HEALTH AND SCIENCE
A Beginner’s Guide to Cancer and Current Thinking on How to Beat It
An overview of research on genetic and metabolic causes of cancer, and strategies to prevent and treat ‘The Big C’
Cancer is a frightening disease. Much like Voldemort, people are often reluctant to even say its name, preferring to speak in euphemisms about ‘The Big C’ or ‘Jack the Dancer.’
When former US President Richard Nixon announced ‘the war on cancer’ in 1971, many hoped that cancer would soon be a thing of the past. Sadly, however, after more than 50 years, we have frustratingly little to show for our decades of research.
Our understanding and treatments have both made important strides. But successes are the exception, not the rule, and cancer death rates have not seriously improved in decades despite our best efforts.
If our conventional approach works well for particular cancers but fails to treat most types of cancer, what are we getting wrong? How can we improve? And how can we reduce our personal risk of getting cancer?
Today, we’ll cover what’s currently known about these questions.
