• Question: have studies of cancer improved over the years?

    Asked by 374bera39 to Shikha, Colin, John, Kevin, Triona on 11 Nov 2014. This question was also asked by katie, Zoeve, Kevinjosh21.
    • Photo: Shikha Sharma

      Shikha Sharma answered on 11 Nov 2014:

      Hi 347 bera 39,

      Yes, the decrease in death rates of many common cancers that has occurred over the last 40 years is unbelievable. A lot has changed in the past four decades. Now scientists have a much better understanding that cancer isn’t simply one disease in which cells suddenly start to grow out of control, but rather hundreds of different diseases.
      I believe the success in cancer research can be attributed to two key milestones in cancer research: understanding the simple lifestyle factors that contribute to cancer and the better diagnostic tools. The mapping of the human genome in 2001 also contributed a lot to the improvement.

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