Should a cancer cure be found? Cancer is a disease of the cells, and occurs when abnormal cells grow in an uncontrolled way. These abnormal cells can damage/invade surrounding tissues, or even spread to other parts of the body, causing further damage (Cancer Australia, 2017). As of data collected between 2012 and 2014, about 38.5% of men and women will contract cancer of some form, at some point in their lifetime (NCI, 2015). Many experts in the field have strong opinions as to whether medical professionals should continue searching for a cancer cure. A cancer cure would increase human lifespans further than they are currently (Griffin, 2016). In the developed world, the average human life expectancy has reached 80 years in some countries. With cures for cancer available, this limit can be pushed further. It would also enhance life; millions of people suffer from cancer, and a cure would remove …show more content…
Smallpox vaccines, for example, led to several additional vaccines, and a new field of medical science that has essentially eliminated fatal diseases (Balding, 2006). A cure for cancer could lead to cures for diseases such as ALS, MS, muscular dystrophy, and genetic disorders. It would free up hundreds of millions of research dollars. The pursuit for a cancer cure is taking hundreds of millions of dollars to make happen (Novella, 2011). If a cure is found and this information cascades down through the various cancers that afflict humanity, valuable funding will become available for other medical research. A cancer cure would reduce medical costs (Schattner, 2015). Many people who undergo cancer treatments accrue millions of dollars of medical debt, that is not always covered by healthcare insurance. Procedures including chemotherapy, surgery and radiation are costly, and very difficult on the human body. Having a simplified cure for cancer could eliminate drawn-out treatment sessions, and huge medical