Have researchers found a cure for cancer?

Researchers found a "dream drug" that may revolutionize the medical world. 

Cancer has been probably the most feared disease among those who are are affected by it. Throughout history, millions of dollars have been spent on research trying to find a cure for this fatal illness yet results have lacked success. When one is diagnosed words such as "hopeless" and "death" race through their minds. However, researchers may have found a new drug that can bring promise to that hopeless patient. Supposedly a one of a kind drug for the treatment of cancer has been discovered that will kill every type of cancer tumor. 

Up until a few months ago, there have been four standard methods of treatment: surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and biological therapy. The main objective of these treatments is to remove the cancerous cells without harming the rest of the body. Yet this can be challenging at times because even if only one cancerous cell remains after treatment, it has the potential to cause a new tumor. Treating cancer may seem like a daunting task. Fortunately with advancements in medicine and surgery many new ways of treating cancer have been developed. These developments include this dream drug that will destroy tumors and end the growth of the cancerous cells in one's body. 

Mice with cancer cells have been cured using this drug, but will the results be as effective on humans?

This drug is so special because it blocks a protein called CD47 that basically completely destroys the body’s immune system.  Even though the protein is produced in healthy blood cells, researchers have found out that cancer cells produce an unreasonable amount of this protein that ultimately tricks the immune system into not destroying harmful cells. Knowing this information, researchers built an antibody that blocks CD47 so that the body’s immune system can continue to attack dangerous cells. However, researchers have not tested this new antibody on an actual human yet. Stanford University have distributed this dream drug on mice with human breast, ovary, colon, bladder, brain, liver and prostate tumors transplanted into them. Each outcome has been positive; the antibody forced the mice’s immune system to kill the cancer cells. Scientists’ at Weissman of the Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California have showed that “even after the tumor has taken hold, the antibody can either cure the tumor or slow its growth and prevent metastasis.” The only side effect found for the treatment so far was that healthy cells were subjected to short-term attacks by the mice’s immune system. However, this small effect is nothing compared to the damage done to the cancer cells. Researchers have received a grant of $20 million to move there testing from mice to humans. This drug makes you wonder what the future can bring. Above Dr. Robert Andrew's gave his opinion on this drug. Andrews seems skeptical that the results will not be as successful on humans as it has proved on mice, yet he agrees that this could be the future of science and medicine and that it will ultimately save millions of lives one day. After conducting an interview with a random person on the street, it seems that many people agree that this drug will be successful in many years to come.

Although faith of finding a cure is in sight, many scientists are not too optimistic...

There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected. Tumors can grow and interfere with the digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems, and they can release hormones that alter body function. Tumors that stay in one spot and demonstrate limited growth are generally considered to be benign. However when the tumor does spread to other parts of the body only to destroy healthy tissue, the process of metastasis occurs. The result of this process results in a serious condition that is very hard to treat. This dream drug may be able to stop tumors from spreading, or tumors from emerging at all; though there are reasons many researchers and scientists are doubtful that this drug will work. Despite decades of heavily funded and widely proclaimed cancer research, cancer has been the leading cause of death in developed countries and the second leading cause of death in developing countries; the five-year survival rates for most cancers have not changed since 1972; the rates of some cancers have increased; and one in eight deaths in the world are due to cancer. Cancer causes more deaths than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined.

With advancements in technology, we are on the right track to cure cancer. 

The current options for treating cancer were built upon success from the past. The progress made in the past century has cleared the path for continued achievement. In 1892, the first mastectomy for breast cancer was performed. In 1900, Thor Stenbeck was able to cure a patients skin cancer using small doses of radiation therapy. In 1979, the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer, p53, was discovered. Today in 2013, scientists are coming together with technology gurus to design a mobile phone game to speed up cancer cures. These amazing achievements bring confidence to cancer patients that there will one day be a cure for cancer with the right advancements in technology.