In his address to the nation in 2016, US President Barack Obama announced that he intends to make every effort to help people overcome such an insidious disease as cancer. Vice President Joe Biden was appointed to lead this project. The US National Institutes of Health and some private organizations have begun to make every effort to make the program a reality. The NIH was one of the first in a number of chapters to receive increased US Congressional funding of $ 264 million.
America-Cuba cooperation
Recently, President Obama and Cuban leader Raul Castro announced their intention to work closely in the fight against infectious diseases, including the Zika virus, as well as cancer.
Cuban doctors say they are using a vaccine that provides mild Zika virus infection. These efforts are very encouraging. But how close are we to solving the issue of cancer treatment? Will this scourge of our time end once and for all?
What do oncologists think?
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Oncologists are firmly convinced that the issue of eliminating pathology should not be approached one-sidedly. It is impossible to treat an ailment according to a single scheme. But science does not stand still. She has achieved incredible success. Modern medicine can provide a 10-year remission of cancerous lesions such as melanoma. The disease is more common among men. Such a result was considered impossible five years ago.
Research into the understanding of the genetic background of the disease is progressing rapidly. Until now, 10 hereditary markers have been identified.
Progress is also being made in the field of immunotherapy. The body's own cells are used as a material to fight cancer. Some malignant tumors, for example skin cancer, can be stopped in this way.
But many unresolved problems remain. Take, for example, prostate cancer, in which the affected cells are not localized in one specific area. They quickly spread throughout the body, making cell therapy powerless.
Many researchers prefer to talk not about finding ways to cure the disease, but about the development of methods that promote long-term remission, since the chance of cancer recurrence is always great.
Will cancer be defeated?
The era of the fight against cancer began under US President Nixon in 1971, and since then, many important discoveries have been made by American specialists.
According to statistics from the American Cancer Society, 1.7 million people were able to avoid death between 1991 and 2012.
Many cases of cancer disease are caused by bad habits. For example, smoking often causes breast or prostate cancer.
Oncological diseases will remain a scourge of humanity for a long time. But doctors work tirelessly to improve methods of curing the disease. We can only say one thing: in the coming decades, a panacea will not be found, but tangible progress in the fight against pathology has already been noted.
Dr. José Boselga claims that American scientists have reached a watershed. A large number of discoveries occurring at an accelerated pace save lives and instill in their hearts great hope for a cure, even in the presence of advanced forms of the disease.
Maya Muzashvili