Cancer, by Martha Thomases – Brilliant Disguise | @MDWorld

January 15, 2016 Victor El-Khouri 2 Comments

There is far too much about cancer in the news this week.

First, it took out David Bowie.

Then, it took out Alan Rickman.

David Bowie has been an active participant in my fantasy life (sexual and otherwise) since I was in college.  Really, I’ve spent decades thinking about him, what he means, how he lives, what I should do and how he would like me to dress.  For the last twenty years or so, he’s lived within a mile of me.  That made no difference to his life whatsoever, but it made me feel a lot better about my choices.

And Alan Rickman?  I think, if we could play recordings of his voice on a continuous loop, there would be no need for products like this.

Cancer sucks.

In his Statue of the Union address, President Obama proposed forming a task force, headed by Vice-President Joe Biden, to find a cure for cancer.  For some of us of a certain age, this idea provoked a sense of deja vu.  Forty years ago, President Nixon suggested something similar.  At the time, there was bipartisan support for the project.  This time, I can’t find a Republican response, either for or against.

Forty years is a long time, and the science has taught us a whole lot more about cancer.  For one thing, it isn’t a single disease, and there won’t be a single cure.  Every cancer is different.  Two women can have breast cancer, but because of the genetic origins of the mutating cells, each woman will respond to different treatments.

The trend in cancer research shows that the most effective treatment is likely to be highly individualized, based on each patient’s specific DNA and immune system.  These discoveries are thrilling, because they suggest that we might be able to learn enough about how our bodies work to find a solution.

These discoveries are terrifying because if each person with cancer requires individual genetic testing and personalized drugs, the costs will be staggering.  The cost to do a full genome screening runs $30,000, and that’s before the patient gets any drugs.  Current chemotherapy runs between $20,000 and $30,000 per round of treatment, and that doesn’t include doctor’s fees, hospital or clinic fees, MRIs or other tests.

It is my perception that seeing the human race as a “gorgeous mosaic” is a progressive trait, not something I see often in conservative rhetoric.  Perhaps my sample size is not large enough?  And it is certainly true that progressives in general value science and evidence over faith-based beliefs.

It may be that every citizen should get genome screening at birth, so that we will each have the information we need to live our best lives.  In a country that doesn’t support single-payer health insurance or free college tuition, I don’t see that happening any time soon.

Which is too bad.  We weren’t able to save David Bowie or Alan Rickman or my husband or my mother or my step-mother or the person dear to you who died of cancer, but there are still billions of people who might benefit.

Martha Thomases, Media Goddess, has got your New York values right here.