Cancer cured by 2015?, Optimisim reigns

[Futuretalk]

Optimism in cancer war

“No one will die of cancer in ten years,” claimed then National Cancer Institute Director Andrew von Eschenbach in a speech delivered in January 2004.

“It may not be cured at that time”, the Director added, “but drugs will be available to eliminate the pain, suffering and death that cancer now dishes out”.

Much of today’s research focuses on identifying detailed characteristics of each type of cancer. This enables scientists to search for weaknesses, and then develop appropriate detection and therapeutic systems that can lead to a particular cancer’s demise.

Of course, all new systems must pass rigorous, and sometimes lengthy and frustrating tests before they become mainstream treatments. Add to this, the fact that less than one in ten of these new therapies will ever reach final trial stage with success.

However, many factors feed the NCI optimism. Increased funding that puts more researchers on the job, an alliance made with major nanotech organizations creating huge synergies, and new infotech systems; including supercomputers that can perform thousands of simulations in hours to weed out therapies that may not be successful. Finally, timesaving “terabyte-speed” Internet2 communications will allow more cooperation between research centers.

These are examples of what Ray Kurzweil calls “technologies advancing exponentially”. Over the next nine years, progress in this “war” will double several times, which could make the prediction: “All cancer deaths eliminated by 2015”, become reality.

Comments welcome.

[Marty]

sounds about right

we cured polio and eradicated smallpox years ago, it's only a matter of time before we take care of cancer too. and since it has been studied for quite some time now, I'd say it's only a matter of even less time

[Futuretalk]

Yes, cancer could be zapped earlier than 2015. Already there are clinical trials scheduled that utilize a variety of nanotech applications which promise to detect and destroy individual cancer cells.

We can sure hope that this dreaded disease has finally met its match with technology.