Man, it's just never enough, is it? AIDS research is actually coming along. There are even vaccines in human trials, and treatments are available that keep the disease in check almost indefinitely. But it's not like everyone halts what they're doing in order to work on one project at a time; that would actually be counter-productive.

This article is about a discovery that can lead to stopping the spread of cancer, perhaps even leading to a cure. And your complaint is that these cancer researchers didn't choose to work on AIDS? You're actually trying to complain about this?

A cancer theory about twenty years ago states that everyone is born with it, but most people are immune. Another theory about A.I.D.S, is that the descendants of the Black Plague survivors are less likely to contract it. And another tid bit. In England back in '62 or so a kid died from an unknown disease. A couple of decades later a doctor got curious and pulled up the kids medical records. What the doctor discovered is that the kid had all the symptoms of A.I.D.S, in 1962. The article did not mention weather or not the kid was gay, or a drug user. If that were case there should have been more reported cases well before the early eighties.

Everyone at one point in time or another has abnormal cells. Generally ones immune system and other cellular machinery take care of those abnormal cells so they don't proliferate - the abnormal cells commit suicide. As you get older your chances of cancer increase because mutations accumulate and your immune system just isn't what it used to be. Bad combination.

Your black death/AIDS parallel was interesting. I researched it a bit. Looks like it has to do with CCR-5. Perhaps there was some natural selection going on. Link below for anyone who is interested:

http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/99/8/497.full

As for HIV/AIDS cases, there were sporadic cases reported earlier than when the outbreak was actually recognized/causative virus identified. No conspiracy there.

It is going to be too late for me,but I am pleased that others may not have to go through what I am. I have a blood borne skin cancer that is slow but steady in its progress. I am greatful for the medical services study of these diseases to prevent others from having to deal with both the pain and stigma of these diseases. Congrats to the medical community. You are appreciated.

Cancer is not curable. It´s treatable but not curable. There will never be 1 cure for everyone with cancer...not even with those with the same type of cancer. New breakthroughs are always exciting but I think people need to remember that cancer cells are very smart and resourceful. They will find a new pathway to get what they want. This will be a long complicated battle, which I hope I´m wrong. That said even one life saved is worth it though.

Cancer is still pretty rare, even at the average age of our presidents.

They've suffered other diseases/syndromes:

Reagan: Alzheimers

Roosevelt: Polio

JFK: Addison's

Many presidents had/have heart disease too.

We've had 44 presidents. You would not expect them to have a representation of every disease out there. The incidence of MS is 1 out of every 700 (on average in the US). Cancer is pretty rare even though you hear about it all the time.

Tubby,

It must be nice to sit in blissful ignorance believing in the little fairy tale that this world is filled with selfless, loving people who want only what is best for everyone. It's just crazy to think think greed for money, profits, and power would be more important to someone than helping others. Nah... that's would never happen. Who would ever stop to think that almost hundred years ago in our technological infancy we were able to find cures/vaccines for all kinds of life crippling diseases. Now we can only seem to find drugs that slow things down and require a ton of payments. They had the entire DNA map of the bird flu with in days and had a cure for it right away.. but why do you think that is.. you can't make long term preventative drugs for a disease that kills you with in a week. So those we can erraticate. You are talking about hundreds of billions of dollars a year, tens of thousands of jobs, billions in hospital equipment, and a huge change of health care expenses that would disappears if a cure was released. You can't even fathom the impact this would have on the world economically. So yes, a HERO would be one who would demand the stop to the greed that prevent us from true progress in this world.

Sam - metastatic cancer is very difficult, and even close to impossible, to cure. Read any oncology journal and you will notice that the understanding of metastatic cancer is constantly evolving, as do the metastatic cancers themselves. You target one abnormal protein, 6 months later the cancer mutates further and produces something else that renders the drug useless.

The fact that metastatic cancer proves elusive to most treatments in the long term and eventually kills many who are afflicted is the true villain. It is evil and relentless in its spread throughout the body, becoming resistant to one drug after another.

BTW, there is no cure for the avian flu - only drugs that will (may) poorly halt it a bit.

LOL. Well, I have to tell you, I've seen at least 5 different "cures" published for further research over the last 10 years...and then watched them get squashed underground, never to be hear from again. You'd think you would AT LEAST hear about details of the studies and explanations of why initial findings looked really promising, and what happened in clinical trials. But you can't find it. It's as if all funding for those other solutions was all dried up before it ever got going.

There are greedy forces out there that are ready to elbow out of the way any option they have no gain/market in. You can't argue that the politics of money get in the way of progress in Cancer. The fact that we are no further than we were 30 years ago and I read about 30 new 'promising' progress stories every month, is really discouraging.

I would like it if there were rules in place that forced full public disclosure of these studies that go on, so we could all see exactly what happens when they proceed...and if they get squished. Peach and plum extract for breast cancer for instance...breast milk reported to kill breast cancer cells....where are those studies now?

Sometimes things look good early on, but when you try it in larger populations, so phase 2, you may see unacceptable toxicity (as some potential cancer drugs can be too toxic in too many people).

A lot looks nice in a petri dish or an animal model and even early on in humans (phase 1), but don't wind up working out for tox reasons or even lack of efficacy...

The same reason they don't get Polio, a vaccine.

You might want to mix in a history class. The first Polio Vaccine was developed by Jonas Salk in 1955. There are currently two types of Polio Vaccines in use around the world.

As in the Salk Institute in La Jolla CA. I used to drive by that place when I was a kid. I'm suggesting that there may already be a cancer vaccine, and I also have thought that some agency is keeping it under wraps for the financial incentive. My guess is that there are less people in that world that need it, than want it. The only way a company can make a profit is if more people needed it, otherwise it would be cost prohibitive to the few. How's this for a conspiracy theory, the government is poisoning us so we do contract cancer. What a cash cow that could be for the pharmaceuticals. Just kidding, we all know that our food and water supplies aren't tainted...

Tubby,

You'll have to better than that to support your bliss. Polio is nothing compared to cancer and the cost and need for treatments. In fact 95% of people who get polio don't even expereince symptoms or effect. In the 5% that do become so severely impaired, they develop nerve damage that is so severe that they can't function, there aren't nearly as many TREATMENTS that require long term financial benefits for the suppliers of the drugs. AIDS used to be a killer.. Not anymore. Now you can live a relatively normal and long life at a very expensive cost. Evidence and a little logic, goes a long way... And Virgil: There is no conspiracy on your claims. There are plenty of warnings from agencies, scientists and other institutes on the cancer causing effects of many things they put in our food, water, air ect. If the intent is to cause cancer is questionable, but the negligence in allowing it is unquestionable.

Go to your local medical school library and browse through an oncology journal. There is a heck of a lot going on. Some cancers even have their own journals. For every signalling path or abnormal protein that basic researchers discover, there's 10 new questions that need to be answered. The newest melanoma drug in testing, for example, does a fantastic job keeping metastatic melanoma at bay. Then the melanoma gets around the drug and pumps out a different abnormal protein. Metastatic cancer is a horrible parasite.

Want to cure the cancer...remove the tumor before it's had time to seed or spread. Most cancer money is spent fighting it after it spreads.

Arthur, I sincerely wish you the best, and certainly hope you will get the assistance and help you need. It's sad to hear you have no family around you, I hope you at least have someone who is close to you, someone that can be there for you. I know nothing about your genetic disorder, but thank you for bringing it to light. Perhaps someone with a medical background or ability to make something happen will read your post and start taking steps to find a cure, or help spotlight your condition. Best wishes to you.

Thankyou Billy,,,,you know,,it's not so much the fact that they haven't really tried to do anything because I realize,,I fall into the catagory of people that doesn't get a lot of attention,,because what I have is so rare,,that the medical community HAS to concentrate on what they know they can help.What gets me are all the indviduals on here,,,that have procalimed their expertise and their beliefs,,that everything is a conspiracy.Thanks again for your acknowledgment of my situation and your concern,,it's greatly appreciated.

Arthur, it sounds like you do not have much time left to live and the time you do have will be filled with pain and depression. I am truly sad that is the case and if I had a magic wand I would use it in a second to take away your pain and give you a good quality of life, but unfortunately that magic wand does not exist and there is nothing I can do to help you.

With that said, since you have experienced this kind of hardship, you can appreciate that there is more to you than just this life. You can ask GOD to help you and keep you, and when it is your time to die that HE will take you home with HIM. Eternity with the LORD is more important than riches in this life anyway.

I wish you the best and hope that you get better soon, if that is possible.

It's easy to be a human doing, it's hard to be a human being. Peace.

Cancer is not as common as you may want to believe. It's a decease that gets a lot of media attention, but was more rare before the industrial revolution and greening/GMFS', the wide spread use of all kinds of pesticides. I am from a large family, non of which ever had or died of cancer, as far as I know/can recall.

I'm glad you're not bitter, Authur-348233. It's refreshing to see that, instead of ranting like an old fool, you've used your knowledge and position to help educate others. Yep...lead by example. Good for you.

Hey Scott-H,,,when you throw a jab,,,at least have the decency to spell my name right,,,considering,,it's been spelled for you,,,and NO,,,I don't rant like an old fool,,,I rant like a dying one,,,,you know,,,the knowledge that your life is ending,,,takes away all of the concern about what someone thinks of me,,or for that matter,,,has to say about me.

I thought the statistics I've been seeing were 1 in 3 of us are going to have cancer, which is a lot higher. So I think the perception about the presidents not getting cancer has a lot to do with concentrations of cancer in the population around us, yet not seeing too many presidents in recent memory getting it.

As for the whole rich people, government, presidents, whatever getting cancer...one could argue maybe they have more resources to eat from an organic garden and work out. I'm a pretty firm believer that we have environmental toxins making cancer way more prevalent. It seems that every 2 weeks that I find out a friend or friend of friend who has breast, lymphoma, or brain cancer.

Back tracking in my wife's history, she picked berries in the field as a kid, and the water table of the well water she drank could have been contaminated from agriculture run off. It's hard to prove, but we should all take a hand in making our government and EPA protect us. There is no more important mission than to save the next generation.

The statistics of someone living in another country and then coming to ours to get obese and cancer says a lot about our environmental influences. We have the higher statistics.

All of that said, on the topic of environmental influences, folks should watch a video or 3 about the nuclear testing done between the early 1950's and 1970's. The amount of worldwide 10,000 year radioactive fallout emitted from all the countries doing atmospheric testing causes a "WELL DUH" moment about the human genome being put in danger. There is even testimony before congress about why they banned atmospheric testing...and that was because they were in fact finding that the radioactive iodine levels in cows milk was so high they had to change the 'standard' of what was safe. This is just one example. So the research can be depressing; and my reason for pointing it out is so that we be active in our communities to do something about it. Get funding in our government steered to protecting our environment and our health. Fix the water, fix the food, stop the pollution.

The bigger crime at the moment is why does it take a decade to get something to market? They've got some preliminary results. They should be able to get trials going within a year unless they think there is a decade of obstacles in front of them. If there are those obstacles...lets hear them. What if we actually treated cancer research like open source software and collaborated all of the knowledge together? Wow...we'd probably have some super robust solutions for free. Oh wait, that's the problem. Those crazy competition and patents again. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for capitalism and free enterprise, except when it comes to saving lives from cancer.

I takes a decade because clinical trials are expensive and time consuming. Usually small companies discover these novel molecules. They need to get funding for their trials, usually from larger pharma or the NIH/other entity. So there's partnership negotiations and/or grant writing. Sometimes large pharma will eventually take over the smaller company. Suddenly that novel compound is stuck in the large pharma machine. Phase 1 studies are quick. A few phase 2 studies, not so quick. Phase 3, much longer. Then submit to regulatory agency for approval. Even with expedited review, it still takes some time. Many times, the regulatory agency requests more analyses and more data. The FDA for example is very "gun shy" given all the late withdrawals from the market for safety concerns. All of this is time consuming.

What is the worth of one man? And remember, the people that want a cure hidden have LOTS of money. As for the publishing of this article, the media is relative to the actual truth. Do you believe everything you read? And so I'm just supposed to take these comments to a congressman, yes that's right, congressMAN(I'm not so politically correct) who is also bought and paid for by special interest?

I have read about cancer vaccine studies in GBM, melanoma, and kidney cancer. The research is happening.