Today, various types of cancer are striking with increasing frequency, in spite of billions of dollars in research to combat them. The situation in Northern America, and, particularly, in Canada, is more serious than many of us might think - about one person in three now dies of cancer. The five most devastating types of malignancy - lung, prostate, breast, brain, and skin cancers, afflict a significant portion of our citizens, sapping the life of the nation. Most tragically, cancer, formerly the purview of the elderly, now strikes people in the prime of their lives.
The international and domestic situation involving lung cancer is devastating. Even though aggressive measures have been undertaken globally to reduce smoking, lung cancer still claims a human life every 30 seconds, and 1.2 million newly diagnosed cases emerge every year! Statistics provided by the Global Lung Cancer Coalition show that mortality from lung cancer is higher than that of prostate and breast cancers combined. In Canada, lung cancer is estimated to be the deadliest and the most common type. In accordance with Lung Cancer Canada, in 2006 more than 23,000 Canadians were struck by it, and 27,000 new cases are expected to emerge this year. Patients' life expectancy is not high since lung cancer is extremely difficult to cure, and there is little hope if the disease is caught on its advanced stage. Lung Cancer Canada estimates that 85% of those diagnosed with lung cancer will die within five years. 2007 Report of Canadian Cancer Statistics estimates that roughly 9,000 women will die from lung cancer this year, while only about 5,300 of Canadian females will succumb to breast cancer. As is clear from the statistics, lung cancer currently represents a very serious threat to the Canadian population and should be a research priority although the present efforts to combat the disease are deemed insufficient.
Many cancer specialists agree that lung cancer can be successfully treated if diagnosed early, before obvious clinical symptoms occur. An experimental drug Tarceva (erlotinib) is showing promising results in shrinking malignant lung tumours and inhibiting them from multiplying, but only if the disease is caught early. Unfortunately, an effective screening for lung tumours does not exist. In comparison with the funding, allocated to breast cancer research, lung cancer research and measures to allow an early diagnosis do not attract necessary investments. It is estimated that total money spent on lung cancer is about 60 times less than that spent on breast cancer. There are two prime reasons for this situation: a relatively short lifespan of lung cancer victims, who literary do not have time to lobby for the research investments, and social stigma attached to lung cancer, as it is mostly associated with smoking. However, Lung Cancer Canada estimates that about 15% of those who die from lung cancer have never smoked, and in about 35% of cases the disease can strike those who have quit smoking long ago.
Although the authoritative New England Journal of Medicine reports that more than 92% of people with early diagnosed lung cancer survive ten or more years, Toronto's Princess Margaret Hospital is the only hospital in Canada that takes part in an International Early Lung Cancer Action Program, which is focused on the early diagnosis of this devastating disease. In addition to x-rays that are only able to show two lung sections, the hospital also uses the CAT scan, an advanced diagnostic procedure, that produces a cross-sectional picture of the lungs. In the last 3 years, the hospital has conducted 1,000 scans and has detected 20 cases of lung cancer, 78% of which were diagnosed early enough to be cured.
The national situation concerning prostate cancer does not look any better, either, since 2007 Report of Canadian Cancer Statistics estimates that this cancer is the most frequently occurring type of malignant tumour among Canadian men. It reports that one in seven men are at risk of getting the disease during their lifetimes and in 2007 alone, about 20,000 men in Canada will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. To fight back, the country will spend more than $286 million annually, yet about 1 in 27 men with prostate cancer will still die. Unfortunately, prostate cancer research does not received enough funding, either, the main reason being a social stigma of shame attached to the disease and, therefore, its low public profile, which hampers successful fundraising and lobbying.
Again, Toronto is taking the national lead to facilitate research in the field. Last weekend, the city hosted a prestigious national conference, which was dedicated to the development of prostate cancer research in Canada. The conference, called "A Decade of Progress, A Future of Hope", was organized by two prominent organizations: the Canadian Prostate Cancer Research Initiative and the Canadian Prostate Cancer Network. It united scientists, clinical researchers, and survivors, and focused on progresses in prostate cancer prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, and survival prospects.
Prevention and early diagnosis of prostate cancer was one of the key topics discussed. In the last decade, screening efficiency has improved and new genetic markers for the disease have been identified, to be used in the future to provide more accurate and timely diagnoses. New evidence was presented on inflammation and infection, the two cancer-contributing factors. A change of diet, a focus on exercise and an active lifestyle, and some types of pharmaceutical therapy, such as the drug, Finasteride, were mentioned as potentially effective means for preventing prostate cancer.
The conference discussed new and improved types of treatment, such as surgical intervention and radiation, which now have fewer side effects and complications. Patients are now being more encouraged to take an active role in their own treatment. The quality of life of those living with prostate cancer has also improved since the previous decade. Survivors emphisised the importance of research in the fields of sexual health and therapy complications in order to optimize the health and well-being of patients.
There was also promising news from Toronto on brain cancer research. Toronto’s Medicor Cancer Centre became the venue for a clinical trial for testing a new, potentially highly effective, medication to combat an aggressive form of brain cancer, called glioblastoma, even in its advanced stages. This experimental drug, named dichloroacetate, or DCA, was recently approved by Health Canada for its first human trial. The drug was initially tested on rats at the University of Alberta and the results seemed impressive - tumours in the rats shrank substantially. The Toronto human trial is aimed at finding out whether these positive results can be transferable to people. The research has already drawn international attention and there is hope that DCA may become a scientific breakthrough in the treatment of brain cancer. About 40 volunteers are currently taking the medication prescribed by Medicor Cancer Centre's medical director, Dr. Akbar Khan. As Dr. Khan pointed out, the preliminary results of the trial showed that the drug had already started working for some patients. A positive side of DCA is that it seems to annihilate tumour cells while leaving healthy tissues intact. Such quality of the drug could make it a healthy alternative to mainstream cancer therapies, which often have severe and even sometimes potentially lethal side effects.
More information on Toronto cancer research, trials, and conferences can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/living/Health/article/261310
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2007/28/c6312.html