Cancer

Life, as we know it, exists upon Earth alone, out of the uncountable planets in the universe.  Upon Earth, Man is the most intelligent species.  Cancer, in its various forms, is one of the few opponents posing a challenge to the very existence of this most intelligent human species, primarily due to our lack of knowledge and awareness about it.

Fatal diseases such as malaria, leprosy and smallpox, were all vanquished through human ingenuity, using scientific research to develop effective drugs for these conditions.  Cancer, however, remains a deadly challenge; hence we emphasize the need for intense and innovative research in to cancer.

The strong positive correlation between cancer and negative behavioral and lifestyle factors is another facet of cancer that merits attention.  If cancer is purely an issue of biological factors, it is only a matter of time before scientific research finds a remedy for the problem.

If, as we believe it, there is more to the egregious spread of cancer among human kind, in the form of changes in human behavior and lifestyle, and if it is linked to global socio-economic factors and trends, then, finding a solution to cancer becomes a societal problem which can only be resolved through revolutionary societal changes.  A novel approach to the problem is necessary since the issue is not limited to a local one but is international in nature.

We have a few suggestions as remedial measures. Firstly, we need to rethink our lifestyles – re-evaluating the pros and cons of our current lifestyles.  Secondly, as a long term measure, we need to educate and empower our children and our youth to move towards positive lifestyle changes. A first step in this regard would be to analyze the school curricula to identify specific content areas linked to disease and cancer specifically. Curriculum objectives and processes can then be strengthened to educate and to address the issue more effectively. Lastly and most importantly, the media should move away from promoting lifestyles conducive to the incidence of cancer purely for financial gain, and remember its responsibility to inform and educate the public about this insidious threat to humanity.

 Editorial – 27th volume