In 1970, President Nixon of theUnited States, at his inaugural speech, declared two major projects ambitiously; one was to send men to the Moon and the other one was to conquer cancer. In 1971, the Congress passed the National Cancer Act and at the same time, President Nixon announced the War on Cancer Declaration aiming at reducing the incidence of cancer by 50%. Since 1971, Americans have spent close to $200 billion, in inflation-adjusted dollars in cancer research and the cancer research community has published 1.56 million papers!Even as research and treatment efforts have intensified over the past three decades and funding has soared dramatically, the annual death toll has risen by 73%.
Dr. Carol Sicolo, head of WHO’s Cancer Department, was very concerned and warmed: "As we all know, cancer has become a widespread problem. In Europe, one out of every three deaths is due to cancer. By 2020, the ratio will rise to 1: 1.”
Cancer treatment is mainly by surgery. According to WHO, 1/3 of cancer is preventable, 1/3 is curable and 1/3 of cancer patients can have long time survival after being given treatment. The radical treatment for cancer is surgical removal of tumors. In recent years, cryosurgical ablation has been introduced into cancer treatment in which tumors are killed in-situ without removing them. It is suitable for patients who are old, patients who are suffering from other diseases, patients who cannot tolerate surgical operation or patients who refuse surgery. It is the equivalent of surgery.
The best time to treat cancer is when it is still localized and has not spread to other parts of the body. That is when the disease is still at its early stage. However, at its early stage, usually there is no specific symptom. It cannot be detected without regular medical examinations. However, once it has been diagnosed, most patients will have unresectable tumors or metastasis has occurred. Advanced or medium to end-stage cancer patients with unresectable tumors are more difficult to treat.
Most people hold very pessimistic view on prognosis of advanced stage cancer patients. A report in the internet said: “Most patients after being diagnosed with advanced stage cancer could live for a few months or up to a year; very few could live for more than two years.” The former State Minister of Health of China, Professor Chen Minzhang who had pancreatic cancer survived only 13 months. Professor Wei Jianing, a famous hand surgeon of Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, who suffered from stomach cancer, survived for 11 months after surgery. Anita Mui, a Hong Kong pop star, had cervical cancer and she survived for a year after treatment. Zhao Lirong, a famous sketch actor, who suffered from lung cancer survived for six months after chemotherapy. Famous actor Li Yuanyuan who had cervical cancer survived for only 2 years. “Love Singer” Cong Fei survived for about a year from the time being diagnosed with stomach cancer. All of them held high positions and were very sound financially. When they were sick, they were admitted to the best hospitals and the best drugs were used. Those doctors attended to them were all famous medical specialists and the authorities in their own fields. Yet, the outcome was highly unsatisfactory. Some of them merely survived for a few months and had to bid farewell to their love ones and careers.
About 60% of patients who have been diagnosed with cancer are found to have metastasis of cancer. The metastasis rate is as high as 69% three months after being given clinical treatment (surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy). The recurrent and metastasis rate within a year is as high as 90% or above.
The Fortune Magazine in its issue of 22nd March 2004 published an article entitled “Why We Are Losing the War on Cancer and How to Win It”. Some extracts of the article appear below:
While there have been substantial achievements since the crusade began with the National Cancer Act in 1971, we are far from winning the war. So far away, in fact, that it looks like losing.
Researchers also say more people are surviving longer with cancer than ever. Yet here, too, the complete picture is more disappointing. Survival gains for the more common forms of cancer are measured in additional months of life, not years. The few dramatic increases in cure rates and patient longevity have come in a handful of less common malignancies--including Hodgkin's, some leukemia’s. Thirty-three years ago, fully half of cancer patients survived five years or more after diagnosis. The figure has crept up to about 63% today.
Yet very little of this modest gain is the result of exciting new compounds discovered by the NCI labs or the big cancer research centers--where nearly all the public's money goes. Instead, simple behavioral changes such as quitting smoking have helped lower the incidence of deadly lung cancer. More important, with the help of breast self-exams and mammography, PSA tests for prostate cancer, and other testing, we're catching more tumors earlier. Ruth Etzioni, a biostatistician at Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, points out that when you break down the Big Four cancers (lung, colon and rectal, breast, and prostate) by stage--that is, how far the malignant cells have spread--long-term survival for advanced cancer has barely budged since the 1970s.