Why It Is So Hard to Find a Cure for Cancer: An In-depth Look

People often underestimate the physical and mental burdens of cancer because of how common it is, but that does not mean it is not a big problem. According to an organization dedicated to fighting cancer, “one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and one in three women will also be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime” (“Cancer Facts”). This statistic reveals that cancer is a widespread problem, and people ought to know why cancer is so hard to cure.

Usually, cells divide and grow when the body tells them to; however, this is not the case with cancer cells. Cancer cells do not die even when the body sends signals to prompt cell death, known as apoptosis. Instead, cancer cells continue growing until they spread to other points of the body. At this point, the cancer has metastasized and has become too widespread for chemotherapy. Cancer cells also avoid the immune system; therefore, the body has no way to fight these cancerous cells (“How Cancer Starts”). Owing to the highly abnormal behavior of cancer that defies much of how the body functions on a cellular level, it is difficult to find a definite cure for cancer.

Metastasis is one of the foremost reasons that make cancer a challenge to cure. Because it can spread to many areas of the body, oncologists are usually trying to cure multiple diseases in multiple areas at once. There are over one hundred types of cancer, and people can develop multiple cancers over time without realizing it (“What is Cancer?”) Once treated, cancer can also return; this is known as cancer recurrence (“How Cancer Starts”). The body is made up of around thirty-seven point two trillion cells, but there only has to be one cancerous cell in the whole entire body for cancer to come back.

Cancer is so difficult to cure because it can spread to multiple areas of the body; thus, in order for doctors to cure cancer, they have to cure multiple diseases and be able to overcome metastasis.

References

“Cancer Facts and Statistics.” American Cancer Society. www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics.html. Accessed 9 Sept. 2022.

“How Cancer Starts, Grows, and Spreads.” Canadian Cancer Society. cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/what-is-cancer/how-cancer-starts-grows-and-spreads. Accessed 9 Sept. 2022.

“What Is Cancer?” National Cancer Institute. 5 May 2021. www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer. Accessed 9 Sept. 2022.