by spamfree1232002 » 27 Apr 2011, 08:01
Answer (of sorts):
Part of this issue is semantics and taxonomy: 'cancer' covers a vast range of diseases in which cells grow inappropriately. Needless to say we need cell growth and multiplication to live (and we also need to have spontaneous mutation in order to develop species). There are also many, many, factors which can contribute to causing cancer - most of which are NON-genetic (tobacco, diet, obesity, infections, radiation etc.) and our genetics also contribute.
So all in all I don't foresee a eureka moment when we suddenly say that we have a single cure for all cancers. We can say that, to some extent, with a single clear viral disease when we find an effective inoculation, but not with a family of disorders as wide as cancer I suspect.
Some cancers we can already treat most effectively, and all the time we're doing better by advances in one or another area. These will continue as we develop better epidemiology and bioinformatics and my guess is that cancer will slowly become less and less of a problem. We will educate and socially engineer people to avoid the risky behaviours and develop more sophisticated ways of attacking cancerous cells whilst leaving almost identical cells close by, relatively untouched, and we will develop gene therapies to lessen some of the genetic factors.
Your 16 year-old has an overactive imagination. There is no cure for cancer that is being held back. All research is published as the results come through, and given that a footballer can't even have an affair with a slapper without everyone knowing about it, then in this internet age I am utterly confident there is no cure for cancer that anyone is hiding!
And if you think for a moment then using a disease which primarily attacks old people - long after they have had, and raised, their children - is a pretty stupid way of controlling population! If you want to limit the size of the population try a sexually transmitted virus, educating people, or putting bromide into fizzy drinks.
Question:
What's you view on the advantages and disadvantages of royalty (in general - in any and all countries)?