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Introduction
Pages 1-16

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From page 1... ... New techniques have been found for early detection and diagnosis; new therapies are becoming available for treating some of the highly recalcitrant forms of cancer. And in the past few years, molecular biologists have begun to understand the fundamental nature of the cancer cell. Read the entire page →
From page 2... ... CANCER TODAY PERCENT 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Uterine Cervix Female Breast Prostate Uterine I I I T 1 T 60 Uterine Corpus Kidney Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma I FIGURE 1-1 Five-year relative survival rates for black patients, 1973-1979. (SOURCE: SEER Program, National Cancer Institute, 1983.) Read the entire page →
From page 3... ... /NTRODL/C77ON PERCENT 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 I I I I I 1 1 I 1 Uterine Corpus • 176 172 48 Melanoma Female Breast Bladder Uterine Cervix Prostate Colon Kidney Rectum Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Ovary Brain Stomach Lung Pancreas (ill 2 FIGURE 1-2 Five-year relative survival rates for white patients, 1973-1979. (SOURCE: SEER Program, National Cancer Institute, 1983.) Read the entire page →
From page 4... ... Lung cancer, which is closely tied to tobacco consumption, alone accounts for over 20 percent of all cancer deaths. Among men, it is the largest cause of cancer death; among women, the second largest (see Figure 1-3) Read the entire page →
From page 5... ... Each cancer runs its own distinctive course. For instance, although cancer usually appears as a tumor -- a visible mass of cancer cells -- in leukemia the malignant cells largely remain dispersed throughout the body in the blood and bone marrow. Read the entire page →
From page 6... ... Eventually, the recent discoveries in molecular biology should contribute to the development of a whole new order of chemotherapeutic agents. The final section of this report describes progress and potential in the treatment of cancer, as well as new approaches to ameliorating the devastating psychological effects of the disease. Read the entire page →
From page 7... ... The key to understanding cancer would seem to lie in these oncogene proteins, for it is their activity that renders the cell malignant. In the past few years, molecular biologists have begun to identify and study some of these cancer proteins, gaining the first glimpses into the biochemical activities that induce cancer. Read the entire page →
From page 8... ... Over the past few years, some basic researchers studying the genetics of the human immune system have revealed how McClintock's process of DNA rearrangement might serve to activate an oncogene, at least in one type of cancer. Although McClintock and others were doing work relevant to understanding cancer decades ago, the technology needed to confirm their ideas and tie them to the disease process has been available only for the past 10 years or so. Read the entire page →
From page 9... ... There is now widespread agreement that roughly 85 percent of all cancers are caused by broad environmental factors, including lifestyle patterns. The rest, presumably, have a hereditary basis, or else arise from spontaneous metabolic events. Read the entire page →
From page 10... ... Traditionally, the government has acted through its regulatory policies to minimize human exposure to harmful substances in foods. It has set standards for food additives and natural contaminants, as well as for pesticide residues and other industrial chemicals that might enter the food supply. Read the entire page →
From page 11... ... Cancer Medicine The impressive gains in cancer survival of the past three decades stem in large part from advances in chemotherapy. When the effort to develop cancer drugs and appropriate therapeutic regimens began in the 1940s, investigators had few clues into the nature of carcinogenesis and thus little rational basis for testing one compound over another. Read the entire page →
From page 12... ... For instance, the widespread adoption of the "Pap smear" has been credited with a 50 percent decline in the death rate from cervical cancer in the United States. According to Paul Marks, new techniques for diagnosing tumors at early stages may offer the greatest near-term potential for improving the ability to treat common cancers. Read the entire page →
From page 13... ... The CAT scan, or computerized axial tomograph, involves the use of a computer to reconstruct X-ray data into images of plane sections of the body. Nuclear magnetic resonance, or NMR, which uses magnetic fields to produce a cross-sectional image of the body, has the added advantage of sparing the patient exposure to potentially harmful X rays. Read the entire page →
From page 14... ... hospice, a center for treatment of terminally ill patients, was established in 1974; now over 1,000 institutions throughout the country offer hospice care. Hospices focus on emotional support and relief of pain, rather than on intensive, continual medical interventions that may serve to prolong life by a few days or weeks. Read the entire page →
From page 15... ... And most recently, molecular biologists have begun to understand how the disease is initiated within the cell. The implication of this massive research effort, says Paul Marks, is not that cancer will fade away in the next few years, or even decades. Read the entire page →

From page 1...

... New techniques have been found for early detection and diagnosis; new therapies are becoming available for treating some of the highly recalcitrant forms of cancer. And in the past few years, molecular biologists have begun to understand the fundamental nature of the cancer cell.

Introduction Pages 1-16

Introduction
Pages 1-16