call in sick with minor aches and pains for three days at a time.

 

Thanks for sharing. What a lady.

If I were you I would email the Trib or Sun Times health writer. She is worth a story.

That's f***ing inspirational.