Re: Is there any cure for cancer at all?

Dear Samantha,

	Your question is a tricky one, and I suspect that what you would like 
to hear is a simple yes or no.  We hear so many things about cancer that 
range from exciting research results and new breakthroughs in treatments to 
statistics that show alarming increases in cancer incidence.  I’m afraid I 
can’t give you a simple answer either, but I can help define some things 
and point you to some resources so that you can better understand what we 
know.

	First, we can’t really talk about a “cure” for cancer in the same way 
that a broken leg is cured when the cast comes off.  If a cancer is caught 
early, and surgery removes all the tumor, then essentially the person is 
“cured”. Unfortunately, this person will still probably have an increased 
risk of developing cancer again, usually because there are a few cancerous 
cells left.  These cells may be at the original tumor site, may have broken 
off during surgery, or may have previously traveled to another site in the 
body.  A person whose cancer was caused by exposure to a carcinogen, such 
as tobacco smoke, may have other tissues that were exposed and is therefore 
still at risk.  Former cancer patients are always watched closely by 
doctors so that any recurrences can be caught early and treated.  

	Because we can’t always be sure that cancer that is removed by surgery 
or treated with radiation or chemotherapy is completely gone, we talk about 
cancer “survival rates” instead of cures.  A survival rate refers to the 
proportion of people with cancer who are expected to be alive at a later 
time, compared with a similar population that is free of cancer.  If the 
five-year relative survival rate for a type of cancer is 50 percent, for 
instance, there will be half as many survivors in a group of patients as in 
a comparable cancer-free group.  The survival rate varies for different 
cancers, depending on the type of cells involved, how aggressive the cancer 
is, how early it can be detected, and how effective treatments are.  For 
example, the survival rate for breast cancer is 96% for women with a tumor 
that hasn’t spread, usually due to early detection.  For lung cancer, the 
survival rate is 47% for a localized tumor, because lung tumors are 
aggressive and difficult to treat.

	Remember that these survival rates are relative numbers, and represent 
an average figure.  In each group there are always individuals at the 
extreme ends of the scale.  There are countless stories of people given a 
poor prognosis who survived beyond all expectations, and new treatments and 
scientific understanding are improving the statistics all the time.  And, 
most importantly, we don’t have to resign ourselves to becoming a 
statistic.  We can virtually eliminate our risk for many cancers through a 
healthy lifestyle and vigilance.  The best example may be lung cancer-
nearly 90% of lung cancer is caused by smoking.  Melanoma incidence is 
directly related to sun exposure.  Regular breast self examination can 
identify early, localized tumors which can be “cured”.  Fresh fruits, 
vegetables, and fiber all have significant anti-cancer effects.

	For a really good review of different cancers, treatments that are 
available, survival rates, and things we can do to reduce our own risk for 
cancer, check out this award-winning issue of Scientific American:  http://
www.sciam.com/0996issue/0996currentissue.html.  The American Cancer Society 
has lots of information and links that might be helpful:  http://
www.cancer.org/.  You can also obtain more technical information through a 
search of the medical and scientific literature at PubMed:  http://
www4.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/.

Hope this helps. Write back if you have any more questions!

Sharon Shriver, Ph.D.
University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute