1.
So many of the scientific breakthroughs have impacted cancer research such as Wilhelm Röntgen's discovery of the X-Ray in 1895, and it occurred by accident as well as folic acid discovery. Sidney Farber thought that anemia is deficiency of red blood cells because of lack of iron. Farber investigated the way of treating anemia with various things. Farber had been working for vitamins and bone marrow. Lucy Wills found that folic acid could help the blood in malnourished patients. Farber started to think the same thing with leukemia. However, folic acid actually accelerated the progression of leukemia. Then he happened to think about that maybe an "anti-folate" could work something to stop the growth of white blood cells. Folic acid, discovered in 1941 in green leafy vegetables, derives its name from the Latin word for leaf, folium. It was called folacin or folate, too. Folic acid is important in preventing spina bifida, so it prevents birth defects of the neural tube. Pregnant women are recommended to take folic acid during their pregnancy. He thought about “anti-folate” as anti-cancer treatment. It is just miracle.
2.
The war on cancer is successful. In the past, people didn’t want to face the cancer, especially a breast cancer. As a result, women had to suffer a lot. Now women don’t need to die for the breast cancer. 1969, Dr. Sidney Farber, past President of the American Cancer Society, stated “We are so close to a cure for cancer. We lack only the will and the kind of money and comprehensive planning that went into putting a man on the moon.”
President Richard M. Nixon signed for the National Cancer Act on December 23, 1971. The law earmarked $1.5 million for cancer research over a 3-year period. Now we understand the biological and molecular bases of cancer including cancer genes. Cancer-related mortality rates have declined such as lung, breast, colon, and prostate cancer. We are winner!!!
3.
The 1980 Canadian mammography trial was possibly faulty because technicians disproportionately chose women who might have breast cancer for mammograms, likely out of concern. It means that some patients who have cancer could not get mammograms. I could not believe that it happened just 30 years ago.
4.
Multi-pronged chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery are modern treatments for cancer. Now preventative care is an important method to fight back to cancer. But it is a long journey to reach this point of treatment. This book tells me that the history of science to fight against cancer. Everybody hopes to go over cancer and survive. Nelene Fox was refused in 1991 to get pay for an expensive bone marrow transplant to treat her diagnosis of advanced breast cancer. Honestly speaking, advanced cancer has nothing to do even though by modern technologies. One of my friends spent over $200,000 to save her husband as the doctors promised her to save him. It is impossible to save anyone from the advanced cancer. So I feel that the doctors ripped off her for money. She should use all money to have wonderful time with her husband until he passed away. Any experimental treatments would not to extend survival if the cancer is advanced stages.
No comments:
Post a Comment