What have scientists discovered about cancer?
What have scientists discovered about cancer?
What have scientists discovered about cancer?
We provided the first conclusive evidence that the basic cause of cancer is damage to DNA. The discovery changed scientific opinion dramatically and marked a turning point for cancer research. Until that point, scientists had assumed carcinogens caused cancer by acting on proteins, rather than genes.
Why research on cancer is important?
Cancer research is crucial to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of these cancers, and ensure that survivors live longer, better quality lives. Research also helps identify the causes of cancer and is pointing the way to improved methods of diagnosis and treatment.
How do scientists define cancer?
A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade nearby tissues. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems.
Research has helped us accumulate extensive knowledge about the biological processes involved in cancer onset, growth, and spread in the body. Those discoveries have led to more effective and targeted treatments and prevention strategies.
How are scientists learning more about cancer cells?
As scientists have learned more about the basic mechanics of cancer cells – particularly the molecular changes that allow normal cells to become cancerous and to grow and spread in the body – they’ve found new ways of intervening in the cancer process.
What can you learn about the history of cancer?
Learn about how people have understood and described cancer throughout history, as well as how the treatment of cancer has evolved.
How did the treatment of cancer evolve over the years?
Cancer Treatment: A Look at How It Has Evolved in 70 Years. In 1947, when Dana-Farber Cancer Institute founder Sidney Farber, MD, set out to find a drug treatment for childhood leukemia, cancer treatment took two forms – surgery to cut out cancerous masses, and radiation therapy to burn them out.
What was the major discovery in cancer treatment?
A major discovery was the advantage of using multiple chemotherapy drugs (known as combination chemotherapy) over single agents.
As scientists have learned more about the basic mechanics of cancer cells – particularly the molecular changes that allow normal cells to become cancerous and to grow and spread in the body – they’ve found new ways of intervening in the cancer process.
Learn about how people have understood and described cancer throughout history, as well as how the treatment of cancer has evolved.
How are people chosen for cancer research studies?
Researchers may also consider certain factors when choosing people to enroll in an experimental study. They could be based on type of cancer, stage of the disease, or whether the cancer has spread. One of the most common types of experimental studies is the clinical trial. This is a research study that tests a medical intervention in people.
How does research help in the treatment of cancer?
Research has helped us accumulate extensive knowledge about the biological processes involved in cancer onset, growth, and spread in the body. Those discoveries have led to more effective and targeted treatments and prevention strategies.