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 Have a question about cancer that you can’t find an answer for? Every issue Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, president of the BC Cancer Agency, will answer a question to clarify issues on cancer research, debunk myths and discuss other cancer-related subjects. If you have a burning cancer question please send it to infobccf@bccancer.bc.ca.
Question:
I’ve been hearing for over 60 years that we will beat cancer, so why haven’t we beaten this disease and found a cure? What is all this research funding actually doing?
Answer:
Cancer is not one disease. There are as many cancers as the number of people who have cancer - it is unique to every individual situation.
Cancer is an outcome of abnormal gene function within our cells; in a large way, it is a consequence of ‘wear and tear’ of aging, associated with chronic irritation or exposure to adverse conditions (such as smoking, obesity, sun-light, etc).
At the turn of the last century the average life expectancy at birth was 49 years, and communicable diseases (i.e. a virus or bacteria infection) were the major cause of death. Today, we live to between 80-82 years on average and non-communicable diseases (i.e. diseases that are not contagious) are now the major cause of death.
These non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, are associated with life-style choice, behaviour, exposure and age. These factors are more difficult to reverse and get people to change their discretionary choices than to intervene with an antibiotic or vaccine to cure a communicable disease. Cancer is not affected by a universal therapy, as in the use of antibiotics for infection.
So the issue is less of ‘can we beat cancer’, but rather can we prevent premature death from cancer.
However, in the last 70 years we have made many advances:
- Seventy years ago, most people who had cancer died of it. Now approximately 50 per cent of cancer patients are still alive five years after diagnosis and many of those are cured.
- Five-year survival rates have increased significantly for most types of cancer including, breast, testicular, prostate, Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and colorectal cancer.
- Childhood leukemia was universally fatal 70 years ago. Today more than 80 per cent of leukemia patients are cured.
- The median survival rate for Hodgkin’s lymphoma has changed from three years to over 15 years.
- Testicular cancer, that was rarely cured 70 years ago, now has a 90 per cent survival rate.
- The Pap test (pioneered by the BC Cancer Agency) has reduced cervical cancer mortality more than 75 per cent in British Columbia since its introduction.
- We have achieved substantial improvements in control of cancer symptoms and pain, and in patient support beyond the treatment centre.
We are now looking for a cure where a cure is achievable. And through enhanced treatments we are removing the threat of premature death by providing someone diagnosed with cancer with a longer, more functional life. These goals are much more realistic, particularly when we realize that cancer is a process central to our own cells and a natural consequence of our increasing length of life.
We have been effective in acquiring knowledge through research, but not as effective at turning valid research into interventions that change the health of the public. In this area, we must do better – we can no longer accept that it takes 20 years to bring discoveries from the lab to the patient in the community. This is an area that the BC Cancer Agency is focusing on; it is called translational research and more research funding can make a huge difference to moving it forward. We not only need to continue our investments in discovering knowledge through research; we must expedite the process of putting research into action.
Simon B. Sutcliffe, MD, FRCP, FRCPC, FRCR
President, BC Cancer Agency
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