By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    headphones can create health problems
    The Harmful Health Effects of Using Headphones
    September 24, 2021
    Headache causes
    4 Causes Of Headache You Probably Didn’t Know About
    December 28, 2021
    follow these steps to recover from your injury
    What Steps Should You Take to Recover More Quickly from an Injury?
    April 12, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Cash Transfers: Good for HIV/AIDS Too
    August 9, 2012
    unnecessary medical tests
    Eagerly Awaiting the Death of Defensive Medicine
    September 5, 2013
    Image
    Mobile Health Around the Globe – mHealth Fighting Malnutrition in India
    December 17, 2012
    Latest News
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Not One War on Cancer, Millions
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Global Healthcare > Not One War on Cancer, Millions
Global HealthcarePublic Health

Not One War on Cancer, Millions

Andrew Schorr
Andrew Schorr
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

You have heard it countless times, “The War on Cancer.” President Nixon announced it. The National Cancer Institute has spearheaded what TV and radio commercials always talk about as “the fight against cancer.” Singular. But we really need to start thinking about it as a plural.  Wars on cancer. Fights against cancer. Taking it one step further, we need to see each person’s fight as an individual battle.

You have heard it countless times, “The War on Cancer.” President Nixon announced it. The National Cancer Institute has spearheaded what TV and radio commercials always talk about as “the fight against cancer.” Singular. But we really need to start thinking about it as a plural.  Wars on cancer. Fights against cancer. Taking it one step further, we need to see each person’s fight as an individual battle.  Not just individualized to the patient’s spirit or age or sense of hope, but individualized to his or her particular biology, matched up with the specific cancer and available treatments. That is the nature of “personalized medicine” applied to cancer. We’ve been talking about it for a few years around here, but what’s exciting now is that even more super smart people in the cancer scientific community are devoting themselves to it.

I met two people like that today near the research labs at the University of Washington in Seattle. Without giving too much away (they’ve got big plans), these two hematologist-oncologists, with many advanced degrees between them and decades of experience, are trying to build something really big that could lengthen lives and save many too.

What they’re trying to do is to take the knowledge in the labs doing research about all the different types of cancer and put that knowledge at the fingertips of every doctor, even those in the most remote clinics. They are trying to prevent anyone from getting one-size-fits-all cancer therapy and, instead, get patients the best individualized therapy available. Fueling this will be a partnership between patients, clinics and researchers, to collect tissue and blood samples, analyze them, and put the results into huge online databases. The technology is there to do this and to perfect cancer care in the process. But we patients and our community doctors will need to understand our role and get on board.

More Read

Health Train in a Hurricane
Want the Young and Invincible to Buy Into Obamacare? Answer These 3 Questions
Benefits of Emerging Technology in Healthcare in 2023
Can Toys Decrease the Cost of Health Care Devices?
FDA Has a Good Idea; Doctors Object

Ron Levy, MD; Chief, Oncology; Stanford Medicine

I know what’s envisioned may not be clear yet. Suffice it to say, if all this is successful, a future patient diagnosed with a type of cancer will have some very specific tests and a detailed picture of them will dictate a very specific treatment, more specific than what we do now.

There are some shining examples of how this is already helping – new medicines for subtypes of melanoma and lung cancer. Certainly it’s true for individualized approaches in leukemias. Not too long ago, Dr. Ron Levy, head of oncology at Stanford, explained this to me.

I am excited about the effort beginning here in Seattle and you can expect audio and video programs to document its progress. I have a feeling this is how we will beat the myriad of cancer subtypes, by doing what’s right for each of us, one by one, but with the power of supercomputing behind it to make it fast and efficient…and lifesaving.

I welcome your comments.

Wishing you and your family the best of health,

Andrew

TAGGED:cancerglobal healthpublic health
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

9 Lifestyle Tweaks That Can Add Years to Your Life
9 Healthcare Lifestyle Tweaks That can Add Years to Your Life
lifestyle
July 11, 2025
car accident lawsuit
Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
Policy & Law
July 6, 2025
women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025

You Might also Like

Primary Care Workforce Shortage: Possible Solutions

January 5, 2012
healthcare reform
BusinessFinanceHealth ReformHospital AdministrationPolicy & LawPublic Health

Trend Watch: Obamacare Challenging Community Hospitals

May 16, 2013

America Has a Medical Care System Not a Health Care System

September 25, 2012
morning after pill effectiveness
Policy & LawPublic Health

Morning-After Pill Doesn’t Prevent Pregnancies for Women Over 176 Lbs.

December 1, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?