It's a matter of time. I have no doubt about it. The human will, determination and intellect that invented electricity, the phone, the radio, airplanes, the polio vaccine and penicillin, and that put a man on the moon, will definitely find the cure for cancer. Yet, I agree with most, including those who expressed their frustration in the recent New York Times article, that the war on cancer is taking too long to win. It's a war that we have to win. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), 1,479,350 people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and it's expected that 562,340 will die from it. In fact, cancer is the second most common cause of death in the U.S., accounting for 23% of all deaths. This means that one of four people living in the U.S. will eventually die of cancer.
These numbers are even more dreadful when you consider the global impact. The World Health Organization predicts that the number of people worldwide living with cancer will rise from about 28 million today to about 75 million in 2030. The challenge is so big, and those of us on the front lines have no illusion of what we're facing. The New York Times article clearly articulated this challenge.
But to balance these dismal statistics, one has to keep in mind that more and more people survive cancer every year. In 2005, the ACS estimated that more than 11 million cancer survivors were in the United States, and this number continues to increase.
In my own subspecialty, there are many success stories. For example, over the past decade, the expected survival of patients with indolent lymphoma has increased from an average of eight years to 15 years. For mantle cell lymphoma, it increased from 1.5 years to more than five years, and for Hodgkin's lymphoma the cure rate improved from 30% in 1960 to almost 80% today.
More broadly, after almost three decades of a stalemate, cancer mortality is starting to slowly decrease. Furthermore, our knowledge of the basic molecular and genetic structure of cancer cells has exploded, identifying new therapeutic targets. A decade ago, only a few drugs were in development for cancer. Today, there are more than 800 drugs, with more coming. So I'm confident that we're on the right track, and it's only a matter of time until we find the cure.
So how do we speed up the process? In my opinion, one of our biggest challenges is the inadequate participation of patients in innovative clinical trials. The public is rightly expressing frustration on the slow progress. But to demand and expect speedy development, they also have to actively participate in clinical trials. With an average of less than 10% of cancer patients participating in clinical trials in the U.S., one shouldn't be surprised that the field is moving forward at a slow pace.
When I read the New York Times article, I was concerned that, despite the challenges that we all face in the war on cancer, a message of hope may have been unintentionally missed. So I posted the article on my Facebook page and asked my followers, many of whom are patients and cancer survivors, to comment.
In my own subspecialty, there are many success stories. For example, over the past decade, the expected survival of patients with indolent lymphoma has increased from an average of eight years to 15 years. For mantle cell lymphoma, it increased from 1.5 years to more than five years, and for Hodgkin's lymphoma the cure rate improved from 30% in 1960 to almost 80% today.
More broadly, after almost three decades of a stalemate, cancer mortality is starting to slowly decrease. Furthermore, our knowledge of the basic molecular and genetic structure of cancer cells has exploded, identifying new therapeutic targets. A decade ago, only a few drugs were in development for cancer. Today, there are more than 800 drugs, with more coming. So I'm confident that we're on the right track, and it's only a matter of time until we find the cure.
So how do we speed up the process? In my opinion, one of our biggest challenges is the inadequate participation of patients in innovative clinical trials. The public is rightly expressing frustration on the slow progress. But to demand and expect speedy development, they also have to actively participate in clinical trials. With an average of less than 10% of cancer patients participating in clinical trials in the U.S., one shouldn't be surprised that the field is moving forward at a slow pace.
When I read the New York Times article, I was concerned that, despite the challenges that we all face in the war on cancer, a message of hope may have been unintentionally missed. So I posted the article on my Facebook page and asked my followers, many of whom are patients and cancer survivors, to comment.
To lead the discussion I stated, "While I agree that there is so much work to be done, the article should have provided a more balanced picture of the many patients who are cured of cancer and are living a normal life with their loved ones. I also think that we need to move away from the currently available harsh treatments that are debilitating. We need to develop more gentle targeted therapy that are effective but maintain a good quality of life ..." And here are some of the comments that were posted:
"I can see and understand your point of view, Dr. Younes. At the same time, I'm also glad that the author expressed the gravity of the cancer battle. Too often these days, I think, people who haven't been touched by the disease assume that modern science has evolved to the point that cancer is uniformly curable with one shot. That belittles the gravity of the malady and the fight patients wage each and every day. If this article informs that viewpoint, I'm grateful. That said, I do agree with you that there is great hope, and that's what we must focus on to advance treatment and management of cancer. Thank you, speaking from my heart and as a survivor, for your efforts on that front!"
"I could not agree more Dr. Younes - the article really focuses on the most difficult cases ... but that is why the people with difficult cases come to MD Anderson - b/c MDA will stop at nothing and will always give you hope ..."
"My time at MDA was the best medical experience I've ever had. Ironic, given it was related to the worst diagnosis I've ever had. Thanks for sharing!"
Having worked at M. D. Anderson for the past 16 years, I know that the message of hope prevails on everyone's face and is implanted in everyone's soul. I see it on the faces of everyone who works here, from the president to the cleaning crews. After all, it's this spirit of optimism, dedication and hope that will help us eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation and the world.
"I can see and understand your point of view, Dr. Younes. At the same time, I'm also glad that the author expressed the gravity of the cancer battle. Too often these days, I think, people who haven't been touched by the disease assume that modern science has evolved to the point that cancer is uniformly curable with one shot. That belittles the gravity of the malady and the fight patients wage each and every day. If this article informs that viewpoint, I'm grateful. That said, I do agree with you that there is great hope, and that's what we must focus on to advance treatment and management of cancer. Thank you, speaking from my heart and as a survivor, for your efforts on that front!"
"I could not agree more Dr. Younes - the article really focuses on the most difficult cases ... but that is why the people with difficult cases come to MD Anderson - b/c MDA will stop at nothing and will always give you hope ..."
"My time at MDA was the best medical experience I've ever had. Ironic, given it was related to the worst diagnosis I've ever had. Thanks for sharing!"
Having worked at M. D. Anderson for the past 16 years, I know that the message of hope prevails on everyone's face and is implanted in everyone's soul. I see it on the faces of everyone who works here, from the president to the cleaning crews. After all, it's this spirit of optimism, dedication and hope that will help us eliminate cancer in Texas, the nation and the world.
