Cancer

Nathaniel L.
Period 3

Cancer is a defect in which bad (or cancerous) cells go into hiding and as a result are not destroyed. Because of the way cancer works, it is very hard to cure, as we have not yet discovered a way to destroy cancer cells without destroying healthy cells. Chemotherapy works by slowing the growth and production of cells in order to stop cancer cells from reproducing. Unfortunately, also stops growth of healthy cells, such as those that line your stomach and mouth, as well as a person’s hair. This is why patients going through chemotherapy go bald.

Chemotherapy currently our only treatment for cancer. Chemotherapy is not a cure for cancer, as it does not always completely eliminate the cancer cells. Even if it does, it is possible for the cancer to return later in another part of the body. Chemotherapy is not an assured treatment and is not always permanent. It is also a very dangerous treatment that takes a long time to complete.

I asked 5 other people for their opinions on different cancer subjects. I asked GiGi, “If you won a 23 million dollar lottery, how much would you donate towards curing cancer?” She generously answered, “All of it.”  

The next person I asked was Braden. I questioned him, “If we were to cure cancer, what disease should we invest in curing next?” His answer was, “HIV.” I would agree.

My next interviewee I wanted to talk to was Daniel Dibb. I asked Daniel, “How important do you think curing cancer is?” He answered, “I think it’s really important. A lot of people go through it, it’s really scary for those who go through it and it’s really scary for their families.”

The next person I asked was Sophia. I inquired, “Do you think there is any potential danger in cancer research?” She answered, saying, “With chemotherapy, your immune system is really low, and while you have a low level immune system, that can make you more susceptible to medical issues, such as my grandma, who had heart failures while under chemo."

The last person I asked was Gregory. I asked him, “How close do you think we are to finding the cure for cancer?” He answered, “We could be close, but I feel like the answer is just out of our reach.”

So how can genetic engineering work for cancer? If it were possible to cure cancer by genetically engineering babies that were immune to cancer, then we could have a genetic breakthrough. We may be very close or very far away from such an advancement, but could genetic engineering be the cure to cancer?

According to slate.com, a recent scientific experiment allowed injected T-Cells to successfully attack and destroy a patients tumor with virtually no side affects.