Topic: Finding a cure for cancer is going to be very very hard

[superdave]

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/personalized-medicine-vs-evolution/

This is perhaps the most epic posting by Dr.  Gorski ever.  Long story short, not only do no two people share the same cancer, many tumors don't even share the same cells.  This will make any universal cure damn near impossible and any personalized cure very difficult.

[♫♪ FX ♪♫]

    Hmm, no.

[Citizen Skeptic]

From what I've read about cancer, it's unlikely they'll find a universal cure due to the sheer number of ways they can develop, hide, and move around. The drugs that we have now are for the most part ineffective and highly toxic.

[superdave]

From what I've read about cancer, it's unlikely they'll find a universal cure due to the sheer number of ways they can develop, hide, and move around. The drugs that we have now are for the most part ineffective and highly toxic.

While that is true, the story here is that tumors can be so heterogeneous that finding a treatment that works for all the cells within it will be crazy hard.  It would be like trying to kill an infestation of ants but every ant in the colony is a different species.

[lonely moa]

I have two friends diagnosed with rare cancers that hadn't been seen in the country. 

[Shibboleth]

I don't know. Once they can start doing genetic reprogramming you could develop a program for each particular person.

[Citizen Skeptic]

I don't know. Once they can start doing genetic reprogramming you could develop a program for each particular person.

Or clone a new body for you and just move your brain over. It's all about the brain. Imagine brain transplants becoming so routine that bodies become vanity goods.

[ricree]

Or clone a new body for you and just move your brain over. It's all about the brain. Imagine brain transplants becoming so routine that bodies become vanity goods.

Well as long as we're looking that far ahead, just lop off whatever bodypart has the cancer and stick in a new one.

[superdave]

Or just use our teleportation ray to teleport the cancer cells into a jar.

[Citizen Skeptic]

Or clone a new body for you and just move your brain over. It's all about the brain. Imagine brain transplants becoming so routine that bodies become vanity goods.

Well as long as we're looking that far ahead, just lop off whatever bodypart has the cancer and stick in a new one.

The only way you can be sure you got all the cancer cells is to lop off the whole body. Even transplanting a brain risks some cancer cells catching a free ride. Once they get in the brain, then you're kinda screwed.