CANCER. Of all the maladies that afflict us, it is often the most feared. And with good reason: for most of history anyone discovering its unwelcome presence faced near-certain death. Even today it is either the number one or number two killer in many countries.
It's fair to say our three main weapons against cancer are crude and brutal. We cut the tumour out, burn it with radiation, or give drugs that poison any rapidly dividing cells. All are undeniably effective, but they almost inevitably inflict collateral damage.
The latest new class of treatment to reach the clinic is targeted therapies, which act on molecular pathways active mainly in cancer cells, and therefore lack the harsh side effects of chemo. Yet despite all the fanfare about them, these drugs rarely cure anyone, because cancer cells' high mutation rate allows them to dodge the pathway concerned. Targeted therapies usually only prolong ...
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